Courthouses

Driving around central Texas, you pass through many counties.  Each one has a big stone courthouse.  Most of them are in the square in the middle of town.  Here are a few.

Llano County courthouse

Bandera County Courthouse

Sunday Morning

   Early Sunday morning I was awakened by distant thunder.  Rumbling and dim flashes in the distance.  I listened for a few minutes and decided that it would be a good idea to take the boys for a walk before the storm arrived.
    As we walked I up toward the Show Barn, I watched the approaching darkness to the southwest.  Flashes were sparking the sky to the southwest and overhead.  Closer and closer the noise and light became.  I decided to turn around the head back to the compound and home.  The got the boys back into the trailer and hurried to take the group of lawn chairs into the laundry shed.  Just as I was leaving it and walking back to the trailer, the pitter-pat of rain drops on the roof increased.  A short rapid walk to the trailer, just in time.  The storm hit.  Slowly at first, as I filled the boys food dishes.  Then the heavens opened up and it RAINED!  It was glorious !  The boys were fed and happy and ready for a nap, so I jumped back in bed to snuggle with my Sweetie and enjoy the thunder and lightening and roar of the rain!   A truly Good Day.

PS  By afternoon, the clouds were gone and the sun was out.

Albert

Last night there was a Valentines Day dance at the Albert Ice House and Dance Hall.  It was built in 1924 and has been enjoyed by folks ever since.

This is what it was like as we arrived.

This is several hours later.  Everyone is having fun.  Randa and I even tried to remember how to 

2-step.  We were REALLY rusty, but no one seemed to notice.  We continued until Randa's hips told her it was time to just watch.

Fredericksburg Pioneer Museum

Yesterday we explored Fredericksburg further.  A high point was the Pioneer Museum.  The town was first populated by German immigrants looking for a new beginning.  There are several buildings to wander through; homes and shops.  The workshop, for example.  Notice the wooden belt-driven band saw and the lathe.  Also note the large board plane in the foreground.

The Sunday Houses were owned by farmers who used them when they came into town to shop and attend church.  This one was owned by the Weber family.

Quote

"There are no problems which we cannot solve together and there are very few which any of us can settle by himself."    LBJ  November 28, 1964

Brown

One way of telling if you have been driving on the ranch.  Look at the wheel wells. 

Dome

LBJ Birthplace

 These morning Niki, the curator, took us into the LBJ birthplace, located within a mile of the ranch house.  It was fun seeing the artifacts close up.  Normally they are only viewed through windows and glass doors into the rooms.  This was definitely better.

Morning Fog

On our morning walk this morning we enjoyed the increasing light and fog hiding
in the low areas.

Art

   Today is our second day off.  Yesterday we drove to Kerrville which is 25 miles south of Fredericksburg.  The toilet valve gasket needs replacement so we ordered one from the local RV dealer.  I could have gotten it on line but decided that a road trip would be more fun. We got the part. Had a interesting conversation with Ted a service rep at the dealership who had been a newspaper reporter in San Antonio from 1965 thru 1968.  He shared some memories about LBJ from that era.  It is always fun to hear stories first hand.  It makes our knowledge and experience more complete.


    While we were in town we had a great lunch at Billie Gene's.  Afterward we visited the Museum of Western Art.  The admission fee allowed us to explore the large exhibition halls full of contemporary western theme art consisting of numerous paintings and several bronze pieces.  One of the highlights of the gallery was the 21 boveda ceiling features that cover the galleries.  Boveda is a "brickwork technique where bricks are built to form a vaulted ceiling that is self - supporting".   (I quoted that from Wikipedia)   Bill, the docent,
told me that 3 artisans came from Mexico worked for 23 days to complete the 21 domes.  Pretty amazing work.
    Photos were not allowed inside the gallery but there were three outside.  This is one of them.

Morning Light

This was our view on our walk soon after dawn.  It was an enjoyable walk and the view was even better.