Milk the fountain

We found this fountain in front of the state capital on our recent trip to Austin. At first we couldn't figure out how to turn it on. Rebekah found a foot pedal on the base of the fountain and pressed it just as Isaac was putting his hands around the spout as if he were milking a cow.

Our whole family was laughing as Isaac excitedly told us that the fountain worked when you "milked it like a cow." He has never milked a cow, by the way. He was a little embarrassed when we told him he was not controlling the flow of water by squeezing the spout. In fact, he rolled around on a nearby patch of grass after we told him.

We laughed about it again on the drive home when Brandy and I asked Paul Ivan if he knew how the fountain worked. He told us he thought it was "voice activated."

I guess in a way the fountain could be considered "voice activated." Like if somebody were to say, "hey, Rebekah, mash that foot pedal and turn on the water."

As for the milking the spout theory, it has been disproved, although it was a real fun theory to consider.