i am so thrilled to say that on sunday, i got my very first stamp in my very first national park stamp book at my very first trip to a national park. i stopped in the lyndon b johnson national historic park on the way home from fredricksburg and it was so awesome! i cannot wait to fill up my stamp book with stamps from all across the country.
these first images are from the sauer-beckmann working farm in the park. it was just sort-of a living example of what life might be like for folks before electricity. it's pretty cool because they have real farm animals and gardens and some ladies dressed in character making some cheese. you can wander around all through the houses and barns. my favorite part was the intentional breezes created by the way the doors and windows were positioned. i love a good front porch too, and they had plenty.
mason jar heaven.
schoolhouse.
i am almost certain these are live-oaks. i love the vibe on this road.
i have never seen the horns carved out in this way, and i grew up around cattle. very strange. i'm still not sure what the metal on the tips was for.
they had signs that said do not touch the animals in the barn but there was not a single other person in there and they had baby goats. so needless to say, i not only touched them, i held them. a lot of dreams came true that day.
this is the airplane that LBJ called air force one-half. no photos were allowed inside the texas white house because it might "damage the finish"..?? i still snuck a few with my cameraphone and you can see those on instagram.
i was lucky to have a special guest in my small group that toured through the texas white house. mr. jim hardin just happened to be touring with us while he was passing through. jim is a retired secret service agent that worked for president lyndon b johnson and lady bird johnson during and after his term. he had so many awesome stories to add to our tour-guide's otherwise normal routine. i stayed awhile after talking to him and listening to stories. i took his portrait but i ended up liking these off-the-hip photos of him talking a little better. i think his personality comes through a bit more.
so.. any other national parks that you might recommend?
xo, emily