Travel

LBJ Presidential Library at UT Austin is a Must See for Texas Empty Nesters!

June 9, 2014 By Tam Warner 11 Comments

boomers, Texas, LBJ, empty nesters — **Ending the National Origins Formula, kind of ironic now.**

Ever been to a Presidential Library? Well, for a history buff like me you’d think the answer would be yes….but no, not until I visited the LBJ Presidential Library at the University of Texas Austin campus! The Library is celebrating the Sixties (which, you know, makes sense for LBJ), and wow! Talk about Boomer heaven! I was mesmerized!

As I have blogged previously, I am a 70s boomer, but seeing all of the sixties paraphernalia was a trip back in time. Magazine covers and album covers and TV show openings! Maybe I remember more than I thought I did….or maybe I’ve just seen some of these things on TV so much I think I remember them. However, I did see some things that absolutely came from my memory banks.

Such as:

–a commercial with a rabbit who tries to eat Trix! Ah, Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids!

–Bewitched’s opening!

–Lawrence Welk and his orchestra, with bubbles, doing the Pennsylvania Polka.

–Nixon on Laugh In, saying “Sock it to ME?”

–Barbie and Ken original dolls! I remember them because my older friend Holly had them, and I thought they were so cool!

boomers, LBJ, adventures, Texas Empty Nesters — **Float like a butterfly…**

–Muhammad Ali…floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee!

–Did you know Hugh Hefner started in the 60s with those stupid pajamas???

There were more serious moments in the library. The assassination of JFK, MLK, and RFK. The 1968 Democratic Convention debacle in Chicago. The Chicago 7 trial. Civil rights. I listened to the phone call between J Edgar Hoover and LBJ, when Hoover called to advise the President they had found the car of the missing civil rights workers, burned. It gave me chills.

We tend to think of LBJ as synonymous with the war in Vietnam, but throughout the Library are the reminders of Johnson’s Great Society, and the state of our union when he became President. It seems unbelievable now, but 25% of adult Americans did NOT have a high school diploma; 20% of Americans lived in poverty; and 33% of the elderly population lived in poverty. LBJ came into office with plans for his Great Society. The two main aims were the elimination of poverty (War on Poverty) and racial equality. Johnson passed four Civil Rights bills, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbade job discrimination and segregation of public accommodations. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 assured minority registration and voting. It suspended use of literacy or other voter-qualification tests that had sometimes served to keep African-Americans off voting lists and provided for federal court lawsuits to stop discriminatory poll taxes. The Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 abolished the national-origin quotas in immigration law. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 banned housing discrimination and extended constitutional protections to Native Americans on reservations. Johnson passed Medicare, Medicaid and Welfare. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 gave poor children funds for materials for education, and Head Start. Clean Air, labeling cigarettes as dangerous….Johnson’s legislative victories were beyond anything we could see today from our do-nothing Congress. For more information on the Great Society, continue reading on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_society.

It is said that Johnson could twist the arm of any lawmaker. He wasn’t subtle. They called it “the Johnson treatment”. Did you know LBJ was 6’4″? He towered over people, and was extremely intimidating. He was a wheelin’ and dealin’ Texan, and didn’t take no for an answer.

What brought Johnson’s presidency to an ignoble end was the escalation and disaster of the war in Vietnam. The escalation of the war intensified the war protests, and Johnson announced that he would not seek, nor accept, the nomination of the Democratic Party for President in the election of 1968. Bobby Kennedy was running against him, and if he had not been killed in June 1968, Kennedy would have been the nominee, and most likely, President. Nixon, of course, won the 1968 election.

Seeing the library, hearing conversations that LBJ had with Jackie Kennedy, MLK, and J Edgar Hoover was a remarkable experience. I would love to go back, and spend the entire day, looking carefully at everything, and listening to every conversation available to visitors. Floors 5-9 are archives, filled with the documents of the times. Fascinating. I highly recommend a visit. The 60s were iconic times, turbulent times, tragic times, violent times, and a time of love and peace. I wish I could remember more of it, but seeing it in the library was astonishing. I’m very happy I made the trip.

Photo Friday: The Hill Country of Texas

June 6, 2014 By Tam Warner 10 Comments

For non-Texans, the diversity of Texas scenery may come as a surprise. From prairie to mountains to coast to piney woods to desert, Texas landscape changes are frequent. Right now Randy and I are in the heart of Texas, the Hill Country. The Hill Country encompasses Austin and San Antonio, Kerrville and Fredericksburg, San Marcos and New Braunfels. We have been driving the region this last week, enjoying the deer herds, the hills, the buttes, the college campuses, and the quaint village of Gruene.

Lady Bird's wildflowers — Lady Bird’s wildflowers

The movie "Michael" was filmed here — The movie “Michael” was filmed here

sch 14 billy gene's kerrville — Billy Gene’s in Kerrville has great food and a great view.

My mother-in-law greets us in Fredericksburg! Miss Betty is missed.

Visit the Hill Country, y’all!

Fabulous Photos Friday: Cornwall, England

May 23, 2014 By Tam Warner 5 Comments

Cornwall! Just the name thrills me! Cornwall is a mystical land where fairies, and piskies (“the little people”), and ghosts roam; where Percival threw Excalibur into Dozmary Pool; the birthplace of Arthur Pendragon (Tintagel) and the lovers Tristan and Isolde….and the setting of the novels I avidly read growing up. Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel, Jamaica Inn; and a host of novels written by Victoria Holt, aka Phillippa Carr. My imagination took wing, and I could see the ghostly images of the Nine Maidens turned to stone because they danced on a Sunday; the Hurlers and the Pipers who were also turned to stone for the same reason; Jamaica Inn, home of wreckers and pirates and smugglers; the Mermaids of Zennor and Padstow. The Cheesewring, a granite geological feature on Bodmin Moor which was supposedly created by giants; St Michael’s Mount, where a young boy named Jack led an angry Giant to his death. Yes, Cornwall is a land of magic! (I will save the Arthurian locations for another photo blog as Cornwall, and England, have so many sites commemorating the events of Arthur’s legend).

I’m not sure how to explain how I felt when I arrived in Cornwall. It’s beauty and strange landscapes were much more than I had ever imagined! I booked Jamaica Inn, (a place known to be haunted by those killed by wreckers and pirates) for 3 nights, excited to explore the area of Bodmin Moor. The Inn frightened me to the point where we checked out the next morning and left! I don’t know if it is really haunted, or if it was just the knowledge and atmosphere of the evil carried out there by wreckers (men who lured ships onto the rocks, killed the crew and stole the ship’s cargo), but I couldn’t stand being there! There was just something….wrong, evil. Randy, my husband, and my two children, Ally and Wes, said they could feel it as well. I won’t be sleeping there again!

Randy at the incredible Minack Theater, built into the Cornish Cliffs

Wes on Bodmin Moor, the Cheesewring on the hill

One of many little waterways in Cornwall — One of many little waterways on the moors of Cornwall, so magical!

St George slaying the dragon, Zennor Church

uk 07 bodmin horsey — A pony roaming the moor

uk 07 little lamb on bodmin moor — A lamb gamboling about the moor

Happy as a pig in mud, Greeb's Farm, Land's End — Happy as a pig in mud, Greeb’s Farm, Land’s End

uk 07 lands end farm — Greeb’s Farm, Land’s End

Such a cute little goat! — Such a cute little goat at Land’s End

St Michael's Mount, home of the St. Aubyn Family — St Michael’s Mount, home of the St. Aubyn Family, and where Jack killed a Giant

Wes and Ally with visitors at our hotel in Penzance

Cornwall- Da and I — Randy and Ally at Land’s End

IMPORTANT! Facebook has decided to charge pages like Travels with Tam a fee to share posts, even with people who have Liked our page. I have over 3,600 fans, but only 47 saw my Mother’s Day Post! This sucks, right? If you are on Google +, so am I, and if you’d like to get my posts you should subscribe via email, on the upper right of the page. I will be so so happy if you do!!!!

Road Trip to Bossier City, LA???

May 20, 2014 By Tam Warner 10 Comments

The Horseshoe Resort and Casino in Bossier City, LA

Yep. I took a road trip from Dallas to Bossier City, LA. In case you don’t know, Bossier City is just across the Red River from Shreveport, LA. And it has gambling casinos….lots of them! I am true to Caesar’s Group, so I stayed at The Horseshoe, a very nice resort located on the river. Actually, all of the casinos are on the river. Why? Because gambling (with a couple of exceptions like New Orleans) is only allowed on riverboats. The Horseshoe Casino is built as a “riverboat”, and they even start the engines once in a while as law requires. It is, however, attached solidly to the rest of the resort. It looks pretty funny, doesn’t it?

Riverboat is on the bottom left, and downtown Shreveport across the Red River

Heading east from Dallas is depressing given my Ohio born and bred sensibilities. Dallas could not be any flatter, or less appealing as you drive the labyrinth of expressways to get out of the city. Ugh. Concrete and more concrete. It is mid-May and the wildflowers are mostly gone, though a few remain as one drives farther east. The land around Dallas is dry, flat, with short trees…and although I left Ohio 30 years ago, I still miss the green, rolling hills and fields of cattle and crops…corn, wheat, tomatoes, strawberries, pumpkins…trees hundreds of years old; tall, reaching for the sky. My favorites were always the Blue Spruce pines. They are so beautiful, and huge, and yes, they really are blue-ish.

It gets better as one drives into East Texas. East Texas is filled with pine trees, none as tall and glorious as the Blue Spruce, but some pines are better than none. There are lakes, and taller trees, and even some inclines in East Texas! The green of East Texas is soothing and pretty heading toward Louisiana.

I spent two nights at the Horseshoe, and happily played video poker for hours and hours, leaving a winner! I was introduced to video poker when I was 23 years old, by my compulsive gambler mother (though she was not compulsive at the time because my dad was still alive and able to drag her away from her beloved slots). Of course, if he hadn’t been there she wouldn’t have left, so perhaps that compulsive gambler was always in there. Digression. I love poker, and hate the slowness of the poker tables, so video poker and I are happy companions. I have studied the statistics of the games, and adhere to my poker strategy. I was certainly lucky this time!

Like Kenny Rogers says, “you got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em”…and “I found an ace that I could keep”. Here are MY aces!

Fabulous Photo Friday: Bath, England

May 16, 2014 By Tam Warner 16 Comments

I LOVE England. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I am a true Anglophile, especially when it comes to British history. I’ve been to England several times, and I certainly plan to go back again and again! We spent two weeks roaming the English countryside while my daughter was doing her study abroad in London. My son and I were alone in Bath together and hired a British historian so I could actually talk to someone about what we were seeing! As you can see, the weather was a bit foreboding, but it added to the atmosphere of the place. And yes, I know it is Jane Austen’s hometown, but I was more interested in the Roman history. Ah, I want to go back. Enjoy!

uk 07 bath jane austen — Jane Austen’s street

Tomb of the Nash Family (my mother was a Nash) — Stone Tomb

uk 07 bath bath — One of the Roman baths

My son Wes on Pultenoy Bridge, the River Avon

My first Mother’s Day without Mom

May 7, 2014 By Tam Warner 6 Comments

Mom and I with my daughter, and my cousin and her daughter!

It seems strange not to be planning a gift and what we will do for my mom on Mother’s Day. She passed away last June, and there are still times I think, “I want to tell mom that”, before realizing she’s not here anymore. Our relationship was never smooth, in fact it was pretty contentious, but she was a daily part of my life for my entire life, whether I wanted her to be or not.

Growing up, we never quite jelled. She wanted a daughter who wanted to sew and cook and shop and do girly things while I wanted to play baseball and hockey with the boys or play with my animals. Our viewpoints as I grew older were always different. Mom was also one of those “hysterical” moms, the kind that cries and just knows that if you ride a horse you will be killed (the first time I rode I did get thrown…). She was a “doom and gloom” type of mom: I would be sorry for this, I would be sorry for that, I was ruining my life, etc, etc. Our fights and arguments were sometimes epic. My mother spent most of my childhood and teen years worried about what I was doing, and voicing that worry constantly. If not for my dad and brother, Mike, who acted as buffers, I have no idea how bad the explosion would have been.

After I left home things were better because I was not constantly under her microscope. I lived quite far away in a time before personal computers and cell phones, so our contact was what we considered frequent then, a once or twice weekly phone call. After my father died, when I was only 25, we went right back to contentious. According to mom, the only person deeply affected by dad’s death was her. She just wallowed in her misery, and soon the only thing that made her happy was gambling and Las Vegas. Mom became a compulsive gambler, but we were slow to realize it.

She was a wonderful grandmother to my two children, and she moved to Dallas so she could be close to them. My father left her extremely well provided for, but she was gambling that money away quickly. She spent with no concern whatsoever. After we put her money in a trust she started getting cash from her credit cards. She would run them up as high as $30,000.00 a year. Yes, there were many contentious exchanges.

But we had our good times too. She was good to my children and they adored her; on extended family visits it was fun to play poker or yahtzee with her; she went on vacation with us and watched the kids. And hey, she was my mom. I partially supported her for many years, and there was very little left when she passed last summer. She was usually mad at me for something, especially the last few years. I was told that I would be “sick and sorry” when she was gone, and that she would “haunt” me for being so mean to her (you know, doing things like making sure she wore her oxygen and having home health in to check on her. Boy, did that piss her off!) She died of lung disease, and as less and less oxygen made it to her brain, she became extremely difficult. She weighed 85 pounds at 5’4″, and still would not believe how sick she was. “I’m fine!” she would shout at me (and my brother, and her grandchildren, and her doctor….). At 80 pounds she went into the hospital for 2 weeks, with my brother and I at her side, and she finally went to sleep and didn’t wake up.

My son and I with "Nana" — My son and I with “Nana”

I miss you, mom. No one has threatened me with dire consequences for almost a year now, and I have yet to be haunted. My husband became critically ill after mom died and we had to cancel her interment. As my husband recovers slowly, I try to plan a time to do it. I mean, I feel terrible that she is still here, and not with dad (her ashes). But a childhood friend said to me, “Tammy, don’t worry about it. As long as she is someplace where she can drive you crazy, she’s happy”. That’s about right!

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