OTRA Part 6 - The Fat A** Ranch & Winery? Really?

Anyone remember Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36^th President of the USA?   I can remember him from when he was inaugurated after the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.  The announcement of Kennedy’s death came over the PA system at the school I was attending near Pittsburgh, PA.   But you may ask: “Exactly how and why does this topic apply in this blog?”   

Well, proximity of LBJ’s “Western White House” to San Antonio, where we were visiting, is the reason.  As we had access to a rental car, and as we both were interested in visiting the ranch (which is now the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park), off we went!

It’s out in Texas Hill Country, and currently covers about 1600 acres, of which about 700 are officially part of the park.   On the bank of the Pedernales River, it's is a lovely setting.

 The ranch, from the entrance drive.

The Western White House

There is an airfield on the property, and on display is “Air Force One-Half,” the jet used to transport LBJ to and from the Western White House.   The 707 in use as Air Force One back then couldn’t land on the ranch’s short runway.  We parked our rental car on the “taxi-way” marked by yellow lights with blue lenses.  

From the American-Statesman comes the following info:

The National Park Service rescued the 50-year-old JetStar from the Pentagon's "bone yard," an open-air retirement home for more than 4,400 old planes in the dry, desert air of Tucson, Ariz. The government paid $261,000 to bring the plane to Texas, to provide shelter and to restore the exterior of the VC-140 Lockheed aircraft with a sparkling new paint job that replicates the outside of Air Force One.

LBJ traveled on a Boeing 707 for most trips when he was president, but he also had a fleet of smaller planes available to him, including several JetStars. The larger plane could not land at the ranch because the 6,300-foot asphalt airstrip was not long enough. However, a JetStar could land and taxi to within 200 yards of LBJ's so-called Western White House along the Pedernales River.

"They could conduct the business of the country right here," said Russ Whitlock, superintendent of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Stonewall. "But without aircraft like the JetStar, it wouldn't have been possible."

This JetStar, tail number 612490, made numerous trips for the Johnson White House, including taking staffers and aides on flights to Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic during the Johnson White House years. It also flew to Puerto Rico.

The plane was a flying ambulance at times. It was dispatched by LBJ at least twice in the middle of the night for emergency medical missions. Johnson sent his doctors in the JetStar to assist former President Dwight Eisenhower, who had suffered heart pains in Georgia in November 1965. Cardiologists also scrambled to board the plane in August 1966 to treat the gravely ill president of Nicaragua, René Schick. The Central American leader died while the JetStar was still in the air.

Air Force One-Half

Remember the Amphicar?  That amphibious car from the era 1961 to 1968 (about 3800 built) which could function as a boat?  There was a 1962 model at the LBJ Ranch.  Still is there!!

 Amphicar

After we finished up at the LBJ ranch, we headed to a couple more sights – one was the Fat Ass Ranch and Winery…yep, that’s its real name.   Couldn’t miss that photo op, which on my list of strange names ranks right up there with Toad Suck, Arkansas (discovered in my trip last January.)

We didn't have time to go in and sample the libations (happy hour is 5PM), but some folks were there enjoying the atmosphere at about 1) - and our share of the booze!   (Apparently they figure it's Happy Hour "somewhere.")

Remember Waylon Jennings singing “Back to the Basics of Love,” which was released in April 1977?    I really like that song, even though I didn’t listen to it much back then.  The lyrics say “Lets go to Luckenbach, Texas…”     It was only a couple miles off our route, so we did.   

Unfortunately, due to an event going on at the town dance hall (possibly a reason for the town's continued existence), we couldn’t drive down its main street.  But on Google Maps it appears to be a rickety, very old western town (allegedly now a population of 3), on a short loop road, and from the perimeter parking lot, we couldn’t see anything to alter that impression.   The only good pic I could get was of the sign…and a "bucket of bolts" pickup sunk in the mud out front.

Waylon Jennings had a fabulous voice.    

I say “had” because he reportedly passed on from this world in 2002, at about 65 years of age, due to diabetes-related complications.  Maybe I’ll try listening to some of his other music.  Like a replay of the theme from the Dukes of Hazzard!  Some of us in the right age category remember that show...if not by name, then by the Dukes' famous General Lee  (a copy of which I visited in Nashville in 2015).

It certainly was a copy-car...the driver's door opened.  I didn't have to climb through the window!

More later…

Mandy

OTRA Part 5 - The panhandlers

One day while we were walking around and exploring San Antonio, we came to the San Fernando Cathedral.   The original church was built in the mid-1700’s, and it was enlarged to its present size in 1868, making it one of the oldest cathedrals still serving in the USA.  It played a part in the war with Mexico, and today has a casket with the alleged remains of Col. Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett, all of whom perished in the Alamo siege.

The Cathedral

The remains...

Once we had our rental car, it was off to visit the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, just south of San Antonio.  Our rental car shortened the time frame for our visit to the group of missions,  but without it, we could have walked the several miles from town on a branch of the riverwalk.   

That first one (Mission San Jose) was in the best condition, with a gorgeous chapel and beautiful mission grounds.

Mission San Jose

The others we visited (San Juan and Espada) were well kept, but some of the buildings were stone foundations and/or walls, not structures.   At least the sites are stabilized for future viewing.  Well worth the visit!

Mission San Juan

 Mission Espada

And on our way back to the hotel, we stopped by the irrigation aqueduct and dam, built to bring water to the crops at Mission Espada.  And with some repairs in 1895 and the mid 1900's they still remain watertight today!  Quite an engineering feat for something designed and built between 1740 and 1745.

The Aqueduct

On the last day of our San Antonio visit,  I wore one of my few men’s generic polo shirts (buttons on the "men's side" and a railroad logo on the chest) with my women's white shorts and Keds women's sneakers.  Again, no jewelry at all.  No makeup.  Just long hair, purse and nails.  IMHO, not blatantly feminine.    

Panhandlers were out and about en masse.  My wife tended to "not" be hit on by these panhandlers.  But I was - several times - “Ma’am can you spare a dollar?”  While she was with me.  I thought to myself: "that's not very tactful, guys...cut it out!"  And I certainly didn't donate.

My wife picked up on this issue, but said nothing until I mentioned that I had noticed being “hit on” fairly often.    She commented that she doesn’t like that, or my being seen as a woman when we’re out together, but that it happens a lot, and she tolerates it.    And with that said, she promptly changed the subject. 

Being away from home, I didn’t pursue further conversation about that topic.  With only “what everyone seems to consider feminine” outfits in my suitcase, and away on a trip, spousal issues could be more than awkward.   But I think I understand how my getting attention as a woman, when she is “ignored,” could be somewhat frustrating.   We’ll have to see where this goes, over time…but I won't push my luck with full dressing in the near future.

As for the panhandlers themselves: What ever happened to “Can you spare a dime, Ma'am”?  Guess either inflation has set in… or else oil bucks from high oil prices are rolling free on the streets in San Antonio!   

More later...

Mandy

OTRA Part 4 - It's just "ducky."

As you can imagine, writing this during the trip has been a challenge.  Bits and pieces at a time.  I will continue working on it after we return home...   

We haven’t seen the desk clerk who checked us in for a couple days.  Guess he is part time and off duty.  The other clerks have addressed us as “folks” which is fine.  But one day, our clerk magically appeared.   He obviously remembered us, and now it became quite clear that he thought we were indeed two women.  I was “Ma’am” a number of times…and we were both “ladies.”   Hmmm.  Maybe the shorts, polo and sneakers aren’t an issue, after all?  Or were they all just being politically correct?  We'll never know...and it doesn't matter.

Anyone familiar with American history may remember the politician named Teddy Roosevelt, and his “Rough Riders.”   The Menger Hotel became a part of that history.

Back in 1898, before becoming President of the US, Mr. Roosevelt was Assistant Secretary of the Navy.  He resigned to organize the Rough Riders, the first voluntary cavalry in the Spanish American War.  Roosevelt recruited a diverse group of cowboys, miners, law enforcement officials and native Americans to join the Rough Riders.   This group participated in the capture of Kettle Hill, then charged across a valley to assist with the seizure of San Juan Ridge.    

The Menger Hotel bar is allegedly the location where some of this recruitment took place!

In today’s world of electronic gidgy-gadgets, it’s rare to find a real, operating "conventional" phone booth.  There are 4 of them at the Menger, lined up like ducks in a row.   I wonder if enough people use them to cover the cost?  (Don’t know about you, but I can’t even remember the last time I put a quarter in a pay phone.)  Yes, I sure can remember the old days, when the cost of that call was a dime!  Oh, the uproar that change caused in yesterday’s society!

The San Antonio River snakes through San Antonio, but instead of being a nasty, swampy mess, with periodic flooding and weeds littering the banks, city fathers took a lemon and made lemonade.  With substantial investment and expansion, sidewalks on both banks, and more than a bit of landscaping and commercialization, it resulted in a perfectly lovely place to stroll with your wife, hubby, significant other, or even (gasp) by yourself.   

While in town for less than a week, my wife and I walked over 20 miles (with an electronic gidgy-gadget measuring the distance) exploring the area, and over half of that was on the memorable river walk.  If you ever get a chance to visit Texas, be sure to stop in San Antonio.

We (and a whole lot of others) enjoyed a couple of delicious meals under the colorful umbrellas at one restaurant along the riverwalk.  It’s a historic place, having been established in 1946.  At times, there is quite a wait for a table.  Our challenge was to get there when the wait was short.   We succeeded!  The food was good, but oh, my – the atmosphere was superb!

With small battery-powered barges full of people paying princely sums for barge tours of the riverwalk area constantly passing by, we had fun watching the tourists watching us, and watching the ducks scurry around, cleaning up on any crumbs accidentally dropped under the tables. 

It’s hard to resist the hungry eyes of this feathery little buddy:

This location provided a first for me:  

Someone was tugging on the untucked hem of my polo top.  Not sure who was trying to look up my top, I quickly glanced around and down…at an apparently-hungry, and very tame, generic brown duck (like the above) with its beak clamped on my shirt, tugging at it in an attempt to get my attention and beg for food.  When I reached around to grab my camera, the duck promptly let go of my shirt (no harm done) and skedaddled off to greener pastures!   

I wonder if anyone fed him afterward?

Following is a sample of some of the fabulous scenery, with more waiting around every curve!!

More to follow!

Mandy

OTRA - Part 3 Checking in...

The train arrived in San Antonio ahead of schedule (that's right - about 45 minutes EARLY! )  We hopped a cab to the hotel, though finding one was indeed a challenge, due to other events in town and the early arrival.

It was a bit humorous at check in:   the desk clerk saw the reservation was in my given (girly) name.  And for some reason he assumed (remember that old adage about it making an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'?)  that my wife was the person who made the reservation.   I was checking in, with her beside me, but guess who he made eye contact with most of the time?  Hint: it wasn't me.  At the time, I interpreted his actions as though I was the husband who was simply doing the paperwork and paying the bill, with a credit card in my wife's name.  (Never mind the fact that he had my ID, with my name and sex on it.)  He gave most of the verbal info directly to her.   

And then he promptly upgraded us to a room with a balcony!

So I presumed that my hair, nails and purse weren't enough to pass muster.  It could have been that shorts, a ladies' polo, and white sneakers weren't feminine enough.  or maybe it was simply being in the shadow of my wife's radiant image!  But whatever the cause, that clerk did an especially efficient job, and soon we were in our room.  (With a ceiling fan and an efficient air conditioner to ward off the outside's over-100-degree heat index.)   And it was on the east side of the hotel, so the hot afternoon sun was not an issue.

As you can imagine, evenings relaxing on the balcony were wonderful!

The very first stop on our sightseeing list was the famous Texas landmark, the Alamo.  This was built in the 18th century as Mission San Antonio de Valero, a Roman Catholic Mission and fortress compound, and today is part of the San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site.  It was ceded to the Texan army  in December 1835, and occupied by a small number of American soldiers.  They (including Davy Crockett and James Bowie) were killed by the Mexicans during the battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836.  And during the Mexican retreat from Texas several months later, they tore down many of the walls and burned some of the buildings.  Today it is being restored and maintained by the Texas General Land Office.

And "Remember the Alamo!!" was Sam Houston's rallying cry to the Texan army at the battle with Santa Ana's forces in April of 1836 at San Jacinto,.  The Texans won, ending the land battle for the Texas War of Independence.

In one of our evening strolls, I took a picture of the Tower of the Americas, a landmark remaining from HemisFair, the 1968 World's Fair. It was clearly on our list of sights to visit, though time wouldn't permit a meal at the top (and we didn't bring nice enough clothes for a decent restaurant anyway.)

From the enclosed observation deck, that view was absolutely spectacular, all 360 degrees of it.   And in this picture, the red-roofed buildings to the right of center and a bit below, are NOT that famous motel chain with the red roof.   They're Sunset Station, where the Sunset Ltd and Texas Eagle Amtrak trains arrive.

Following is another view of the Tower of the Americas (HemisFair, 1968 - in the background), with the very, very red "Torch of Friendship", created in June of 2002, foreground.   This sculpture stands for the unity and friendship that exists between Mexico, the USA, and Canada, and reflects the different facets of those interrelationships:  sometimes festive, at times complex, at times very strong, but in the end, integrated and harmonious.    Given the political and economic events of the last few weeks/months, I hope the "complex relationship" between the three neighbors will survive intact and eventually prosper once again!

More to follow!!

Mandy

OTRA - Part 2 Something good & something not so much...

The car attendant on the train from DC to Chicago referred to me using the dreaded S-word.  But in fairness, he may well have had access to my personal information on a preprinted manifest.  So no harm, no foul.   Several passengers referred to me as female.  That’s fine with me!

In discussion during the trip, the car attendant mentioned that he was getting a new job and that this trip was his last one.  So his replacement (temporary OR permanent) will see wifey and I together only on our return trip.  With the possibility of serving 40-plus customers per trip, his (or her) having only seen us together once makes it more likely that they won’t associate the face and the name for my planned mid-to-late August trip (which is still being worked on.)   That’s the good news.

The bad news is:  one of the Amtrak workers at Union Station in DC, with whom we both deal on many of our trips, remembers me AND my wife.  She now associates my wife and I as being a couple.  That’s a good indication I must take much more care regarding femininity there!  

With the exception of the dining car, where I was addressed as “Ma’am” the train staff on the San Antonio train generally avoided any gender-specific greetings for me (us).  However, on many occasions, other passengers interpreted me as female…

Though we’ve ridden a train over this route several times in years past, it’s always good to notice new sights.  Especially because the railroad parallels historic and legendary US Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif for part of its route in Illinois. (Rt. 66 is called The Mother Road, as described by its fans)  Much of it is in the country, but there are sections in small town rural America.   Below is a picture of a well-kept gas station along what was called The Mother Road…

And also a picture of the Palamar Motel, a historic property in the 50’s style, somewhere along the way.   One can also see occasional disconnected portions of the very old  original concrete roadway, all cracked and weed-grown.  But they still remain very much a part of the landscape there.

Next is a view of the St. Louis Arch – the gateway to the West – from the train on the railroad bridge over the Mississippi River, at sunset.    That’s a viewpoint you don’t get to see unless you’re on the train.

And lastly, a selfie of my typical attire for this excursion, taken alongside the train during a smoke stop at the Dallas train station.   Before we left, I asked wifey if I should bring a pair of stirrup pants in case dressing up might be appropriate.  She said "No, I'd rather you bring capris with pantyhose instead.  They'll be dressy enough for anything we might do - women like them because they look less casual than shorts.  And remember, you look nice in them. "  So that's what I brought, and will have to wear if we need to dress up.  

In case you wondered, that object rising like a huge tree trunk with holes in it behind and above the train is Dallas's  Reunion Tower.

The rest of the train travel to San Antonio was unremarkable....but on a train, it's always fun!

More to follow... 

Mandy

On The Road Again, Part 1

A train trip my wife and I had been planning for some time to San Antonio, Texas came together recently.  And naturally, it required a drive across the Bay Bridge (toward Baltimore) to catch the train.  There have been several traffic jams recently on or at the bridge…and we fortunately have not been involved.   But we wanted to avoid any traffic issues which could cause us to miss our train on departure day. 

Thus, we drove over the bridge the previous day, and stayed at a motel near the train station.   What a treat that was…  When I checked in, wearing women’s tan shorts, a women’s polo top, bare legs and women’s white sneakers, with my purse, pink nails and long hair, the twentysomething desk clerk addressed me as “Miss Mandy” (of course, using my now-female real given name.”   This was in spite of having had my male ID for check-in.  Fabulous!  But I was actually happy that my wife had remained in the car for that check-in, as I had no idea where this fun at the beginning of our expedition might lead.   (Not that I had any choice in attire, hair or nail styles, or having to carry a purse.)

Once settled in at the motel, we headed for a restaurant in the area which has really good crab cakes (more crab meat, not too much seasoning, and less filler than others use.)    And though the host didn’t use any female forms of address for us, he didn’t use any male terms for me, either.   That didn’t begin till the “seater” escorted us to our table.  “Will this be OK, ladies?”   My response: “Yes, thanks.”  And when the twentysomething female server arrived, “ladies” and  “Ma’am” became the norm.   I couldn’t do much with my voice, so “it is what it is.”    And as we left, a rain shower (no, actually a deluge - the sky was falling) began.  We waited in the covered walkway for it to let up…and several passers-by used “ladies” to refer to us.

The next day, we headed for the station.  Remember, as  background:  my wife’s bags were much lighter and smaller than mine, as usual.  Thus she didn’t need help.  I still pack like the girl of the family.  She obviously doesn’t. 

When our train to DC finally pulled in, we were among the last to board.  I held both tickets, thus I announced to the conductor that “she’s with me and I have her ticket.”  No issue.  When we found seats (separately but near each other as the train was quite full) I started lifting my bags into the overhead racks, and a gentleman jumped right up: “here, let me help you Ma’am.”  And he hoisted both bags up for me.  Since my wife wasn’t right there with me (she already had taken a seat), I spoke in softer, more girly tones and said to the man “Oh my, thanks Sir.  But I'll need help to get them down, too! “  His response – with a smile -“No problem, Ma’am.”   And when the time came, he did!   My wife didn’t say anything – I’m really not sure how much of the exchange she overheard.

The conductor helped me lift my bags off the train in DC, and once inside the station,  another gentleman helped  me move them up a short set of steps, in full view of my wife.  "Thank you soooo much, Sir!"

This could be an interesting trip…

A quickie...

Today I was out walking in the town where Mom's nursing home is located.  My attire was simple...a ladies' pastel blue polo (untucked), tan pocketless (and rather short) shorts with a 3" inseam, taupe pantyhose, my brown clogs, with no makeup, jewelry or purse, simply carrying my phone and car keys.

From the archives, these shorts, with different shoes and blouse, and no purse:

A lady and her male friend were walking behind me in a nearby park (I could hear their footsteps as they approached at a slightly faster speed).  But it's a decent area...so no safety worries.   As they drew up alongside me, the lady looked over and said "excuse me, Ma'am, but are those dance tights you're wearing?"

Wow, here I am, with no way to escape having a legitimate discussion with a lady about my pantyhose, and her boyfriend/husband/significant other is right there beside her.  I put my voice up a few octaves, hoping it wouldn't crack.  "Thanks for the compliment, hon, but no, they're just sheer pantyhose."  "As good as those look on you, I need to start wearing them when I exercise...are they comfortable?"  "Yes, Ma'am, very comfortable - they fit like a dream."  "Where did you get them, if I might ask?"  "They're 'Just My Style' day sheers, and you can find them at Justmysize.com.  Maybe other places on line, too.  I hope when you get them, you enjoy wearing them as much as I do."  "I'm sure I will - your legs look wonderful.  Thanks, for the info, Ma'am."  "Thank you for the kind words, Ma'am."

The male with her just kept on walking straight ahead...and didn't so much as look to either side.  You could almost hear him thinking:  "OMG - women and their girl talk...I really don't care where they buy their pantyhose."

While there haven't been many Mandy moments lately, this one really made my day...or week...or maybe month.  Can't wait for the next moment!