I’m glad I have spent a fair amount of time in the Hill Country on previ
ous trips because one day just doesn’t do it justice. But we had lovely weather, the bluebonnets were out in
all their glory and our focus on LBJ gave me a chance to see some things I had missed on my earlier trips.
The previous day we had a very interesting talk on LBJ and his domestic programs to set the stage for our trip t
o his beloved Hill Country. We stopped only briefly at his
boyhood home in Johnson City then proceeded to the “Western White House” which is on a lovely site overlooking the P
edernales River. The ranch house is really quite modest for all the dignitaries who spent time there but was undoubtedly a welcome retreat for all, especially the beleaguered President.
Of course, no trip to the Hill Country is complete without a stop in charming Freder
icksburg which was settled by Germans and built out of the native limestone of the area. These days the shops mostly cater to tourists and we did our bit by over indulging in a hearty German lunch, which most of us slept off during the bus ride back to San Antone.