Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library: Pics and Stories

In 1995, I went to visit a friend of mine in Austin, and in our travels we wound up at he LBJ library. After a spin through the library we wandered outside, on the west side of the building where the fountain was.

It was late May, and there were a bunch of kids playing in the water of the fountain. Despite the fact that I was 22 at the time, I decided to join them. I headed straight towards the center of the fountain, where the plumes of water were gushing 50 or so feet in the air, with the intention of making my way to the middle of the plumes.

Two things that did not enter my mind at the time:
The amount of force required to propel a jet of water 50 or so feet in the air.
The placement of the light fixtures that illuminate the fountain at night.

Needless to say, my entry into the middle was little short of a catastrophe... and once I was in the center, I had to get back out.

I still have a scar on my leg from the light fixture.