Tuesday it was cloudy and about 70 as we caught a cab up the hill from our hotel to the LBJ Museum and the University of Texas Campus. We have visited the presidential libraries of Roosevelt - Nixon - Reagan - Carter - and now Johnson. This was probably the most interesting because Johnson reigned from 1963 to 1968 - one of our favorite periods in history.
Johnson passed so much legislation - it is a shame that he will be remembered as the president that could not stop Vietnam. Johnson was first a school teacher. He really cared for the poor Americans. He passed Medicare - National Defense Education Act - Voting Rights - Civil Rights - and many more laws. Unfortunately - college age kids that were required to serve in the military protested that Vietnam War - that caused Johnson to not run for a second term.
Lulu standing in front of the
tower where Charles Whitman
opened fire in 1966
It took us a little over an hour to drive from San Antonio to Austin today. I-35 is a busy highway - lined on both sides by shopping centers - auto dealers - camper sales - and hotels. Along the way you see signs directing you to a lot of small towns with German names. The weather was great - sunny and 75 - but when you were out in the sun - it was really hot. I could not imagine what it is like in the summer when sometimes they have over 50 days in a row reaching 100.
We just drove north on I-35 for an hour and are in Austin. We just parked on the university of Texas campus. We will tour a bit. It is 75 and sunny - pretty hot in the sun. We will stay in this city for two nights.
Campus and Capitol are next to each other.
We got a residence inn suite right by the happening place - Sixth Street. It is a collection of restaurant and music venues.
The Alamo is everything you expect -well done - sacred
We are having a fantastic mileage trip to Texas. We left Tallahassee at 6 AM - slept through two first class upgrades - and landed in San Antonio at 10 AM. A quick rental car trip got us to the Alamo in minutes.
Texans worship the Alamo - and it is very nicely presented. The grounds are pretty - and locally it is looked upon religiously like most Americans respect Valley Forge. When I studied the Alamo in school - I was mainly interested in Davy Crockett fighting there in a Walt Disney movie.
As simply as I can make it - the Mexican/American border has always been a trouble spot due to religion - race - and guns. In the 1830s - Santa Anna had the idea of blocking the border long before Don Trump's Wall. Texas was part of Mexico for centuries and he wanted to keep the immigrants out because they insisted on bringing their slaves into Mexico. The Americans wanted to change the rules.
The Alamo was an old Spanish Mission where the Catholics kept the Indians they converted to their religion. The Americans seized the Alamo and stole a Spanish cannon to defend it. The Tex-Americans defiantly flew a flag saying - Come and Get It - referring to the cannon. Santa Anna gave them their wish. With 2000 soldiers he stormed the Alamo - killing the 200 or so defenders. Any men left over were lined up and shot. It was a miserable massacre - a terrible defeat of the Texans. But it stirred up the people - causing them to eventually defeat Santa Anna.
From 1836 to 1845 - Texas was its own country - with slaves. Soon the other southern states needed another state to enter the union as a slave state - thus Texas became a state. It was added to even out the country - slave or free. Since then - Texas has drawn way more money from the USA - than they ever paid in taxes. Texas became a state in 1845 - then just 15 years later they fought to leave the country. The fight again was over the right to keep their slaves.
Another relative secret about San Antonio is the relationship with Robert Johnson. If you are a Blues or Rock and Roll fan - you know about the Grandfather of Rock and Roll. In the 1930s - Robert Johnson - was a Blues guitarist that bummed the South playing at juke joints - Black dance halls.
In 1936 - Johnson was in San Antonio. A local record company convinced him to come to the Gunter Hotel - and record some songs. In Room 414 - they set up a studio - Johnson facing the wall to create a special sound. The recorder was set up in Room 413 next door. There were 2 sessions in the Gunter Hotel - then 2 others in Dallas. Johnson got a total of $25 for the 2 recording sessions. He only recorded 29 songs in all. But many artists - like Eric Clapton - the Rolling Stones - John Mellancamp - recognize Robert Johnson as the Grandfather roof their music.
This is the plaque in our hotel lobby - Robert Johnson
While walking along the river here - I remembered the story about Johnson recording here. That is all Lulu needed to find the hotel - go there - and convince the clerk to give us Room 412 - the one right next to the famed recording room. When I went out in the hall to park the car - the maid was cleaning Room 414. She let us in to take pictures. All night long my mind wandered thru the Birth of the Blues on the other side of the wall.
In 2001 - John Mellancamp came here to record the album As Good As It Gets.
Robert Johnson recorded almost all of his 29 songs here
This is Room 414 - where Robert Johnson
recorded Sweet Home Chicago - and Love in Vain -
and many more
Robert Johnson sat and faced the wall while recording
The River Walk is a world tourist sight
The convention center along the river - a great river boat ride
Hellhounds on My Trail - hey you guys - turn it down
- I am trying to sleep!
This song was recorded just 3 feet from where I am typing this story.
These guys were making a bunch of noise on the other side of the wall.
It is the end of the year. Lulu needed a few miles to maintain her Gold Medallion status with Delta Airlines. I never thought I would say this - but we are making a trip to Texas just for the mileage. If you hold an airline gold card - they give you a lot of perks. They upgrade you to first class before everyone else. They let you change your flight schedules without fees - free luggage - boarding early - when you fly you get double miles - special booking number. Simply they kiss your butt because you are loyal to them.
Lulu wanted her gold card very much - she plans to fly a lot this coming year. So she asked the airline - where could we fly that is cheap but also far enough to get the 1000 miles she needed. Up came San Antonio. I never have been to San Antonio or Austin - so here we go. The round trip to Texas is just $200.
We will get to see the Alamo and the University of Texas. The San Antonio River Walk is all decked out for Christmas.
This is the first time in a long time I am going to fly without my laptop. I have purchased a small keyboard that plugs directly into my iPhone. I plan to post pictures and stories onto my blog from the iphone.
Delta's computer must have recognized Lulu's plan - they already updated us to first class tickets to Texas. Imagine that - round trip first class tickets from Florida to Texas for $200. I hope we get bumped.
We leave Tallahassee at 5 AM - go to Atlanta - then Texas - and will be back home on Wednesday late. We are going to be vagabonds. We have booked a rental car - but not have booked hotel rooms. Maybe we should sleep in the car.
In many ways - Tallahassee is more like Georgia than Florida. In the old days Tallahassee was a hub of the plantation community. 80% of the residents were slaves growing cotton - peanuts - and soy beans. Just 10 miles north of town is the Georgia state line and just across the line is the Thomas County county seat - Thomasville. It is a thriving town of 18,000 people that included actress Joann Woodward and football/basketball star Charlie Ward.
In April - Thomasville is known for their Rose Festival - the city of Roses has over 1000 public rose bushes.
Last night we visited the Thomasville winter festival. The residents completely cordon off downtown and dress their Disneylike main street with a Victorian motif.
We had a wonderful steak dinner at the Plaza Restaurant following by ice cream cones at Small Cakes. Both places are on brick-paved Broad Street.
Thomasville is home of Flowers Foods. A few years back - Flowers bought the Philly giant Tasty-Kake - and the cakes are marketed throughout our area.
A little lending library
Lulu at the nativity scene - with a pooping donkey
Back in the 1970 - Citroen used to make a clever little jeep called the Mehari. Mehari means camel - and this vehicle was designed to skim across the sandy deserts of Africa. It had an ABS plastic body - and a tiny 2 cylinder gasoline engine. They were imported into the USA for a couple years and cost about $1600. Lulu and I wanted one badly and took a road trip to a dealer in Harrisburg Pennsylvania that sold them.
They were very popular cult cars in Paris until someone started bombing them - literally setting off car bombs inside them. The plastic bodies would shatter into millions of pieces.
Citroen will introduce the car again in 2016 - but this time it is electric. It will have a top speed of 68 miles per hour and a range of 127 miles. The lithium batteries will be able to be charged at home from a regular outlet. Since the bodies are made of several plastic moldings - with the paint pigment all the way through - one can change the paint color using a couple wrenches.
The new Mehari has two roll bars - removable roof panels - and many safety features not available on the old Mehari.
Left - my MacBook Air - right - my iPhone and the Griffin keyboard
We travel a lot - we like to take as little as possible with us - we seldom check a bag. My goal is to get everything into one carryon bag.
Two things compound my packing problem. First - I have sleep apnea and must carry a bulky CPAP machine. Second - I carry a laptop computer because I like to type stories for my web page - the Florida Coal Cracker Chronicles.
I have a system to post to my web page simple by emailing the story - with pictures - to a certain email address. This automatically publishes it on my page. This means I can post to my web page directly from my iPhone. Normally I take pictures with my Sony RX100 camera - but iPhone pictures are getting better and better. In the future I can see traveling without my camera. I realize all the weight reductions seem anal - but the older you get - the less you like to carry.
When we lived back in Tamaqua PA - there was a place called Texas Lunch. It made great hot dogs. It was a small place along the railroad tracks with maybe 6 stools inside. People used to stand 3 deep and eat their hot dogs. The ventilation inside was terrible - for the rest of the day you smelled like fried onions - but no one could deny the great treat and low prices.
All decent people feel sorrow and righteous fury about the latest slaughter of innocents, in California. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are searching for motivations, including the vital question of how the murderers might have been connected to international terrorism. That is right and proper.
But motives do not matter to the dead in California, nor did they in Colorado, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut and far too many other places. The attention and anger of Americans should also be directed at the elected leaders whose job is to keep us safe but who place a higher premium on the money and political power of an industry dedicated to profiting from the unfettered spread of ever more powerful firearms.
This little chalet is the Bass Sporting Goods store here in Tallahassee. It reminds me of our old home back in Tamaqua PA.
We lived in that 1000 square foot chalet for 30 years. It had a 400 square foot basement - a 400 square foot first floor - and a 200 square foot loft. It was very easy to heat and cool.
Lulu and I just got home from the 1 PM screening of Spotlight - the movie about the Catholic pedophile scandal in Boston and the rest of the world. I am happy to say we now both qualify for the senior citizen rate of $5. The theatre is about one mile from our home and we had what amounted to a private screening - maybe two other couples in the house.
The story reminds you a bit of - All The President's Men - when the Washington Post exposed the Nixon coverup of Watergate. This time it is even a little closer to home - because most of the subject matter had to deal with school kids. The Boston Globe has an investigative group of reporters called the Spotlight. They are given the pleasure of sticking to one story - avoiding political influence if they can. In today's modern newsroom - the happens less and less due to declining advertising and circulation money. Reduction in staff has made this kind of reporting almost extinct.
One named tropical system threatened the Florida coast this hurricane season.
But Tropical Storm Erika fizzled out over Cuba this summer, meaning that the hurricane season ended on Monday marking the 10th year without a major storm making landfall in Florida.
The Florida phenomenon is bizarre, meteorologists say, when taking into consideration rising temperature records and a volatile, active Atlantic Ocean Basin over the past decade.
“It’s been amazing the state has avoided a hurricane landfall,” said National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist Mark Wool.
Eleven named storms formed this year, despite forecasters predicting a less-than-active season. Storms drenched the Carolinas, Texas and the Caribbean in 2015, but the shift in the past 10 years has been increased activity along the East Coast, Wool said.
Forecasters predicted between six and 11 storms with about half growing to hurricane strength. Four turned into hurricanes and two, Joaquin and Danny, were considered major storms.
In late August, Erika threatened to careen up the west coast of Florida into the Big Bend, prompting Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency as it passed by South Florida and the Keys. The storm fizzled out as it passed over Cuba the next day.
The last storm to directly hit Tallahassee was Category 2 Hurricane Kate in Nov. 21, 1985, 30 years ago.
Flashdance - they said no cameras - but I could not resist
one shot at curtain call.
The older I get - the more I cross over. I have a real phobia about dancing. I love to see dance performances - but I am just too self-conscious to dance myself. Someone once said - I do not believe in God but I really like people who do. That is how I feel about dancing.
