I will have to admit that Texas has more of some things than Iowa--more people, more land (although not better land), and certainly more presidential libraries. So yesterday, we braved more traffic and trundled up to Austin to the LBJ Library and Museum. Like the others we have been to, it is a very impressive place and a peephole into the events that formed the man.
Lyndon Johnson developed his political career during our growing up years and became president one month after we were married so in a sense he was the first president of our adulthood. In retrospect, it's easy to forget his achievements in the shadow of the Vietnam War, but displays at the museum remind the viewer of the Great Society programs, most of which still affect our lives today. Exhibits are on the first two floors and the tenth floor; in between are the archives. Each library contains millions of pages of material and records pertaining to that presidency. At the LBJ, some of those archives are visible as you climb the grand staircase.
Besides exhibits about civil rights, war protests, head start, the humanities, Medicare, and other social programs, there are personal glimpses into the family life and especially the famous LBJ humor. You can pick up a phone in several spots and listen in to conversations with Robert Kennedy, Lady Bird, or the gravelly-voiced Everett Dirksen of Illinois.
It looks like an end to our general run of nice weather. Today we will head west into the hill country to Fredericksburg. I get the impression it's sort of the Texas version of the Amana Colonies. We shall see. The forecast for the next few days contains some of those bad words like "hail" and "strong winds."
Besides exhibits about civil rights, war protests, head start, the humanities, Medicare, and other social programs, there are personal glimpses into the family life and especially the famous LBJ humor. You can pick up a phone in several spots and listen in to conversations with Robert Kennedy, Lady Bird, or the gravelly-voiced Everett Dirksen of Illinois.
It looks like an end to our general run of nice weather. Today we will head west into the hill country to Fredericksburg. I get the impression it's sort of the Texas version of the Amana Colonies. We shall see. The forecast for the next few days contains some of those bad words like "hail" and "strong winds."
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