Movin' On...Again

"I'm goin' to leave...ol' Texas now...."

 "They have no room, for the longhorn cow."

Or maybe the nearly 100 degree temperature and wildfires would be an even better motivation!

Actually, it is just the time to leave in order to get to Montana on time. On the other hand, the 15 degree, above-normal temps have not been pleasant or kind to Texas along with no rain. For the sake of our friends here, we hope the rain comes soon.
Most of the volunteers have departed for the season. We got together for one last Thursday dinner together at the Silver k Cafe'.

Until next time, safe travels to (L-R- row 1) Clair & Betty from Michigan, Bao who is LYJO Curator, us, Dottie- fulltime rv-er.
Row 2- Anne and Ranger Bob House (retiring soon and hitting -the-road), Al and Janet Kitamura, also from Michigan. 
Earlier, our friends the Schmidts, also returned home to Hutchison, KS.

 We will miss many of the folks we worked with here, but plan to return next winter.
Well, the 99 degree temps made packing up pretty tiring. I guess it's time to get some rest.

S-h-h-h, I'll add some other misc. pics later!

Salt Lick BBQ, Driftwood Texas

It was great to spend Monday evening with John and Elaine Snively, bike club friends from Ohio. The only things we miss about "home" are our family and the many friends we have there.

Larry has been spending his non-volunteer days at the Hill Country Bicycle Shop in Fredericksburg. The shop is closed on Wednesday, so that is our only day to get away for some fun. Since we only have two more weeks here, we decided it was time to track down some real Texas BBQ. My ranger friends recommended the Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas, about 33 miles from Johnson City.

I was told that the restaurant really fills up both at lunch and dinner, so we made sure to be there at 11AM when they opened. The setting was absolutely beautiful and rustic.
They have a wine tasting room with outdoor seating and a Bocci Ball court.

Flowers are everywhere, including a beautiful rose garden.

 Larry found something to take home with us.

 The dining area blends into the setting with tables and benches of various sizes to accommodate groups of any size.

 The menu is simple and the prices reasonable. Beef, pork, sausage and turkey are slowly cooked in a stone pit located adjacent to the dining areas. The smell is wonderful!

 

The restaurant is BYOB. We brought our local favorite from the Real Ale Brewery in Blanco, TX.

"Larry, wait! It's only 11:10 AM. We can't drink beer before noon!" His reply: "It's after noon in Ohio!"

 

Then our food arrived. As is usually the case, we both decided to have the same thing - chopped BBQ beef with potato salad, coleslaw, beans, pickles, onions and both sweet and jalapeno pepper sauce.

Yum, Yum!! 

That's one BIG sandwich. We took home enough for dinner!

 Good times in Texas! Wish y'all were here too.

 

Pickin' and Grinnin'

Soon after we arrived here in Johnson City, another volunteer couple invited us to accompany them to a local establishment for the regular Sunday night "jam session." As it turned out, this was the BIG entertainment center of JC.
These are our friends, Kay and Gene Schmidt of Kansas.

 

Well...this is "where it's happening" in Johnson City, TX.

 

Of course, good music and good beer go together. In a few cases...beer and bad music is also a good thing!

Here are some of the musicians who have entertained us:

This lady is the organist at the UM church. I wonder if she whips up the crowd there too.

 

This guy's accordion looks exactly like the one I learned to play when I was about 5 years old.

 

This was the only time we ever saw this fellow. Possibly the first he's been out of the house since winter ended?

That's all for now. 

 

It's Blue Bonnet Time!

A few weeks ago, the annual trail ride came through the LBJ Ranch. Larry was on hand to take these pics.

 

LBJ 100 Bike Tour

Saturday was the LBJ metric century ride at the LBJ Ranch. Distances of 10, 30 & 42 miles were also included. Something for everyone.
Larry and I arrived at 6:15 AM and found our way to the starting area. Even as it became light, it was cloudy with a cold wind blowing. Everyone had dressed for the predicted 90 degree afternoon temps. I prayed the sun would burn through the mist soon.
Larry is joined by Charlotte and rangers Jon and Cindy waiting for our assignments.

The sun was finally rising as we saw the first wave of cars arriving.

Soon, even LBJ arrived! The man on the right is the Superintendent of LYJO, Russ Whitlock.

 

 The ride started at 9 AM with "LBJ" leading the 1,200 riders down the road past the "Texas White House."

 He was followed by a group of "Wounded Warriors" from the veterans' rehab facility in San Antonio.

They were followed by an assortment of riders, family groups, bike club members, a group of riders from the University of Texas and their favorite alumnus, Luci Baines Johnson.

Larry and I spent most of the day directing traffic at various intersections around the ranch. The clear sky and 90 degree temps certainly made our time "toasty."
The majority of riders returned to the starting line by 1:30 to a lunch of grilled sausage sandwiches and ice-cold beer. Luci joined the UT riders at the finish line to share a group performance of the UT fight song.

These students are actually a part of the Texas 4000 group who are riding 4000 miles to raise money for cancer research.
More info at TEXAS4000.org. 

 

At 2:30, about 100 riders joined Luci for a riding tour of her childhood home. Stops were made at various points around the ranch including in front of the house and at the Johnson family cemetery where her parents rest side by side.

The ranger holding the speaker is Alex. He just turned 30 last week. The tough looking guy in the background is former Marine, Patrick Pelarski...Ski to us. He is a real character and not as tough as he looks. Ski was the ranger in charge of the event. I think he is very happy to have another LBJ 100 OVER! Larry did an excellent job cleaning and prepping the park's bikes for the rangers!

Luci's talk (and talk and talk) was an interesting look into the life of this presidential family.