LBJ Museum, etc.

1 Jun 2011--Had a great day today. We went out sightseeing again for our last day here before we go back to San Antonio tomorrow...went 4 different places, all of them different, but all of them interesting.

We started at the LBJ Library and Museum, on the campus of the University of Texas, and couldn't have had a more interesting afternoon. It was like a walk down memory lane, bringing back lots of childhood memories. Talk about a crazy time in our history!!!



Unlike any other presidential library in the country, the LBJ is free to the public because Johnson insisted on it before his death. The museum is a 3 story display, starting out with everything you ever knew, or didn't know, about LBJ. Here it just tells us that he was born in 1908 and his grandfather expected him to be a US Senator from the very beginning. It also tells us that Lady Bird was born 4 years later and that her real name was actually Claudia. She was nicknamed Lady Bird by her nanny as a baby and the name stuck.



After graduating from college LBJ actually worked as a teacher for a while before going into politics. They said that the 1st school he worked in was a very poor Mexican American school and that the experience affected him the rest of his life.

Prior to being picked by JFK to run as his Vice President, LBJ was a congressman and then Senator, ultimately rising to Senate Majority Leader.



Against the backdrop of a more prominent Vietnam presence, the Soviet Union's flexing its muscles in Berlin, and the Civil Rights movement, Johnson is about to become President.



Lady Bird started recording her thoughts that very day on a borrowed tape recorder.




Between finishing JFK's term and then his own 1st term, LBJ passed more laws than anyone in memory. They attributed that to not only the good will engendered by the assassination of JFK but also LBJ's vast knowledge of how the system worked due to his many years in the House and Senate.



Having seen poverty and discrimination first hand, notably when he was a teacher, LBJ gave a speech to the congress talking about how he never dreamed that he would one day be in a position to help the children of the Mexican American children he once taught, and then went on to say "let me let you in on a secret, help them is exactly what I plan to do!"



Space would not allow me to list all the laws as indicated in this picture, but below are a some of the major ones. Interestingly, I once heard someone say on TV that for people my age and older, how liberal or conservative you are can be directly related to how you felt about the things that happened in the 1960s. Very interesting concept! Of course, besides the laws that were passed, there were displays on everything from hippies and yippies, women's lib, war protests, civil rights marches and the black power movement, etc. What a decade!!!





I can't imagine a president, any president, being able to pass that type of legislation today. And unfortunately for LBJ, I think a lot of what he got done has always been overshadowed by the Vietnam experience. And then throw in the riots in the cities at the news of Martin Luther King's assassination, followed 2 months later by the assassination of Bobby Kennedy...what a nightmare it must have been to be president at that time in our history!!!




As we all know LBJ did not run for a 2nd term in 1968, instead retiring to his ranch where he died 5 years later in 1973. This blog entry can't possibly do justice to everything that was shown about him in this museum...I just wish you could all visit it. What I have put so far was just on the 1st floor of the museum, and I have only scratched the surface. There was one short film showing clips of the era that had background music that included Peter, Paul and Mary singing "Blowing in the Wind", Simon and Garfunkel singing "Sounds of Silence", and the Beatles singing "I Wanna Hold your Hand"! Almost made me cry. It was a great exhibit!



The 2nd floor of the museum had exhibits on The Freedom Riders taking their bus rides into the south (their was just a PBS special on this subject, but I missed it), and another whole section on the clash between the far left and and the far right at the time. It really seemed like the era was recreated in the past 10 years. Or I guess it just really never stopped. They had displays showing the likes of Abby Hoffman, Jane Fonda and her 1st husband Tom Hayden, the sexual revolution, etc. And on the right they had everything from the John Birch Society to George Wallace and the "state's rights" argument. And I hate to beat a dead horse, but this display said that the "state's rights" term was not even coined until the 1960s...so how could that be what they were fighting for during the Civil War???




On the 3rd floor they had a replica of the Oval Office as it looked when LBJ was president...the coolest thing was the phone system built into that round table.



They also had a display on all things Lady Bird. That is a replica of her office in the White House (seems so understated, huh?!), and her bowling ball and bowling shoes. You just gotta love someone who owns their own bowling ball! haha We also found out that Lady Bird was instrumental in the development of the hiking/biking trail at Town Lake...where Cathy and I went bike riding the other day.



From the Museum we drove over to the University Tower. This tower is part of the administration buildings for the Universoty of Texas, but you may recognize it as the tower from which a sniper massacre happened years ago. The 1st pic shows Cathy and I in front of a monument to WWII vets with the tower in the background, while the 2nd pic is from the steps of the admin building looking out on the city...that is the Capitol building in the center.



So, this is the deal about the sniper massacre, in case you missed the movie. In 1966, Charles Whitman, a UT student and former Marine, ascended the Tower and proceeded to rain bullets down on the passing students and faculty on the plaza below. He was standing behind the railing just below the clock in the 2nd pic. Before he went to the Tower he had already killed both his mother and wife, and then proceeded to kill 16 and wound 31 people before the cops were able to kill him. The whole event lasted 90 minutes. No one was ever quite sure why he did it, but at autopsy they did find he had a brain tumor, so some people thought that might have had something to do with it. The movie about the event was made in 1975 and Whitman was played by Kurt Russell...did anyone else see it besides me and Cathy?



Unfortunately, the Tower is open to the public only on Sundays, so Cathy and I just walked around the grounds and took what pics we could.



From the UT Tower we drove over to Austin's Historic 6th street Entertainment District. This is a 6 block section famous for its live entertainment and bars/restaurants.





When I saw this place I just had to stop in...Marie, make sure you show this to Jack...he will probably be mad at me again! haha



Some interesting buildings here in the district, most dating from the late 1800s.



The best building was the Driskill Hotel, built in 1886 and still running today. It was beautiful both inside and out, and is quite often used for Governors Inaugural Balls. It is also the place that LBJ and Lady Bird had their 1st date back in 1934.



Here is a little of the street scene. Although I am sure this area would be an absolute blast if you were in your 20s, I think these 2 spent too much time in the bars.



This building is actually downtown, but it kept catching my eye. I am going to have to ask Donna what it is.



And lastly, we drove over to Covert Park at Mt Bonnell, the highest point in Austin. You have to climb 100 steps before you get to the viewing area, but when you do you over look the Colorado River below and the city center on the horizen. It is amazing how so much of Austin is blanketed with tree cover...a really pretty city!

Texas Capitol

31 May 2011--Went to see the Texas Capitol building and the Texas History Museum today, starting at the Capitol. These pics show the Capitol from the front, and then the back of it. It is actually prettier in the back, if for no other reason than you can see the whole thing.



Along the walkway leading up to the front of the Capitol, titled "Monuments of the Great Walk", are 4 prominently displayed statues. Two are fairly inocuous; the 1st is a monument to the defenders of the Alamo, while the 2nd is a monument to those Volunteer Firefighters who have died in the service of Texas.



The last 2, however, are really monuments to a denial of history. This one, with Jefferson Davis atop it (the only president of the Confederacy), is a monument to the Confederacy Dead. Now that would not be a problem, I guess, until you read the inscription at the bottom. Here they claim that all the dead died for "States Rights", which were guaranteed in the constitution, to preserve their rights, and that the north resorted to coersion. No mention of slavery, of course. How can we expect our country to be "one nation, indivisible" if we can't even admit to a common reading of history?



The 2nd is another monument to Confederate soldiers...so 2 of only 4 statues prominently displayed on the grounds are to the Confederacy! No wonder the current governor throws around the "secession" word with impunity here.



The inside of the Capitol is very pretty, but fairly hard to capture on camera because it is so big. In the middle of the rotunda, centered on the floor, is a display of the 6 flags that have flown over Texas during its history. Starting with Spain and followed by France, they then had Mexico as their rulers.



When they broke away from Mexico in 1836, they declared their independence and became their own country...the only state in the Union to ever be a country unto themselves! The Republic of Texas was in existence until 1845, when they joined the United States. This Republic flag has the star of "Lone Star" state, and then an "oak branch" symbolizing strength, and an "olive branch" symbolizing peace. By the way, in the constitution they wrote for their new country, they put in there that all "free blacks" had to the leave the country. I guess that was one one of the "states rights" they would later fight for when they seceded!!!



When Texas then seceded from the US during the Civil War, this flag became the Texas flag of the Confederacy...they put the likeness of George Washington between the oak and olive branches. A little unseamly? Or is it just me?



As you look up past the 4 floors to the dome, you see the pics of all the Texas Governors and then this rather pretty staircase that leads to the dome itself. It is much more impressive in person than I am able to convey here...haha.



The star at the top of the dome is 218 ft from the ground, and 8 ft across the ceiling...doesn't look that big as you look at it.



There are really only 3 pictures very prominently displayed in the building. This is Sam Houston, the 1st and 3rd president of the Republic of Texas, and the Governor of the state of Texas right before the Civil War. He advocated against seceding from the Union, and was actually removed from office for doing so. He died 2 years into the Civil War as a private citizen. Also noteworthy, prior to coming to Texas, Houston was once the Governor of Tennesee, the only man to serve as governor of 2 different states. Pretty impressive fellow!!! (The Army base Cathy and I are staying at is named after him.)



This painting depicts the surrender of General Santa Ana, the president of Mexico, to Sam Houston, after the Battle of San Jacinto. This brought an end to the war and independence for what was then the new country of Texas. Interestingly, Santa Ana had just 6 weeks prior to this crushed the defenders of the Alamo, leading the soldiers to shout "remember the Alamo" as they attacked the Mexican soldiers.



Finally we have Davy Crocket. Like Sam Houston, he was actually also from Tenessee, and had only come to Texas in February of 1836...a month before he died with all the others in March of 1836 at the Alamo. The guide we had thru the building told us he had come to Texas in the hopes of getting one of the land grants the state/country was handing out in their quest to settle the land and create a tax base. I thought it was interesting that he spent so much time as a politician, a fact I don't think was every mentioned in the tv show I saw repeatedly as a kid! haha



Finally, we have a picture of the Texas House of Representatives, almost identical to the Senate, except the number of chairs/desks. Texas has 31 state Senators and 150 House members who meet for 140 days a year, every other year. Like most of the other western states we have visited, I am amazed at how seldom these politicians are in session.



From the Capitol we walked down to the State History Museum. This is the only pic I have because they didn't allow pics, even without a flash, inside the building. That is unfortunate because it was a really well layed out display. On the 1st floor they covered the early history from the Indians to the Spanish and French colonization, while on the 2nd floor was a good synopsis of the revolution against the Mexicans, the time as an individual country, and then secession and the Civil War/Reconstruction. The 3rd floor covered industries in Texas with an emphasis on cattle, oil and even sheep herding. It was a good series of exhibits and we enjoyed it.



On to the LBJ Library and Museum tomorrow. Again, stay tuned!

Town Lake, Austin

30 May 2011--Left San Antonio to spend a few days in Austin, just for something different to do. We are staying at this RV Park, about 12 miles from downtown. Pretty nice, lots of trees, and a nice pool area...although I can't use it, it looks nice anyway!



We didn't get to Austin and fully set up till around 2:30 PM, so we decided to head out to Town Lake, a lake in downtown Austin, for a bike ride. Our friend Donna works in Austin and told us it was a very pretty area, and she didn't disappoint. This 1st pic is downtown, with the capitol building at the end of the pic (and 2nd pic). We are going to the capitol tomorrow. There are lots of bridges going over the lake, so as you cross this bridge you can see Town Lake below.



Town Lake used to be called Lady Bird Johnson Lake, but has recently been re-named (I don't know why). The city has developed a 10-mile hiking/biking trail that completely encircles the lake and is heavily used by the people of Austin. It is a really nice area, with people hiking, biking, walking, running, playing with their dogs and fishing for their supper. Certain spots reminded me somewhat of the Charles River in Boston.



Cathy and I got a little lost a couple times, so we know we biked at least 10 miles, but think it was probably closer to about 13 miles before we were thru. A couple times we took the wrong trail and had to double back. And once we saw the 5 mile marker, then the 7.5 mile marker, and a while later we saw the 5 mile marker again. That was a bit discouraging (haha) as we were fairly tired at that point. But after asking a handful of people for directions we found our way back after 2 3/4 hours on the trails.



This bridge actually holds anywhere from 750,000 to 1.5 million bats...yes, I said bats!!! Mexican bats come up from Mexico to this spot, have their babies in June, and reach their peak numbers in late July and August. We are going to come back later in the summer to see them leave from under/inside the bridge at dusk to go hunting for bugs. Stay Tuned!!!



Most people on the water were canoeing, but I liked these sort of surfboards being paddled by these kids. It was really windy out there, so I think they were finding they needed a little more effort than they bargained for. haha



A couple of swans and a Green Heron. I wish I could have gotten a better pic of the black swan.