Our drive took us about an hour away, just beyond Johnson City, where we toured the LBJ Ranch on the Pedernales River. LBJ was born, died and is buried all within the space of less than a half-mile. His home is in a beautiful spot on the river, surrounded by thousands of acres that have been in his family, off and on, since the mid 1800s when his great-grandfather (I think) emigrated to Texas from Georgia.
And the view from the house:
We were reminded, yet again, of what being a President is supposed to be. Setting aside (for a moment) the Viet Nam debacle, LBJ oversaw the passage of an amazing amount of legislation: Civil Rights, education, consumer protection, anti-poverty...and more. This, I suppose, is what is meant by activism - something that today's politicians seem to disdain.
Yes, it's hard to forgive LBJ for Viet Nam. He inherited a mess and mishandled it several times on his own. But the domestic programs are second to none, in my book. And Mrs. Johnson has made her mark on the country with her conservation programs. Growing up, it was hard to miss the "Keep America Beautiful" programs, for which she was responsible. Good for her - she just died this past July at the wonderful age of 94.
Switching gears, last night we went to see Alejandro Escovedo, and if you haven't heard of him, you're not alone. He put on a helluva show at the Continental Club here in Austin. He's sort of a favorite son, and is about to release a new record and go touring so this was his last local show for a while. It was out of this world good. This video gives a good representation of the show we saw, on one of his classic tunes. Enjoy:
Our friend, Tex, comes home to Austin tonight! More palooooza'ing to ensue.
2 comments:
Glad to hear you're having a great time, Becks. And as much kidding as Tex gets, Texas is a beautiful state. And the history they have is really remarkable.
Im reposting that on SG Ted. proof you're jealous :)
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