When we went to Houston a couple of weekends ago to celebrate Avery, we stopped along the way for a little field trip.
Mason is studying US History this year. Earlier that week, we spent some time looking at the Texas Revolution and Mexican-American War. There was a picture in Mason's textbook of the San Jacinto War Monument. It immediately caught his attention and piqued his interest. He thought it looked very similar (with the exception of that 220-ton star on top) to another of his favorite buildings . . .
. . . the Louisiana state capital building (it also reminds me of the Washington Monument).
So we immediately decided that we wanted to visit the monument during our trip to Houston. Perfect timing! When we went up to the top of the monument to look out over Houston and the Houston Ship Channel, Mason and his daddy got into a spirited conversation about which was taller, the state capital or San Jacinto. I'll not say who was right, but the San Jacinto memorial comes in at 567 feet tall, which is 107 feet taller than the Louisiana state capital building (it's 15 feet taller than the Washington Monument). It really was quite a sight to behold. It's the tallest war memorial in the entire world (you know what they say . . . everything is bigger in Texas).
Now, I have to admit, I can talk my way through the event surround the Alamo. Seth and I visited there during our 10th wedding anniversary trip to San Antonio. But I knew absolutely nothing about San Jacinto. Or, if I ever did, I'd forgotten. Mason and I read about it, talked about it and did some internet research, too. But this monument and the museum inside really was a fantastic opportunity to "experience" the Texas Revolution. In addition to riding to the top of the monument, we also watched a movie in the theater detailing the battle at San Jacinto and what led to that moment.
The structure is octagonal, and the monument is inscribed on each of the five sides with a summary explanation of the birth of Texas.
Adjacent to the monument grounds is the USS Texas. You can see the top of the battleship just behind and to the left of Mason.
You know, we have hard days sometimes. We have not-so-fun days sometimes. But homeschooling is something that has blessed our family, particularly our children, tremendously, and I continue to be so humbled and so thankful that the Lord has given us this opportunity. There are many things about homeschooling that aren't as I thought they would be. But there are many things that are so much more than I anticipated! This would be one of those things. I love how the Lord ordained that we study the Mexican-American War the very week we were going to Houston, giving us the perfect opportunity to visit the San Jacinto Monument and "bring it to life."
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