Wayne Butts came to pick us up at 7:30 in San Clemente to take us to the John Wayne Airport to catch our plane at 10:15 to Denver and then from Denver at 3:43 to Austin. Kathy planned to pick us up at the airport and deliver us to our next new home exchange with Paul and Karen Sarcione. Paul and Karen left on Friday to go a golfing adventure across Texas and into Arkansas and would return on April 2, the day of our departure.
Oh my, was our flight a memoriable one?!? On approaching Denver the plane was the bumpiest, dipping, scariest ride we have ever experienced in an airplane in a long while....when we landed the wind was so fierce that when the plane was docked and we were waiting to disembark, the plane was shaking and being whipped about...we silently prayed that it would settle down before the 3:43 take off. Low and behold it did not...we had a bumpy ride until we finally reached an altitude of 1900 ft and everything finally smoothed out. Our hands were dripping wet from sweating, but it all turned out to be OK!
Kathy and Chad met us at the airport and they took us to a local organic restaurant where we feasted for an hour before heading to Marble Falls, about 35 miles away. Kathy dropped us off around 10:00pm and journeyed on to Gatesville for another hour and a half because she had to be at work at 7:00am the next morning. She promised to return for a home cooked meal on Wednesday night and to stay through Friday during her two days off.
Our home is a lovely three bedrooms, two baths with a great room, breakfast nook, and a formal dining room in a golfing community. They had a golf cart that we did take out to get some practice in hitting the balls. Great walking community ...built on an old pecan tree farm. The streets are lined with pecan trees...beautifully budding out. Remnants of last years pecans are here and there rolling around on the streets. Cooper, one of our adopted dogs for the week, loves to eat them as a snack when we walk him. Everything is green, so noticably green after being is brown California. Cattle farms lie beyond the neighborhood and a lovely lake sits on the last street over. Planning to kayay with the home owners three kayaks when Kathy arrives.
Susan asked if we minded having her three dogs in the yard. We told her we would love to walk them daily. One is a 12 year old chocolate, lovable lab....75 pounds worth, Cooper. He gets around the block but is so out of breath about half way that we dare not go any further with him. The other two are 9 month olds 50 pounders, brother and sister, Rusty and Rosey. They are so full of energy that we often are jogging to keep up. They are all puppy and are really sweet.
Cooper, Rosie, Rusty
Larry and I enjoyed walking the doggies every morning. We usually walk for a little over an hour but in this beautiful neighborhood with the dogs, it was easy to extend it close to two hours. After walking the dogs, one day we headed for the golf course. We bought a bucket of balls and practiced putting, chipping and driving. Since I hadn't played in over 35, I really needed the practice. We laughed a lot and had about two hours of fun, then it started to rain so we headed home.
Kathy came on Wednesday night after work. She arrived about 5:00 and then Chad arrived about 6:30. We had dinner and then sent them off to explore the neighborhood in the golf cart. Once they returned we played a lively game of Scrabble....Kathy beating our hineys with Kay coming in close second.
Chad mounted his motorcycle and headed back to Austin around 10:00, having to work the next day.
The next day after taking the doggies for a walk,
we headed to Johnson City about 30 miles away. We spent the day touring the LBJ National Historical Park and Ranch. The National Park was housed in two districts, the town and the ranch. It had nice displays of the life of LBJ in the town at the Visitor Center. His great grandparents settled in the area; hence, Johnson City. A replica of the original great grandparents home called the Johnson Settlement featured restored 1800s structures giving you a glimpse into the Texas Hill Frontier. Also there was a replica of LBJ's boyhood home in the town. We ventured on to the Ranch out side the city about 14 miles. Along the way we spotted Blue Bonnets (Texas's state flower) and Painted Brush Wildflowers growing all over the roadside with patches of cactus. Cattle, llamas, antelope, sheep, goats and other animals grazed in the green grass.
While stopping at the visitor's center, we picked up a CD that described the Johnson Ranch while riding the roads within the area. We drove past the older entrance that had a flair for being remarkable. Although it was now closed, a cement road crossed the Pendernales River in front of a man made waterfall. The home sat up above the river. On the property we passed the first school that Johnson attended at the age of four as well as the family cemetery where LBJ and Lady Bird rested in peace. LBJ purchased the property from his widowed aunt in the 1950's. We could see cattle grazing on the land, descendants of the originial LBJ herd. After riding through the LBJ Ranch you could understand Johnson's love of the Texas rolling hills.
LBJ's first school
The Johnson home was built orginally by a German family back in the 1800s. He added on to it an office, formal living room, kitchen, a swimming pool and later two separate bedrooms downstairs for him and for Lady Bird. We were told that she had a hard time sleeping because he was often working way into the night. Upstairs there were six bedroom, two for the daughters and four for guest. They also had numerous guest houses on the property; they entertained often. The dining room could seat 24 easily. The dinnerware was a very colorful but simple Mexican style pottery. They liked things to be casual at the Ranch to make people feel very comfortable. Johnson spent about a quarter of his presidency here making the place become known as the Western White House. He felt people could get a lot more done in this relaxed atmosphere, and then enjoy the surrounding beauty afterwards. An indoor pool was added by Lady Bird after LBJ's death. She wanted to swim with some privacy because the ranch had become open to the public.
LBJ's front yard with the Pendernales River in the background
The property also had its own airstrip. LBJ would land in Air Force One in Austin and then board a smaller four engene jet called "Airforce One Half" that would take him to the ranch. This plane was on display.
An amazing display of his automobiles were on the ranch. Two convertible Lincoln Continentals, a old red old timey jeep with a wet bar, a two terrain blue convertible vehicle that would drive on land and in the water. His daughter's 18th birthday present Vet was also on display.
Where did LBJ get the money to have his lifestyle? His wife, Lady Bird, borrowed money from her family to purchase a local radio station in Austin and later a television station and other media.
We enjoyed our day at the LBJ Ranch learning that Johnson passed more legislation than any other president. He is infamous for the Civil Rights Bills, Medicare and Medicade, Head Start Education and numerous other bills. his background as a school teacher lead him to want to help the poor and the elderly as well as ethnic groups.
After leaving Johnson's Ranch we rode to Fredericksburg, seeing a nice town of antique stores, old western buildings and various shops. We drove back to Marble Falls and enjoyed a dinner at the infamous Blue Bonnet Cafe. Inside the door was a display of magazine reviews as well as pictures of celebrities who had ate here. A huge glass refrigerator containing pies with mile high merangue tempting everyone to try a slice. This is the only restaurant that I know of that has a "Pie Happy Hour from 3:00-5:00. The food was yummy. We headed home to watch a Denzel movie for a relaxing end of the day.
We enjoyed a visit to the LBJ Library on Texas University Campus in Austin. The Library had ten floors. On the top floor a display about Lady Bird Johnson was open to the public. There also was a replica of LBJ's Oval Office. We watched a movie about Johnson. The rest of the displays were being renovated.
We rode down the infamous 6th Street in Austin seeing all the bars and music venues along the street. People were lined up at one place waiting to gain entrance in. Music was steaming out of the open balcony upstairs...the kind that we do not appreciate so we decided to head back to Marble Falls. It reminded us the blues street in Memphis. We also drove past the old Dressel Hotel...girls dressed in long gowns were entering the front hinting to us that a wedding reception was taking place inside.
Enjoyed driving up to Kathy's home away from home, Gatesville, Texas on Sunday. She is living with three other girls who are doing the same research for the Golden Cheek Warbler, an endangered species. On our drive to Gateville we enjoyed looking at all the different ranch entrances. Some are very elaborate and others were quite simple, but they all were unique for the Texas area.
Our last day, we did some shopping and relaxing. Packed up just in time....Paul and Karen could not wait to see their doggies and came home a bit early. We had a lot of fun sharing each others travel experiences for a couple of hours before Kathy picked us up around 4:45...delivering us to Austin Airport just in time to catch our 7:30 pm flight to Denver. So long to Marble Falls and Austin!
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