Still in Texas

As always I had a fantastic time with my cousins and cousins’ families in Dallas. I stayed longer than I usually do. We didn’t take in any museums or special exhibits.

We visited, played lots of games, including a new one from Columbia? Peru? It was called DuDoe??? And was similar to liars’ poker?? You start off with 5 dice each. and the first person mentions a number that he or she feels will be present on the total number of dice at the table, say 3 3s. As you go around the table numbers get higher (4 4s, 5 6s, 7 6s etc.) until someone doubts it is true, and challenges the last person to up the number. I played 3 games and was the big loser twice. I never was very good at lying.

I’ve included a picture of some decorated trees. The last few years I have seen them doing this near home. But I have seen it in Dallas for many years, wrapping all the branches with lights. I guess if you don’t have snow, you have to decorate in another way.

From Dallas I went to the hill country, staying in New Braunsfel. I camped along side the Gadalupe River which is a destination for tubing, fishing, and swimming. In early November the Guadalupe flooded. In fact one of the stories was on national news. A family was lost with the house they were inhabiting. Only the father survived, being outside at the time. While I was there the river stayed about 24 feet down from us. When I drove along the river I would see 1, 2 or 3 fishermen straggling along the river. And then the weekend came and I saw probably 70 fishermen (saw no women, although I didn’t take my eyes off the road for long). They were in clumps up and down the river - maybe a pack of 15 in one spot, all in their waders, in the middle of the river. I guess they were locals out of work for the weekend.

I loved this area. I visited a number of the towns through the hills. In Gruene I went to the oldest dancehall in Texas, and it is still alive and well. My cousin told me to wear my cowgirl boots which I forgot to do. It was just as well because I wouldn’t want to show up everybody doing the Texas two-step. This is a small town with a lot of parking. They need it for all the tourists that come to town. It had lots of little stores and restaurants and music venues. I really liked the town.

I went to Boerne and followed part of a walking tour of historical homes. This whole area has a very heavy German influence. I learned more about it as I traveled around the area. 

I traveled up to Johnson City and toured the boyhood home of Lyndon Johnson. Johnson’s father was a state legislator; his mother’s passion was education.

His mother had a painting hanging in their house which at first glance looked like a skull. Looking at it longer you could see a woman getting ready for a party. She wanted to teach her children that things were not always what they seemed. Johnson himself was schooled in politics at the side of his father, during campaigns and legislative sessions. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1937 and stayed in public office for a little more than 3 decades. After seeing where LBJ grew up I went to see where he lived while President and later.

I caught the last tour of the day, and was impressed with the “Texas White House.” I loved the tour as I enjoy pretty much every tour I ever take. This is still a working ranch. 

Johnson did something I found pretty interesting. He had all his guests to the ranch put their hands in concrete and these tablets were placed around the ranch. It was interesting to pick out the hands and names of people I recognized. There were a number that were hard to read. Whether they had faded or were gently marked I don’t know, but it wasn’t because I am old and losing my eyesight. I wish I had taken a whole day at the boyhood home and ranch. There were many other things I would have liked to investigate. I also missed going to Austin to see his Presidential Library. When I miss things like that, I always say, “Next time.” Well, believe me, there will be a next time. After all, Texas may become my winter home.

I liked LBJ as President. I thought his domestic policies were good. More than 1000 pieces of legislation were passed during his tenure, including Medicare, Head Start, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the voter registration act passed in 1965, and more. He declared War on Poverty and reduced it. He pushed through programs to help fund college educations - like low-interest loans and work-study. (Thank goodness!!!! They helped me get through college.) Washington worked when Johnson was President. It was not deadlocked. More legislation was passed at this time than any other President except FDR, and FDR was in office much longer than Johnson. I predicted Johnson wouldn’t run for a second term. I think it was because of the quagmire of the Viet Nam war. I liked him as a President but, after learning some of his quirks, if I were Lady Bird I would have divorced him, as well as change my name.

In New Braunfels I visited the Sophienburg Museum which outlined the beginning of the town and had numerous dioramas of the mid-1800s when people from Germany settled in the area. They also had an extensive exhibit about Lindheimer’s Texas. They call him “The Father of Texas Botany. “He served many other roles too - superintendent of schools, justice of the peace, newspaper editor and publisher and other governmental roles.

I then took a tour with a woman who was very informative. She had explained how noble Germans were unhappy with the government and restrictions in Germany and formed a society to prepare a group of settlers to locate in Texas. They had bought a large tract of land while in Germany, but when they arrived in Texas they discovered it was inhabited by Comanche. They then bought a smaller tract of land and settled in New Braunfels.

I thought New Braunfels was especially interesting. They renovated their courthouse, a historical building. The renovation is beautiful. They had some pictures to reference and found wallpaper and paint many layers under the current one. They hid modern necessities like projectors and screens to keep the renovation authentic. I was very impressed.

New Braunfels has a number of murals downtown which depict the history and historical figures. It is referred to as their outdoor museum or art display. A number of families descending from the original settlers are still in town. I kept thinking how much fun it would be for kids to point to a mural and say, “That’s a picture of my great-great-great grandfather (or grandmother)”. The German heritage also places the proper emphasis on beer and pastries, which the locals made me try.