Kit and Carol on the Road

We have been fortunate to have free wireless internet the last few places we have stayed so am trying to keep up with blogging. By Christmas we will be heading into the "outback". Yesterday we drove up to the Texas Hill Country. Going through Johnson City we stopped at the "in town" part of the LBJ National Historic Site and learned about the Christmas tree lighting festival at the "ranch". There were free bus tours but you couldn't get tickets until 4pm. We decided to go to the ceremony but not the bus tour. What a treat to see Lady Bird Johnson. She is turning 93 in a few days. Her daughter Luci gave a nice speech (photo posted) and there were speeches by park people as well. The local German band played and the elementary school kids sang some carols. And there were cookies. It was a unique Christmas experience for us. Today we went back to the ranch to take the tour in daylight. The family still owns the "Texas White House" but the rest of the property belongs to the National and State Parks. In the State Park there is a German farm which represents the 1890's and the 1910's (a later addition) Rangers and Volunteers in costume actually spend days their doing the tasks of the era. Today was Monday washday. They also cook meals from what they grow on the farm. (but only park employees get to eat). The cow is due to calf soon and then there will be fresh milk for butter and what they call clabbered cream. This area was settled by Germans by the way. We had dinner at a German restaurant in Fredericksburg tonight. Fredericksburg has a wonderful old downtown of the kind we love. Of course it is all tourist shops but Kit has promised I can do some looking tomorrow. This is also Texas wine country but we have yet to find a "good" winery.