Peach Picking and State Park

Today we got up early and headed out to the hill country to do some peach picking and enjoy one of the most beautiful summer mornings down here in South Texas we've had this summer. Brandon heard of this farm from a friend and it was only an hour away. Today was one of the last days of the peach picking season so we took advantage of it. What a fun time it was for the kids...and us as well. It was just beautiful out there. We received specific instructions on how to find the best peaches and any one that we picked we had to keep so the kids were very careful.

Kaleb doesn't even like peaches but after today I think he might give them another try.

They were so proud of each and every one.

Brayden on the other hand loves peaches and had a hard time not eating them.

She found one in the box that didn't look "perfect" so she wanted to throw it out.

We had such a fun time.

Now it's time to learn to can them...only after Brandon makes all the peach ice cream and cobbler he wants.

It was still early after we finished so we asked around as to what is nearby.

We found out there was a state park nearby. Apparently Lyndon B. Johnson was from a small place in Texas called Stonewall. He lived and died on a ranch that has now been turned into a state park with free tours with an historical farm.

We visited the farm first. Everything was dated back to the 1900s.

The kids were fascinated with this scarecrow that was protecting the crops. Right in front of them were the cotton bushes. I had never seen a cotton bush before.

Kaleb was first to find the chicken coup.

Then he began to chase them. He wanted to touch one so bad.

We went through all the old houses and surprisingly nothing was roped off. It was hard to keep the kids from not touching anything.

Here Brayden's playing with her chicken and turkey feathers while Kaleb is touching the cotton.

The way laundry used to be done...

washer dryer

Along with chickens, turkeys, and roosters, there were cows, pigs, and sheep to look at as well.

Don't know where the horses were though, but here are their saddles.

Another wagon.

The people working here were more than just park rangers. They dressed, acted, and lived their part on the farm.

We were there right before lunch time and when we went through the kitchen, they had the fire going and were preparing a whole meal for themselves. The dishes were wet and set out to dry. It was neat to be reminded how they lived back then.

We then left to a nearby picnic area to eat our own lunch.

We were accompanied by these bugs that were the size of my palm.

As well as some good ol' Texas longhorns on the other side of the fence.

After we ate the kids continued to play on the playground.

Including the big kid...

After Kaleb took a nose dive and gave himself a mouth full of rocks we headed out. On our way out we drove around the rest of the park to see more LBJs ranch where we saw his airplane (Air Force 1/2) and runway, his Texas white house, as well as the family cemetary where he is buried.

What a beautiful place.

It was a good day.