The Texas White House

Way back when... somewhere in the sixties... you may remember, like I did, hearing about the barbecues at The Texas White House - the ranch of LBJ, the 36th President of the United States. Well, we had a chance to be a guest there this past week and it was very easy to envision what life must have been like way back when...

Before he died in 1973, Lyndon Baines Johnson decided that his Texas Ranch should belong to the citizens of the U.S. and it became a National Park. Lady Bird lived there part time until her death in 2007. Now the home, at least a few rooms, is open to the public. They have restored the home to the way it looked when LBJ was wining and dining dignitaries and political bigwigs. It seems that when he did bring people to the ranch, he got a real charge out of using this gate. Which lead to this road that went right through the Pedernales River. Sadly enough, we weren't allowed to use that entrance but had to drive on traditional roadways.

Our first stop on the self-guided tour was an early 1900's German farmstead that still does everything without the use of electricity. It was like taking a step back in time as we talked with the ladies making cookies and preparing dinner in the kitchen and listened to a descendant of the original owners give details about life on the farm and the contents of the home.

More than once I was reminded of my mother and the farm on which she was raised. In the kitchen, I could just see my Aunt Loretta working away. They were even using the Blue Willow dishes that my mom uses. Under the Blue Willow plates is the cream that was taken off the milk that was, as the lady said, "in the cow just a couple of hours ago".

The rain barrel sits outside the kitchen catching all that good water to use when shampooing hair on Saturday night.

I had to pose by the cupboard filled with canned goods (all made at the farm, without electricity) as it reminded me of my mom's basement cabinet.

In the "front room", there were more familiar looking pieces. On the wall, there was even a framed "hair picture" made with rosettes of hair from various family members. The sewing machine is one like the one in mom's basement. The table with the oil lamp on looks just like one I see in our family home and there is another piece that looks very much like one my Grandma Sadie used to have in her home. As my heritage is German, it was a great place to spend some time.

The connection to LBJ is that one of the daughters from this family was a midwife and helped to deliver the president.

Our next stop was his birthplace but this was less than exciting since it was reconstructed. Perhaps the best part is that there were pecans ready for picking and some of the trees were surely there when the president was just a young boy.

And maybe there was outhouse like this one somewhere around.

And there was a really unique view of the church where he signed the Headstart legislation into law. Signs told us that when the president visited there, the kids called him Mr. Jelly Bean cuz he always brought treats.

We drove by the schoolhouse where LBJ first went to school and then to the family burial plot where generations of Johnsons (and other relatives) are buried including President Johnson and Lady Bird (who doesn't have a marker yet).

And then we drove down some ranch roads and stopped to inspect the animals. The National Park Service is trying to maintain the ranch just as it was in the 60's. It seems that at that time, cattle were breed to be "squat" looking and so they put weights on the horns so they grow down. The markings of the ranch are also on the horns rather than on the animal.

And then it was time to see The Texas White House. It was actually much smaller and more unassuming than I thought it would be, but hey, it was the 60's when even big houses were smaller than the ones today. It was under these trees, on the banks of the Pedernales River that cabinet meetings were held and serious planning sessions took place. We were told that President Johnson liked to calm and entertain his guests and then hit them with his ideas.

This is the view from the riverfront.

This is the pool house area and the swing down by the river.

These are my illegal pictures. It is President Johnson's desk while he worked from the ranch. (We were told not to take pictures inside the house, but I don't listen very well.) The only thing that is different is that they took up the shag carpeting. And we were not suppose to go into the yard but sitting in those chairs was irresistible for Richard and Debbie (Mike and I did it too.)

Overall, the LBJ Ranch was a great place to visit and since Lady Bird was such a flower fanatic, I will leave you with a couple of flower pics I took during our day there.

Oh, and the Heron we saw as we were crossing the Pedernales to head home.