The LBJ Ranch

Since we were in the area, we decided to drive through the LBJ Ranch.  For those too young to remember, Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ), was President of the US after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, back in 1963.  It was like a walk (or drive) back in history.

LBJ Birthplace

Let’s start at the beginning.  August 27, 1908 – that was the date that LBJ was born.   This house is a replica of the house in which he spent his first five years.  He had it rebuilt, and per tour info that I got several years ago, it’s as close to the original house as his memory could provide!  I love the welcoming front porch, as well as the oak trees that gentle shade the front area of the house.

Around the LBJ Birthplace

These scenes are from the back area of the birthplace home.  I like to think that the bell on the left called people in for meals – out of the field and in for meals.  The image on the right has an outside hand pump, and looks in and thru a window into the home.

Junction School

Just outside the LBJ Ranch is the last of the country schoolhouses that we saw on this trip.  I’m mentioning it in this blog, because even tho it’s technically not on the ranch, it’s certainly a part of ranch history.  The Junction School was the first school that LBJ attended, beginning at age 4 and for the next 4 years (until the family moved into Austin).  Here are some views of the school from both the inside and outside.  Altho it’s technically only about a mile from LBJ’s birthplace, I’m sure it sure felt like a long walk to a 4-year old!

LBJ Family Cemetery

Almost directly across the road from the birthplace of LBJ lies the family cemetery – sort of a cycle of life right at the beginning of the tour.  The image on the left is of the entire cemetery – the peaceful feeling with oak branches overhead.  I love the feel of this image.  The image on the right is of LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson.  He died in 1973, about 5 years after he left the presidency.  Lady Bird died in 2007, at age 94.  Her legacy is wildflowers – in Texas, the sides of the roadways are not mowed, so that wildflowers may continue to bloom year after year.  That’s a legacy I wouldn’t mind having.

Runway on LBJ Ranch

There’s a runway on LBJ Ranch, and altho it’s a decent size, it seems small in comparison to the overall land mass of the ranch.  The runway was originally dirt, but later paved so that the President’s jet could land there when he visited the ranch.  One of the things I noticed was that the runway wasn’t level – it had gentle rolling hills on it – made for some interesting take-offs and landings!  The image on the lower right is of the windsock along the runway – a different shape, that’s for sure!!

Air Force One Half

Air Force One was too large to land at the runway on the ranch, so a smaller jet was used to fly the President from Dallas to the ranch – he jokingly referred to it as “Air Force One Half”!

The Texas White House

LBJ spent most of the time in Washington, DC, but always considered this his home.  The large oak tree in front of the house was where he held meetings with his cabinet staff while he was here.  I remember when I was a child, I thought this house was a mansion – now, as I looked at it, I think that our home in New Mexico isn’t that much smaller than this home.  And, that’s what it is – a home, not a mansion.

The Road on LBJ Ranch

And, after a lovely driving tour, we found ourselves driving under the oak boughs out of the ranch.  Can you image this as your front driveway to your home?

Enjoy!

Schools and Scenes Around LBJ Ranch

Before we got to the LBJ Ranch, Jeff & I drove around and visited one of the last country schoolhouses in the area.  In addition, we saw some cool sites both outside and inside the ranch grounds.  Take a look….

Williams Creek Schoolhouse

The original schoolhouse was built in 1890-1891.  In 1897, the building of a stone structure was approved.  A frame addition was built in 1922, and the schoolhouse was expanded to 2 school rooms.  Former President, Lyndon Baines Johnson, attended this school for one year.  In the present day, this building serves as a community gathering area, for the town of Albert, Texas.

Old Texas Farmhouse

As we drove to the Williams Creek Schoolhouse, we came across this old farmhouse.  I took a few images, and picked my favorite to convert to a vintage piece.  I love the windmill next to the house.

Church Near LBJ Ranch

This church sits across the river from the LBJ Ranch.  In fact, I stood on the land of the ranch, when I took this image.  It truly seems like a little country church, very quiet and peaceful.

Animals on the Ranch

While on the LBJ Ranch, we found out the ranch is still a working ranch, in addition to being a National Historic Site. Horses seem the quintessential ranch animals, and the horses in this collage seem to be enjoying the perfect life for a horse.  The cattle are Herefords, the same type of cattle that were on the ranch when LBJ was President.  In fact, these cattle are descendants of the same cattle that LBJ had.

Wide Open LBJ Ranch

I don’t know how large the LBJ Ranch is, but this image conveys the expanse that LBJ and his family must have relished when they were there.  There are historical structures that we saw on the ranch, but these scenes are, to me, as important as those structures.

Soaring

When we were driving around, leaving the ranch, there was a bird that flew by our Jeep.  The long tail was what made it stand out for me.  I have since found out, thanks to friends, that it’s a Scissortail Flycatcher.  I thought the original image had a botanical drawing type of feel to it, and so I converted it to a pencil sketch. 

Enjoy!

Views Along a Country Road

We did see some other cool sights other than the schoolhouses while traveling throughout the countryside.  Let’s take a look at some of these….

Llama Grazing

We saw a number of llamas as we meandered along these roads, but this one was one that seemed to stop and pose for us – in between mouthfuls of grass!  The day was warm, and he was enjoying this meal in the shade of nearby trees.

Oak Tree

Another thing that was in ample supply were the oak trees scattered throughout the area.  This view is one of my favorites.  It actually was on the grounds of Cherry Creek School.  It gives you an idea of how long those oak tree branches are!!

Chewing and Watching

We stopped at field where I tried to get a cool photo of some dead oak trees.  Unfortunately, the tree images didn’t come out – darn!  Now, while I was walking in that field, I noticed little “nuggets” all over the area, and I wondered what animal frequented this area.  Then, I turned around and saw this guy watching me……and chewing his food!  I especially love this image of him, because you can see how calm he is and how he hasn’t lost sight of the priority of chewing his food!

Watching

While the guy above was watching me, a couple of others were watching Jeff in the Jeep.  All I can say is that it’s a good thing sheep are not confrontational or aggressive!  We were clearly outnumbered!

Watching Me

As I got closer to the Jeep, the Jeff-watchers turned their attention to me.  In the end, they all ended up just turning and walking away across the road.  I guess it was clear that I wasn’t going to eat any of their grass, and that I was leaving the premises anyway!

Enjoy!

Miscellaneous Country Views

I think seeing the schoolhouses, I did truly enjoy the differing views of the countryside around us.  This blog post contains a rather eclectic collection of images, but that’s what we saw!

Vintage Homestead

When we came around a corner of the road, we saw this old homestead.  Jeff quickly stopped the Jeep so I could capture this image.  When I was processing it, I decided that adding a vintage effect really captured the overall feeling of this scene. 

Grazing Goats

We did see a number of goats grazing around the countryside.  One of the things that I noticed on this trip was the variety of animals we came across!

Yucca Bloom

Throughout the countryside, these lovely blooms dotted the landscape. I only wish the yuccas in my yard bloomed like this!

In a Texas Field

I loved the simplicity of this view, and decided to convert it to a painting.  Doesn’t this image just make you want to sit back, take a deep breath, and just chill?  

Texas Country Church

We’ll end this post with this great view of a country church.  Again, we just came around a bend in the road, and there it was!  Such lush greenness – love it!

Enjoy!

Schoolhouses on the Cave Creek Loop

The next group of schoolhouses were on what I call the Cave Creek Loop.  It’s the second to the last loop that we explored.  Let’s take a look…

Front Door Cave Creek School

This schoolhouse was used from 1881 to 1950.  In the early years, children rode horses, donkeys and mules to school.  Those animals would spend the time the children were in class grazing in the yard around the schoolhouse.  There’s a story that one of the donkeys would bray every day exactly at lunch time!  By the end of this school’s use, cars were much more the transportation of choice!

Deserted Schoolroom

As I peeked in the window, I saw this table and chair directly in front of the window opposite the one I was looking thru.  The combination of window and screen created the somewhat dreamy effect of taking a look at times past.

Nebgen Schoolhouse

The original schoolhouse was first built of logs in 1881 and this current building was built in 1936, and existed until the schools consolidated in 1949.  This school was one of four that had a pavilion and a stage, that were used to celebrate “school closings” which I believe were the end of the school year.  On those days, the morning was taken up by exams (both oral and written), then games in the afternoon, and in the evening, the adults put on a play and then a dance closed out the celebration.

Teacher’s Desk

Looking into the school, I was able to see what appeared to be an older teacher’s desk.  I couldn’t confirm, tho, that it was actually used when the school was open.

Double Reflection

One of the things I really liked at all these schools was the effect created when I looked thru the windows.  I always felt like I was catching a small glimpse of what life was like back when the schools were used.

Rheingold Schoolhouse

The original log schoolhouse was built in 1873, and this structure was built in 1900.  What isn’t apparent at this school (or at any of the others) was where the restrooms were.  At this school, outhouses were placed at opposite sides of the property, with the boys using one and girls the other.

Rheingold School Teacherage

This rather rickety looking building was where the teacher used to live, and it was directly behind the schoolhouse.  Jeff & I did walk up to it, and Jeff even looked inside, but said it just didn’t look stable enough to risk trying to explore inside.  I was actually they didn’t have the door locked somehow.  Still, it’s rather cool to look at!

Thu the Window

Here’s a slightly different take on looking in – and thru – the schoolhouse windows.  There was a lovely tree just outside one of the windows, and I purposefully chose to stand a bit back to capture the beautiful bend of the branch.  It has a very calm, peaceful feel to it.

Wrede School

 Clearly, this school building is not one of the original buildings.  Unfortunately, this was as close as we could get to the school – there was a locked gate keeping us out.  The school was used until 1960, one of the longest schools in use.  Interestingly, altho this area was settled by German immigrants, speaking German was not allowed on the school grounds by the children attending school.

Vereins Kirche

This school had a very interesting shape, and had an interesting multi-purpose. Yes it was a school.  However, it was also used as Lutheran and Catholic churches.  The building in this image is actually a replica, built in 1936, and now serves as a museum.

Enjoy!

Schoolhouses on the Luckenbach Loop

We saw a few more schoolhouses along what I called the Luckenbach Loop drive.   Yes, we did drivee thru Luckenbach, Texas, but more about that in another post!  For now, let’s look back on these pieces of yesterday…

Musebach Creek Country Schoolhouse

This school was first built in the early 1800’s, and the last school (fourth one) was built during the 1930’s.  One interesting historical note about this school – back in 1869, five brothers and sisters, whose parents were freed slaves, attended this school.  It might actually have been one of the first integrated schools in the South.

Grapetown Schoolhouse

In 1859, the first Grapetown School was actually in the former William Doebbler home.  In 1869, a log schoolhouse was built, and in 1884, the present school was built.

Welcoming Front Porch

In 1887, the teacherage was built – basically, a home where the school teacher lived, located next to the school (as you can see from the image below).

Grapetown Schoolhouse and Teacherage

The Grapetown School is one of only four school which still has the original teacherage.

Grapetown School Storage

This kitchen, storeroom and smokehouse was built after the teacherage, altho I’m not certain of the exact date. 

Reflection thru Grapetown Schoolhouse Window

I was able to peek into the old schoolhouse and capture this reflective image.  From what I could see (which wasn’t much!) there were some tables and chairs in the school room.  I loved the feel of this image – I could imagine a child in school looking out the window, just waiting for recess when he/she could go out to play.  This school was used until 1949 when it was consolidated with the Rocky Hill School District as part of the overall rural school consolidation in Texas.

Luckenbach Schoolhouse

Yes, Luckenbach had its own schoolhouse, and this is an image of the outside of it.  It was one of many that were locked, so we couldn’t explore the inside, tho.  Altho the first Luckenbach school was built in 1855 (log cabin construction), this limestone school was built in 1905.  Grades 1 – 8 were taught at the school, with the older students helping out the younger ones with grammar and math.  At 4pm, the boys had to bring in firewood for the stove and the girls swept the floor.  First graders were responsible for cleaning the erasers – did they get into eraser fights?  I wonder!

Peering into Luckenbach School

I was, however, able to get a peek inside the school, and I just love the feel of peeking into (and thru outside the window opposite) this old schoolhouse.  The table and chairs clearly don’t look to be desks, but they did look old enough to add to the charm of looking into this country school.

Lower South Grape Creek School

For those of you who follow my #FotoArtFriday pieces, this image may look somewhat familiar.  I used it as the inspiration of a piece from a couple of weeks ago (check out www.photoimagerybynadine.blogspot.com, and click on the post for “School Days”).  This present schoolhouse was built in 1900, altho the first school was built in 1871 (log cabin construction).  For certain holidays, like Washington ’s Birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas, plays and other programs were presented in the schoolhouse, with families and the community invited. 

Inside Lower Grape Creek School Looking Out

There is a story that one Christmas, as Santa was handing out oranges, apples and candy.  He also lit the candles on the Christmas tree, when his beard caught on fire.  According to the story, he made a quick exit thru the window and headed for the water well!  Could this be the window where he made his escape?

Enjoy!

In the Country

Springtime in Texas…..warm sun and great scenery….

Wildflowers in the Field

Throughout the countryside, there were these lovely white wildflowers that popped up in the meadows and fields.  These are the flowers that the bees found so appealing!

Country Fence

This fence is the stereotypical country fence and I loved the setting among the trees and grasses.  It just meandered in and out of the trees along the road for several miles.

Old Fashioned Cabin

As we drove along, we happened to come across this old cabin.  I’m certain is was part of some sort of historical park in the making, but for now, it just seemed to sit out there.  After I took the photo, I realized that to truly do it justice, I needed to apply a vintage look to it, in a way, to make it look as real as it did as we drove past it.

Old Rocking Chair

There was an old rocking chair sitting on the side of the porch – again, the scene it created just seemed like a page out of history, and I applied the same vintage technique to this image as well.  It’s as if we’ve stepped into the late 1800’s.

Country Church

A bit further down the road, a small country church appeared.  I sort of wish I was a writer – between the cabin and this church, I had such fodder for a historical novel!  But, alas, a writer I’m not!

Elk Grazing

One thing I did not expect to see was an elk grazing in a field!  In fact, we drove by him and had to turn around so that I could capture him in an image.  This guy must be used to cars driving by him – he had no reaction at all to us slowing down to take his photo.  I also love the wildflowers blooming in the foreground.

Enjoy!