No Talkie, Lots of Walkie

Yesterday I ventured on my own into Austin and tried to see as much as possible. I first boogied over to a darling specialty children's shop.
Then I motored though Austin to the LBJ museum and library. Very fabulous. Shed a few tears, then moved on to the Zilker Botanical Garden.
The vow of silence: I get it. During my stroll through the gardens I spoke to no one and no one spoke to me. This was a good two hours. As I carefully picked my way through the Oriental garden (my favorite) I could feel my heart rate slow down and my breathing become deliberate and measured. It was very meditative. I loved the gigantic koi fish. Also, I think I know the origin of using a heart to symbolize love. I observed two dragonflies connected ... Shall we say matrimony ... And the shape their bodies made together was a perfect Valentine's heart.
The dragonflies were all colors... Some purple-blue and others a bright tomato red, only better. The red ones were the thickness of my pinkie but at least 3 inches long.
I do think I got a few bug bites in the park.
After my immersion in nature, I drove over to the historic Hyde Park area of Austin. (I took a very circuitous route so that I could see some fabulous neighborhoods.)
On the edge of the neighbrhood is a stone, castle-like structure that belonged to the sculptor Elisabet Ney. She was truly amazing! The studio is still used to store all the works from her collection (that are not in the capitol building or on people's graves) and houses a museum. I shimmied up a spiral, metal staircase that was so narrow I had to slide in sideways and then couldn't raise my legs but had to stand on tip toe to get from step to step. Needless to say, I wouldn't have been able to take Mason in the baby bjorn with me. I also couldn't have gotten the stroller in the front door!
Then I drove back to the UT campus to see the Harry Ransom Center. That museum has two Gutenburg bibles on display. They also had a 1920s exhibit with Dorthea Lange photos, Steiger photos, first-edition books from the era, even sheet music from the period. It was very nice -- and free. Then I zoomed over to the Neil-Ochran house, which was built by Adner Cook. The TX governor's mansion was built by him, too. It looks very similar and was built from the same plan. The really great thing about that museum is that the docent gave me a special tour (no one else was there) that was more than 1 hour long. I learned so much about TX. Today, however, I'm all filled up! Ready to go home.
We've already checked out. Just need to catch our plane.