Author: lewisotr

One Hell Of A Guy, If I do say so myself.
The Early Days, The History of Texas, Thoughts and Musings3 Comments

A Little Bit About Cattle Auctions

lewisotr

I was once researching livestock auctions and when the actual concept of a ring with auctioneers started. While there were some used in the 50s (maybe as early as the 40s) it appears that it mostly became a widespread way of selling cattle and other stock in the early 60s. Prior to that, the Livestock Commission was mostly a place to bring sellers and buyers to a central location where they would get together and strike a deal. Then the house would weigh and facilitate the transaction and collect their fee. If anyone has knowledge about or if you actually … Continue reading A Little Bit About Cattle Auctions

Amazing Things, Smithwick, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Early Boyhood Memories

lewisotr

The Old Oak Tree at my grandmothers house along the highway in Smithwick (we lived in that house until I turned 4) that we played under and climbed in when we were kids. There were always at least a half dozen well made toy trucks and equipment, all constructed from metal that made their home under this marvelous tree. The Old Crib and Pens down behind the house. It is very weathered, considering it hasn’t been used or had any upkeep in more than 50 years. It was several decades old when I was a kid, for it to still … Continue reading Early Boyhood Memories

Marble Falls and the Area Around it.4 Comments

Lee Odiorne’s Tombstone

lewisotr

While this is the grave marker that is on his grave, there was another one that set on his front porch for years. He had commissioned the original one to be made with the epitaph as you see below. Sometime prior to his death his house caught fire. The roof of the porch came crashing down, breaking off the top left corner. It was made from limestone. Upon his death, his sister took the broken one to a monument maker in Llano and had it replicated. The old one was left leaning against a fence, and it being made from … Continue reading Lee Odiorne’s Tombstone

Smithwick, Thoughts and Musings3 Comments

Old Man Cardwell

lewisotr

When we were young, preteen years for me, we went all over Smithwick horseback. Mostly it was Kenny, Jimmy Palmer, Glenn Lewis and me, but sometimes others in the community joined in. Everett and Maude Jackson had the little store beside the road just below the cemetery. The store had really limited fare. Mostly snacks and soda pops. I don’t remember them having very many perishables. Maybe a little stuff in a small refrigerator. For sure there were soda crackers and Vienna Sausages. Across the highway from the store and down the creek a little ways was a little shack … Continue reading Old Man Cardwell

The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Bureaucratic Red Tape

lewisotr

Several years ago we contracted with a developer and the City of Georgetown to install a large wastewater line that paralleled the South San Gabriel River heading west out of Georgetown. The project was extremely challenging. It was for a 36″ diameter pipe, that was at depths between 35′ to 40′ deep in solid rock for the whole length of approximately 7 miles. The first property we crossed was still owned by the Wolf Family, hence the naming of Wolf Ranch Shopping Complex at Hwy 29 at I-35. I knew one of the Wolf family members and made it through … Continue reading Bureaucratic Red Tape

Amazing Things, Smithwick, Thoughts and Musings4 Comments

Leona May Purcell Lewis

lewisotr

She was known by many names. Leona, Nonie, Aunt Nonie, Maw-Maw, which turned into Maw-Maw Nonie to Kenny and me somewhere along the way. She had a nickname that her Daddy called her by. She and I spent a lifetime of me asking her what it was and her telling me I’d never find out. In her later years I was talking to one of her sisters and posed a question in such a way that she blurted out the name. When I got back to her, I called her by that name. She was surprised that I’d found out. … Continue reading Leona May Purcell Lewis

Funny Happenings, Smithwick3 Comments

The Many Uses For WD 40

lewisotr

This story originates down at Cec’s Fishing Camp in Smithwick and was told by my oldest son, Matthew. There was always some gem dandy’s around that place. Matt, as a teenager, always enjoyed getting away to go up and get an education of one kind or the other. An old gal came out of her trailer one day and said the best smelling thing she could think of was WD 40. She used it for perfume and deodorant because she loved the smell so much. If you stayed down on the lake for days at a time and you weren’t … Continue reading The Many Uses For WD 40

Amazing Things, On The Job, The Construction BizLeave a comment

Customer Testimonial – Ex 1200 Hitachi Excavators

lewisotr

The Hitachi Dealer ask if I would mind endorsing their machines. They were the first ones of that size they had sold. They said they would send someone out to interview me. I thought fine. I assumed an interview would be something like – ask me a question and I would answer it to the best of my ability. A camera person showed up on the job, stuck a microphone in my face and said “tell us about your project and the EX 1200 Excavators. I did the best I could, given that I had not even thought about what … Continue reading Customer Testimonial – Ex 1200 Hitachi Excavators

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis2 Comments

Yee-Haaaaw

lewisotr

In the early days of the Austin Rodeo moving to the new facility at the Travis County Expo Center in the Mid 1980s, Kenny had been very involved and was a “Founder“. A lot of the contractors in town volunteered a lot of time and money to that effort. I was not quite as involved. In fact, I just pretty much rode in on my brother’s coat-tails and enjoyed all the fun of the annual stock show and rodeo. He was very generous with tickets and the like. One night he and I decided to take my 3 older boys … Continue reading Yee-Haaaaw

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, The Early DaysLeave a comment

A Sudden Stop

lewisotr

Back in the 70s and early 80s, after Kenny returned from his stint in the Army, he came to work with us. Most of the crazier things that ever happened was during that time period. It was customary that he and I would load up every few days and ride the jobs. We often had eight or ten projects going on, all over the Austin area. One day we met up out on the north end of town and he climbed in with me. I had a new 1980 Buick Riveria. We were driving through a project, The Cliffs Over … Continue reading A Sudden Stop