LBJ and GWB

We dubbed our trek across Texas The Presidential Drive.

We drove east across Texas on a mission.  We had two days to get from Arizona to Georgia for the FMCA Rally which meant little time for stopping.

But, a wonderful thing happened in the early morning as we left Van Horn, TX.  Mark agreed to a stop, on the left!  You read that right.  Mr. I-Wanna-Get-There happily agreed to a quick detour in Midland to see the childhood home of George W. Bush.  I grew up in Southern California, not far from where Richard Nixon was born.  His childhood home and library is a school field trip stop.  As an adult, anytime we are close to a president’s childhood home or library, I want to stop.

I was so excited for my W house field trip, until I realized we would arrive long before they opened for the day.  A drive by would be the best I could get, if we could fit.  Thank goodness for Google Maps because we knew we’d be fine, size wise, for the stop.  Mark expertly navigated us through town and onto Ohio Avenue.  Since it was early, the neighborhood was quiet and we were the only vehicle on the street.  I quickly hopped out and snapped a few pictures and 30 seconds later jumped back into the rig.  It was a cute little house in a cute neighborhood.  I was surprised that his house was one of the smaller ones on the street.  There was an elementary school nearby and I wondered if that was the Bush children’s school.

We took a different route back across Texas on our way home.  That route took us right by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s childhood home and ranch.  I was one excited field tripper and super happy that I had more than 30 seconds!

I started at his childhood home in Johnson City.  You may think the town is named for him but it’s not.  The town is actually named for his grandfather, big cattle rancher Samuel Johnson.  The president’s Uncle James Johnson donated a 320-acre site along the Pedernales River for the founding of the town.

His childhood home sits to me, in the central part of the city.  The post office is across the road with the Sheriff’s office and courthouse around the corner.  The house was originally built for the Blanco County Sheriff.  LBJ’s father bought the home in 1913 for $2,925.  It’s a white Victorian style home built for the weather conditions of the area.  The porches provide extra shade for the windows and wood framed screen doors help maximize airflow.  There was a sleeping porch in the back where they slept on hot summer nights.  The guide talked about how the family used the land not so much as a big backyard but as a place to grow their food.  Walking along the path to the barn, I wondered if the children climbed the huge old trees.  I pictured them chasing chickens and picking vegetables.  While I know life was very hard, the simplicity intrigued me.

This modest white house is where his mother taught them as well as where his father launched his own political career.   It’s also the same place, on the front porch, where he announced his own candidacy for congress in 1937.

I left his childhood home and headed west on highway 290 to the LBJ Ranch.  It’s an expansive place with a pretty drive from site to site ending at the house, or Texas White House.  My first stop was the Junction School, where a young LBJ attended class.  It’s also the spot where he introduced education legislation.  The inside reminded me of the TV show, Little House on the Prairie.  Boy, one room school teachers really had a tough job back then trying to balance lessons for children of all different ages.

His birthplace home was next on the drive.  It’s a reconstructed house, built to be just as the original.  I was struck by some similarities to the childhood home.  This house was also built with the wild weather in mind.  A giant breezeway is in the center of the home and I could feel the cool wind blow through as I stood there.  Even though it’s a rebuild, it was still pretty cool.  The trees in the large grove in front of the house were just starting to get leaves.  You can tell which way the wind blows.

The family cemetery sits under shade trees along the bank of the Pedernales River.  I was bummed to find it gated off but I completely understand.

I left the cemetery and followed the ranch road on a long drive around the property.  Along the way cattle grazed and the winds blew the tall grass.  I didn’t see it at first, but the middle of the long expanse of grass and grazing cattle lies an airstrip.  I learned that little tidbit when I got to his plane that he affectionately called Air Force One & Half.  Looking inside was a peek back in time.  I bet it was quite a sight to see that thing take off and land on the airstrip.

Nearby was a large building with several of his cars and a collection of items from his presidency, gifts he gave and things he collected.  This Arnold Palmer golf game was tucked in a corner and it made me smile since Mark is a golfer.

The Texas White House was up next but today it wasn’t to be.  It’s closed for safety reasons and hopefully a renovation is in the works.  Attached to a large tree in front of the house sat a swing that caught my eye.  The grass under the swing was long gone, a sign of a lot of use.  I’d just seen several large photos of the former president and his wife walking the grounds among the bluebells.  I bet this swing was a favorite as well.

I had a nice afternoon seeing more about the man that was president when I was born.  I’m glad I had more than 30 seconds.  I’m still a big fan of Presidential homes and hope to see them all.