They arrived at seven for dinner, so I baked some pork loin and made some simple Chinese dishes for them. We decided to go to the state capitol together the second day. 

   Early in the morning when Walter and his family arrived, they told us that they decided to go to the LBJ library and the State History Museum as well. I went to the Library in summer, during which they were renovating the major exhibition, so there was only one floor open and had nothing but a recreated oval office and some jewelries that Lady Bird Johnson collected. I remembered that the curator told us that the renovation would be over in late December, so I decided to give it a try. It didn't disappoint us at all. There were all kinds of documents recording the life of the Texan president. What I found most interesting was the fact that he recorded all of his phone calls, so we could listen to his conversations with some of the greatest people in the US history. He had an interesting accent, but also one that conveyed confidence and authority. Every time when I picked up the phone in the Library, I felt like he was right there (it might be a little creepy); it was like looking at a piece of writing from two thousand years ago, and being that close to the writing makes you feel like you are really connecting with the writer: you are really WITH the writer. The Library is also biased, to an extent (there's no history without bias), since it was built to commemorate the first true Texan president, every of his policies was justified and glorified, and there wasn't a single harsh thing said of him (which makes a lot of sense). I saw my mom walking out of the Library, excited about all the great thing that Johnson had done. I didn't say anything because I knew it was biased, and without having learned about what really happened during his presidency, I couldn't base my judgment of the president on a museum that was dedicated to him. 

   Later we visited the state History Museum. It was probably because my brain was filled with information from the Library; I felt pretty tired and hungry, so I didn't look carefully at what was exhibited in the history museum (plus I wasn't that interested in the Southern history). The rest of the team felt that it was worth a second visit, since they were really paying attention to every single detail. We then went to have Mexican food for lunch, and state capitol after that. We didn't get to visit the House of Representatives because it was closed at four, and the tour started at that time, but the capitol itself was a really magnificent building, with the center rotunda and several hallways radiating from the Dome. We didn't get much time to know more about the building itself, but from what I had read, the board members tried very hard to keep everything just like it was a hundred years ago; the pillars, desks, chairs, stairs, and everything else was deliberating remade to keep the original design, which was truly something the Chinese should learn about. We too often were thinking of copying what was called "fashion" but forgot that the greatest possession we had was those of history. It's sad to see so many historical buildings and monuments torn down and dismantled, with ugly skyscrapers covered the original spot. 

   At last we also had a walk about the UT campus, and since we were parking at the staff parking spot, we hurried off and went to Amy's Ice Cream to have a sweet treat. My mom made some noodles and stir-fry for dinner, and before long Walter and his family left for San Antonio. 

   It had been a wonderful day, and it was really fun rediscovering the city I currently live in with friends. Hopefully I got more time doing this!

   Keep tuned, as always :)