Down on the farm

Quiz: Any guess as to what this is? Answer below.



The Sauer-Beckmann Farm - Rural Life, 1900-1918:

'Johann and Christine Sauer settled this land in 1869. Eventually, the Sauers had 10 children. One of those, Augusta Sauer Lindig, served as midwife at the birth of President Johnson.

Interpreters carry out the day-to-day activities of a turn-of-the-century Texas-German farm family. Farm animals must be cared for on a daily basis, including activities like feeding, milking, gathering eggs and slopping the hogs. The setting for the present-day living history activities is an authentic Hill Country farm.'



'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. 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.'





Any guess on the quiz?
Here's another hint:




There is a large vegetable garden on the farm.




Farmer Mark

Answer to the quiz:


Did you guess Hariett, the farm's Jersey Cow?

An Unusual Sight!

Yep - that's a big 1 inch in the rain gauge.
When we got to our little place in Medina yesterday it was a very welcome sight!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas ...

Well, I think putting up 4 Christmas trees is my limit! The last week or so I put up 2 small trees (7 foot) in the store. One of the trees is dedicated to Texas ornaments and one is solely cardinals. They both turned out very pretty. The other two trees are very large and I had to have Mark come to the store to help. We put one tree up in the store and decorated it with hundreds of ornaments, all for sale.



The last tree we put up is in the exhibit hall and we only used red and gold ornaments. This tree is for decoration and the ornaments are not for sale. It’s a beautiful tree.





After putting up all the trees there is still a lot of other decorating to be finished. I’ve been putting up Christmas decorations for 2 weeks!



And, while I've got your attention, I'd like to let everyone know about an event we have coming up at the park:

Holiday Cookie Decorating & German Traditions of the 1900′s
Saturday, November 26, 2011. 10 AM to 3 PM. Free of charge, but donations encouraged.

"Bring the entire family and have fun decorating cookies as it was done for a German Christmas tree in the 1900's. Visitors can enjoy participating in the German holiday traditions of icing a holiday cookie to hang on their tree at home and old fashioned candle making. Also, stop by the State Park Gift Shop and find great one of a kind pottery gifts, ornaments and decorations. These gifts are sure to please anyone on your list. What a great way to kick off the Holiday Season!"

Mark will be working at the farm and I'll be working in the exhibit hall where visitors can decorate a wooden cut-out gingerbread (boy or girl).

Last year we had a lot of fun. So, if you're in the area, come on out!

Veteran's Day

This Veteran's Day, we honor those who have so bravely served this country.

America is founded on the principle of freedom, justice, and liberty for all. Our nation's soldiers serve every day to protect our country and its ideals.

On Veteran's Day, take a sacred moment to remember the those who sacrifice their lives every moment to achieve peace and democracy.

My Dad
World War II
United States Navy
1943 - 1944





Also Happy Veteran's Day to Mark's Dad:
Sergeant, US Air Force, Retired
Vietnam, 1965-1966

My first display

When we first got to LBJ State Park the park store was decorated for Summer. My first week I helped change the store over to Fall. This week - can you believe it - Christmas! The buyer for the store (Tiffany) was wanting to start getting the Christmas displays and merchandise out but hasn’t had the time. I offered to do it by myself and was given the go-ahead. This was a first for me! I’ve never designed a store display before. It was really a lot of fun and I think it turned out very pretty.

Another Medina project.

Our next project at Medina was to build an outside cabinet for tools and things that Mark doesn’t want to have in his office.






Just a little more trim to be put on then it will be finished!

When Vegetables Go Bad!

See what can go horribly wrong when vegetables grow amuck!

Our neighbors in Medina (Paul and Ruthie) own a potato farm in North Dakota. They spend the winters in Texas while their sons run the farm.

We only spent a few days in Medina last year but really enjoyed meeting and visiting with these super nice folks.

We were looking forward to their return this winter and last week they arrived. We had a wonderful time getting caught-up and telling stories of our summer.

This summer several new couples have bought lots in our little Medina RV resort. We have met quite a few of them and have really enjoyed getting to know everyone (and their little dogs too!)

So, are you ready to see these bad boy veggies?

While we were visiting with Paul and Ruthie, Ruthie handed me a grocery bag. Apparently, they grow ‘em big in North Dakota!


I've never seen carrots this big! They were very tasty.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN