It’s hard to believe we already have three weeks under our belt here at LBJ State Park! Last year we worked Thursday - Saturday and, when asked if we wanted those days again, we said sure. When we arrived at our RV site the other volunteer here at the park told us he would really like to work Wednesday - Saturday (he is a solo and works 4 days a week). It didn’t matter to us what days we worked so we agreed to change days with him and work Sunday - Tuesday.
Well, you know the saying “no good deed goes unpunished?” The park manager wanted us to go ahead and work our original work days for the first week then change work days the next week. So, can you figure it out? That’s right, we worked 6 days in a row! The first week we worked our original Thursday-Saturday then turned right around and worked Sunday-Tuesday. We were tired! I worked in the Store/Visitor Center/Office and Mark worked at the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm.
During my first days I helped change the store over from Summer to Fall. In a couple of weeks we will change from Fall to Christmas! Most of my time in the store is spent putting out stock, re-folding t-shirts, and dusting. At the visitor center I answer questions and explain the tour map to visitors wanting to visit LBJ’s ranch, which is across the river from the State Park.
At the farm Mark feeds the animals, cuts wood and kindling for the wood burning stove, and takes visitors through the barns and houses, giving them a glimpse of life in the early 1900’s in Gillespie County. He is dressed in costume as a 1915 farmer.
On our third work week I got a big surprise when I saw that I was scheduled to be at the farm on Monday. I worked at the farm one day last year and didn’t particularly enjoy it.
And, lucky me - Monday is wash day!
In the morning I churned butter. I thought my arm would fall off! Then I squeezed curd and whey from clabbered milk.
After lunch the park employee I was working with washed the clothes on a scrub board thingie (which were all flour sack dish towels) and left them for me to rinse out, swish in water with bluing, hand wring out, then hang on the clothes line.
I also had to throw out the slop bucket (that was pretty gross), pull weeds and sweep the 1915 Victorian house, help plant spinach seeds in the garden and water and weed the flower garden. It was a full day! Oh, and I had to take the clothes off the clothes line and fold them up.
I'm hoping I don't have to work at the farm again.
Mark worked in maintenance and changed a lot of light bulbs and threw out about 5 lbs of turnip seeds. The turnip seeds are planted for the bison, which apparently really like them!
I don’t have too many photos yet. We’ve been really busy and time is just flying by! Mark got his camera fixed and has started taking pictures again so - STAY TUNED! I’ll be posting some knock-out pictures soon!
LBJ State Park Store
LBJ State Park Visitor Center
