Friday, April 11, 2014

LBJ National & State Park, TX

LBJ National Park & State Historic Site is located in the Texas hill country between Fredericksburg and Johnson City.  The National Park Service manages the Texas Whitehouse and the Texas Parks and Wildlife manages the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm. 

The Bluebonnets and other flowers were beautiful.




Sauer-Beckman Living History Farm
Life on the farmstead is presented as it was in 1918. Park interpreters wear period clothing, do the farm and household chores as they were done at that time, and also conduct tours for the visitors.  Johann and Christine Sauer, along with their four children, settled this land in 1869. Their family prospered and grew and, by 1885, several stone buildings were built near the original rock and log cabins. Eventually, the Sauers had 10 children. One of those, Augusta Sauer Lindig, served as midwife at the birth of President Johnson.  The Beckmann family acquired the property in 1900. A good cotton crop in 1915 allowed Emil and Emma Beckmann to build a new barn, to add a frame room onto the old rock structure, and to construct porches connecting to a lovely Victorian house covered with fashionable pressed tin. In 1966, Edna Beckmann Hightower sold the site to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Archeological surveying and restoration work was undertaken and the farm opened to the public in 1975. Since then, time has stood still and the farm remains forever a small piece of Texas as it was at the beginning of the 20th century.

 


 
 





Thursday, April 3, 2014

Guadalupe River State Park, TX - Bluebonnets

Guadalupe River State Park is in the Texas Hill Country near San Antonio, TX.  In spite of the very dry conditions, we do have some Bluebonnets in the park.

 

 

 
 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area - TX

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is in the Texas Hill Country between Fredericksburg and Llano.


The "big rock", a massive pink granite dome, is very popular.  The trail to the summit of the "big rock" climbs 425 feet in 0.6 miles. 
 


Some views from near the top of the "big rock".



Saturday, January 11, 2014

Goliad State Park and Historic Site, Goliad, TX

Goliad State Park and Historic Site is comprised of three historic sites that together reveal 300 years of Texas history - Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga, Mission Nuestra Senora del Rosario, and Zaragoza Birthplace.  We visited Mission Espiritu Santo and Zaragoza Birthplace.  Fannin Monument, Angel of Goliad, and Presidio La Bahia are other historic sites nearby.

Mission Espiritu Santo was first established at Matagorda Bay in 1722 and moved to this location in 1749.  The chapel and grounds were supervised by Franciscan fathers. The native men branded cattle, tilled the soil, chipped stone and mixed mortar.  The women spun wood for clothing, made clay pots, ground corn into meal with stone manos and mutates and harvested crops.

Chapel
  



Mission School Workshop






Ruins on Aranama Trail near Mission
 
"Eagle Lady" Bird Program
 The "Eagle Lady"-Doris Mager presents an interesting and educational program on raptors.  She has been working with raptors for 50 years and still presents programs all across the country.
 
ET-Extra Terrific


Western Screech Owl
 
American Kestrel
  
Zaragoza Birthplace
 
Fannin Monument

 
Angel of Goliad
 

Presidio La Bahia

 

Friday, January 10, 2014

Goose Island State Park, Rockport, TX

Goose Island State Park is across Copano Bay Bridge from Rockport, TX and is surrounded by the St. Charles and Aransas Bays.

Sea Gull and Brown Pelicans


White Pelicans
 
The "Big Tree"

 
 

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Rockport, TX

We visited Rockport on the Texas coast the first two weeks in January.  We enjoyed watching the birds.

Belted Kingfisher
 
Great Egret

 
Great Blue Heron
 
Roseate Spoonbill
 

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, TX

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, near Rockport, Texas, is the winter home for the endangered Whooping Crane.  There are two pair of Whooping Cranes that can sometimes be seen from the refuge overlooks. We were fortunate to see one of the pairs.  There are also pelicans, herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills, ducks, geese, javelinas, bobcats, deer and alligators. 


Whooping Cranes

Mainly pelicans

Alligator