Leonardo Da Vinci, George Bush Presidential Library and Finally the Texas Cotton Gin

Brenham, Texas
Artesia Park RV Campground

It rained last night and turned cold.  Since it was a cold cloudy day we decided to drive to College Station to visit the George Bush Presidential Library and forego the antique festival.  We visited the other Bush library a few years ago.

Carlena and Harry had already visited on a previous trip.  George and Linda didn't want to go today.  I think everyone enjoyed the idea of doing nothing.  Poor Bill, his wife was born with wheels rolling all the time.

The building and grounds were impressive.  Admission for seniors with a AARP card was $5.00.  Now if you think that was a bargain try adding the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit to the admission. 

Bill was checking out all the security measures that this presidential car has.  

Here's a 1944 TBM Avenger like the one that President Bush was shot down in.  He actually was involved in two crashes.

George and Barbara loved this Studebaker.

A docent was in the oval office room taking pictures of anyone that wanted a snapshot.

She insisted on taking a lot of poses.

I like being in the chair better than standing by it.

This replica office represents what Camp David would look like.

I'm sorry the photo doesn't show the engraving on this Browning which was gift of state.

His Majesty King Hussein I, of Jordan, presented a Mother of Pearl bible during a visit to the Oval Office.  

There was a large exhibit on Desert Storm and even a replica of the situation room.

Click on the photo below to enlarge the writing about this door from Kuwait.

Bill found a theater that we missed on the way in.  It explained some of the exhibits in the library.  We thought it was well done.

We've seen a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit in Boseman, Montana before but it was

very expensive.  

I'm truly amazed at what a genius da Vinci was.

Bill found a mobile machine gun.  Modern machine guns didn't appear until the Civil War.  Da Vinci was ahead of time.

I would say this was an early version of a tank.

We still had daylight left so we headed to the nearby town of Burton.  On the drive we noticed pick up trucks with 6 to 8 people riding in the bed of the truck.  We kept wondering where they were headed.  Keep in mind the temperatures are in the 40's.  A few miles down the road we found out where they were going.  It was a chilifest.  Now I know they do things big in this state but this event was huge.  If it would have been warmer, I'm sure we would have stopped and checked it out.

The last tour to the Texas Cotton Gin Museum was at 2 pm, but we didn't feel like we missed anything.  The tour was cancelled because it was slippery and muddy. We were shown a video which showed the 1925 "Lady B" operating.  It is a 1925 Type IV diesel oil engine.  Our guide took us to the museum and told us the history of all the exhibits.

We saw the basic operation of a gin and how the seeds are removed.  The seeds were found to be healthy for cows and are now used in their feed.

Did you know cotton is grown in colors?

Here's the cotton gin that houses the "Lady B".  It was built at a cost of $10,000.

If you're ever driving across highway 290, stop and take a tour.  There's a large enough parking lot to accommodate an RV.

Even though it was a dreary cloudy day, Bill and I really enjoyed it.  

Turtle Safely.......