Adventures in the South, #6

Waco, TX

We put Waco on our route because of its notoriety from the “Fixer Upper” HGTV series. I enjoyed watching this series, fascinated by Joanna Gaines ability to re-imagine a house and then her husband Chip’s ability to bring her vision to life.

On the first weeks of our road trip we listened to the audio version of “The Magnolia Story,” which is Chip and Joanna’s telling of their life stories. This gave us a fuller picture of all that the Gaines have accomplished.

As we researched the city through a visitor’s

brochure we found 2-3 pages devoted to all things Magnolia! What Chip and Joanna started 20 years ago with their TV show has grown into a business with many faces…currently they are on the finish line of a four year project to renovate a historic 1928 office building into a boutique hotel and event venue. They still have a division of their company that is focused on remodeling homes and continue to market home decor items.

Magnolia at the Silos

"COMPLETED IN 1950, THE 120-FOOT TALL SILOS ORIGINALLY SERVED AS STORAGE FOR THE BRAZOS VALLEY COTTON OIL COMPANY. ON MAY 11, 1953, AN F5 TORNADO HIT WACO CAUSING IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA. OVER 1,000 HOMES AND BUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED, AND 114 LIVES WERE LOST. THE SILOS ESCAPED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND HAVE REMAINED IN THEIR CURRENT CONDITION EVER SINCE. TODAY, THE SILOS SERVE AS A PROMINENT WACO LANDMARK." -info from a plaque at the Silos

 

 

Today the Silos are also home to a vibrant

and unique shopping/gathering area containing Magnolia Home, Magnolia Market, The Press coffee shop, a food truck court, areas with lawn games and more, developed by Chip and Joanna Gaines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two more museums helped us beat the heat and get some history on the evolution of soft drinks and law & order.

 

Dr Pepper Museum

Of course you know that Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink, but did you know that it was created in the 1880’s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco and was first served around 1885. I never developed a taste for it myself but it seems to be very popular in the restaurants and vending machines both here (and we are seeing that popularity increase as we head east). The Dr Pepper brand has grown to include many flavor varieties and is now part of the Keurig Corporation. 

The 1906 Dr Pepper bottling plant here in Waco, is a museum tracing the history of soft drinks. As a way to gain loyal customers pharmacy “soda fountains” were developing their own signature flavors developed by pharmacists (the chemists of the day) to add to soda water. The carbonated water craze was a bit similar to the popularity of Natural Hot Springs in that there was thought to be health benefits in drinking it. One of Dr Pepper’s early slogans was 10, 2, 4; this was to encourage drinking a Dr Pepper at 10:00 am, 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm for your health!

Displays throughout the building explained the early equipment and bottling process that took place in this historic location. I was also fascinated by a completely automated production line from a 7 Up bottling plant that was relocated to the museum. I am amazed at how machinery has been developed for stream lining production processing.

At the end of our tour we were able to sample different flavors of Dr Pepper at a working soda fountain. An early job Lori's father had was as a “soda jerk” so we always enjoy finding out more about soda fountains and how they were a part of the Pharmacy industry. Her father’s dad was a pharmacist, so even more family connection!

Texas Ranger Museum 

Hollywood has presented a rough and rugged image of a Texas Ranger to audiences in movies such as the John Wayne classic True Grit, in which a ranger is in pursuit of a wanted criminal in order to bring him to justice. Many of the museums and sites we visited such as the Alamo included insights into the history and impact of the Rangers, however the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum is the Official State Museum, Hall of Fame and Repository for the Texas Rangers. 

 

 

The Rangers are more than the legendary lawmen of western sagas. The Rangers have protected the people of Texas since 1823, when colonizer Stephen F. Austin called for men to “Range” the frontier.  The modern Texas Rangers are an investigative division of the Texas Department of Public Safety. The 172 Rangers authorized by the Texas Legislature are posted across Texas in six companies with headquarters in Houston, Garland, Lubbock, Weslaco, El Paso, and Waco/San Antonio. The Rangers have been called one of the most effective investigative law enforcement agencies in the world!

At the East End of Texas

Our time in Texas (for now) was almost wrapped up with another drive day that brought us to the Dallas/Ft Worth area. We stopped just for a quick overnight stop here to visit with some family and friends.

 

First we made a mid day stop to see Darlene, who now resides in an assisted living facility in Dallas. We knew her years ago when her son Dave attended our church during his last years of a cancer battle. Darlene was so touched by our visit, which included a time of participating in the Lord’s Supper. How precious to encourage her in this time of communion!

We said our good bye to Darlene and set out for a bit more driving. Early evening we set up for our overnight stay at our campground just in time to head out to meet up with Lori’s nephew Walt, his wife Shanna and their children for dinner at Saltgrass Steakhouse. We hadn't seen Walt in over a decade, and it was also our first time to meet Shanna. What a joy to also meet two beautiful great nieces, the older is six and the younger was just two months old. We all enjoyed sharing about the latest news in our lives!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning we had a surprise breakfast meeting with a member of the youth group that Steve led way back in his early days of ministry. Tom had reached out to us to see if our travels would bring us anywhere near to him in Dallas. We were able to see each other over breakfast. We do have plans to spend more time in this area on our way west in November,  so Tom wants to organize a get together with several other former youth group members who live in East Texas! Such a blessing to see the fruit of early ministry years!

What a delightful gift to reconnect with family and friends that we have not seen for decades because they have moved away, even very far away! In planning this year’s trip route we looked for a way to visit both family and friends who have been scattered across the country! (If we missed anyone we will have to try to include you on another trip!)

Whether they be family or friends, the people in our lives are so important to us. It is an odd phenomenon that when we haven’t seen someone for a long time, they don’t seem to have aged in our minds and memories; our last times together can remain our image of loved ones even though we know they have been living life since we last saw them. When we reconnected with Darlene, Tom and Walt, although they have changed outwardly we still have bonds of love, friendship and family that can’t be broken.

 

 

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.  For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. -3 John 1:2-4

 

We are so thankful to the Lord for our travels - for our health and safety - for all we get to see and experience during our Adventures on the Road. But we are the most grateful for the family and friends that we travel through our life’s journey with! May our paths continue to connect with those we love as we continue our journey east bound!

 

 

 

Tune in next week for our adventures in Arkansas!

 

 

Adventures in the South, #5

Austin, TX

Emma Long Metropolitan Park

Emma Long Metropolitan Park lies along the shores of Lake Austin, one of three Austin “lakes” formed by dams along the Colorado River (which is a different Colorado River than the one you’re probably thinking of). The park is 1,142 acres, and has a mile-long lake front and forests of oak, ash, and juniper.

This was where we camped for several days as we explored the city of Austin. 

Texas has been enduring a long (60 plus days) heatwave this summer. During our time in Texas the temps have been at or above 100! We have been seeking out activities to get out of the heat when we can. Awe, air conditioned museums!!! Just the answer!

LBJ Presidential Library

If you have not visited a Presidential Library,

you really should add one to your “must see” list. Several years ago we were quite impressed with the Nixon Library, which is a little less than an hour from our home, so we planned time to visit the Lyndon B. Johnson Library here in Austin. Presidential Libraries house archives of documents and records; at LBJ Library you see four floors of archives as you ascend the staircase. Presidential Libraries are also museums focused on the era and accomplishments of a President.

 

 

LBJ was the Vice President during JFK’s presidency. When John F Kennedy was assassinated, Johnson became the President. As the new President, he completed that final year of Kennedy’s term and then was elected to a full four year term. As we walked through the three floors of the Library we found a greater understanding of the history of the era during which Johnson served as President. Starting with Kennedy’s assassination, Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination, to Civil Rights unrest and riots, to the Cold War and the Vietnam War, to the space program and environmentalism, there was so much to take in.

We also learned about the President’s family life, raising two teen daughters in the White House, both getting married and having babies during the time they lived there with the President and First Lady. And speaking of the First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson was well represented in the library. Her personal history, passions and accomplishments both as First Lady, wife, mother and grandmother were showcased, as well as her work as an environmentalist, which encouraged the President to pass many bills to protect natural resources.

The Library was also the location Lady Bird’s actual office where she continued to work even after LBJ’s death. She helped to oversee the Library, as well as work on all kinds of conservation and environmental issues.   

 

 

In addition to all the artifacts and displays of this bygone era, the LBJ Library houses a scaled replica of the Oval Office as it appeared during LBJ’s term. Since I probably will never be anywhere near the real Oval Office, it provided a great opportunity to feel like I was at the White House!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though Steve and I both grew up in the Johnson Era, I think we left our time at LBJ Presidential Library with a greater understanding of the turbulent history of the sixties and seventies,  as well as President Johnson’s personality, goals and accomplishments, and how those things are still impacting our lives today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texas State Capitol

 

Following our time at the Presidential Library we visited the State Capital Building. Built in 1882 and still housing the Texas state government, the building is open to visitors. As with most capital buildings we have seen, the grand architecture includes a rotunda, lots of marble flooring, well crafted woodwork and long hallways.

Strolling the park-like grounds around the Capitol, we stopped at several memorials and sculptures that filled in some state history for us.

This is just a small part of a sculpture about the history of Emancipation in the state of Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twilight Hour at Congress Street Bridge

 

 

In the heart of downtown Austin, a short distance down Congress Street from the Texas State Capital Building, crowds gather at dusk for an amazing natural phenomenon, countless bats streaming out from under the bridge to fly east over the Colorado River for their nightly foray for food! Tours bring viewers by boat; kayakers and boaters gather on Lady Bird Lake below the bridge. Expectant crowds slowly gathered along the pedestrian walkway on the bridge or along the edge of the water, all eagerly awaiting the spectacle of a million bats in flight! (Oh, did I mention the temps are still near 100 even at sunset and the humidity had us dripping!)

Did you know that the Texas State mammal is the Mexican Free Tail Bat? Did you even consider that a bat is a mammal and not a bird? A flying mammal! These are the same species of bat that we saw at Carlsbad Caverns, but this colony is estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats. (The bats can be called either Brazilian or Mexican Free-tail bats.) 

Just as the sun was setting, and the tour boats arrived, as if on cue the bats began to fill the sky as they poured out from under the bridge, first from under one span, then from another. Even though we experience the bat flight at Carlsbad Caverns we were just as mesmerized with this spectacle. The flight lasted long enough for us to reposition from our spot near the water, run up the stairs and down the street onto the bridge, where we saw still more bats exiting their daytime roost. From the bridge we also were able to take in the sunset and the Austin City skyline. Each vantage point had its own charms, and unlike at Carlsbad where we could not take photos or video, as you can see from the attachment, I got both video and photos! This is an Austin tourist destination well worth the effort to see!

Bullock Museum

Another great place that helped us to get out of the heat, this museum offered three floors of well presented displays that told the history of Texas, from revolution to statehood, to the present day.

In the adjacent IMAX movie we enjoyed a 3-D documentary: Flight of the Butterflies, which was a stunning presentation about one man’s 40 years of research to unlock the mysteries of the Migration of the Monarch Butterfly.

Exhibit: The Ship Wreck

 

 

 

In 1995, archaeologists found this 17th century French ship, La Belle, in about twelve feet of water. A massive watertight cofferdam enclosure was built around the wreck to allow archaeologists to pump out all the water surrounding the ship. Over years of careful preservation, they uncovered one-third of the ship's hull and more than 1.8 million artifacts preserved in the Matagorda Bay mud. The Museum has done an amazing job of reconstructing and displaying this shipwreck and the contents, revealing all that was needed for the transatlantic voyage to uncharted territories. While the voyage met with disaster, the recovered vessel speaks profoundly to visitors today of a bygone era.

Sweet Lemon Kitchen

 

A stop to enjoy breakfast and finalize a blog post turned into a conversation with our server, Elizabeth. She had recently relocated to Texas from the East. She told us about how she is drawing closer to the Lord and finding support from her newfound church experience here in Georgetown. Since coming here without any family or friends, she was feeling quite alone. A newly discovered faith in the Lord and the support of a local church have turned her life around in unexpected ways! We enjoyed this opportunity to hear her story and to encourage her!

BBQ-Texas Style 

I did not really know what Texas BBQ was. Seems there are all kinds of styles of BBQ depending on where you are in the country! Here in Texas, you choose from an assortment of smoked meats such as brisket, sausage, ribs, or pork belly, cut before you on a butcher block and weighed on the scale. Add to that an assortment of hot or cold sides. Your meats and sides are placed on a 1/4 sheet pan lined with butcher paper which you carry to your table and dig in! While in Texas we tried several BBQ restaurants, Pinkertons in San Antonio, and here in Austin we tried Rudy’s and Interstellar BBQ. 

 

 

While here in Austin we joined some friends, Sara and Miles, who have lived in Austin several years now, for dinner at the Original Blacks Barbecue, one of their favorite BBQ restaurants. We had a great time catching up over a delicious dinner!

Each barbecue venue was slightly different in its offerings, some make their own pickles, others their own sausage. Steve talked with a customer while in line at one restaurant, who seemed to know everything about all the BBQ joints. It seems Texans love their barbecue!

Next week our Adventures on the Road will take us to Waco, home of all things Magnolia and then on to the Dallas Fort Worth area to see some friends and family. Thanks for taking the time to follow our travels, and of course your prayers mean so much to us!