On a visit to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, I expected to learn a lot about Lyndon Baines Johnson and the time he spent as President of the United States. Which I did. There were so many tidbits of history I had never known before. As we meandered through the exhibits, I pondered how truly difficult was the time in our nation's history when this man was called upon to lead us. I found myself wishing I had asked my parents more about how it had impacted them to live through it. In addition, our time at the library made me
Browsing category: Texas Travels
During February in Texas, the weather can be iffy or spiffy - all in the same hour! Yep, it can be snowing in the morning and change to shorts-temperature by mid-afternoon. The good thing is, if you're looking for a good place to enjoy the month of February, you can't get any better than the Lone Star State. We've got hot, and we've got cold. And if you get tired of one, the other is just down the road.
Here's just a snippet of the fun that can be had during February in Texas. And, don't worry. If you start havin'
Where to Buy Texas Pecans for Your Holiday Pies
Until I started researching Texas pecans for this post about where to buy them, I was totally oblivious to most every pertinent fact. Only one thing did I know for certain on the subject.
Pecans are my favorite nut, and Thanksgiving can never come and go at my house without at least one slice of pecan pie.
But, hey. A pecan pie made with Texas pecans? That's got to be the ultimate.
Photo - Goode Company Pecan Pie made with Texas Pecans If I Were
Hamilton Pool Preserve
When we moved to Austin in January 2014, it was the dead of winter in the place we were leaving and nearly spring in the one to which we were headed.
After living our entire lives in the Texas panhandle, we were making an Over Fifty move to the Texas Hill Country.
From the normal to the “weird.”
From the land of cotton and windy days to the land of wineries and cedar haze.
Eeek - know before you go. This rustic ladder is the only way down to the pool.
On Every
Let's Go to Luckenbach, Texas! Most Texans can sing right along with Willie Nelson's famous song that put this tiny Texas spot on the map. But a whole bunch of us really have no idea where it is, much less what we'll find once we get there. When we lived in Austin, one of the long-time locals asked if we wanted to see this Texas hole in the road for ourselves, and what did we say? You better believe it. Is the Pope Catholic? Do fish swim? Is Willie Nelson the king of country music? We were all in. Let's go to Luckenbach,
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail in Austin
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake is a 10-mile stretch of outdoor beauty, thanks to the effort of two very forward-thinking Austin friends.
On a trip to London in 1971, as Ann Butler and Lady Bird Johnson stood together admiring a portion of the beautiful Thames Path, they wondered if something similar could be accomplished in Austin.
When they got back home, these two visionaries decided that it very likely could. And then it
What it's Like to Visit a Starbucks Reserve Coffee Bar
Marketing marvels exist in so many ingenious ways, don't they?
There's the start-ups that end up going gangbusters (Facebook), the solutions that soon become sensational successes (Dave Ramsey), and the institutions we see as commonplace that got that way because they refused to be common at all (Chick-fil-A).
And then there's Starbucks.
Photo - Starbucks Reserve Coffee Bar experience menu Starbucks - a Dot on the Over Fifty Timeline
When I think
A Romantic Weekend Back in the Day
When we were younger and had a nest-full, I agonized relentlessly about leaving the kids at home while my husband and I were off on a romantic weekend away.
Would they remember to do their homework? Would they forget about a project that was due? How would my mother get them to all their activities?
And mostly, how well would they b-e-h-a-v-e?
Oh, well. In the end, my man always prevailed in convincing me that a weekend away from our kids wasn't going to kill them or us.
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Summertime ... and the livin' is easy.
- DuBose Heyward and George Gershwin
If you're good about introducing your children to different genres and styles of music, you're to be commended.
My mother was good about that.
She invited me to watch nostalgic old musicals with her on television, announcing it something like this.
"Show Boat is coming on tonight. It's a really good one, and I think you'd like it."
She was probably using a little positive psychology of some
Most people in the Texas Hill Country are well aware and pretty well-acquainted with a little German town situated between Austin and El Paso. Well, actually, it's a mighty "fer piece" from El Paso, but, still, it is between here and there. Fredericksburg is Home to Many Orchards Since at least as early as 1936, the Fredericksburg area has been the natural home for growers of pretty peaches. A short search reveals red dots on the map, indicating names like Eckhardt, Marburger, Vogel and Jenschke, family names of orchards that
About me
Hi, there! I'm glad you're here! My name is Brenda McDearmon, and this website is filled with my own personal brand of encouragement for you, from me. Welcome!