Author: lewisotr

One Hell Of A Guy, If I do say so myself.
Construction, Crazy Times, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Watch Out What You Say, You Never Know When It Will Come Back And Bite You In The Rear End

lewisotr

One time we laid a 48″ waterline up through a neighborhood in Northwest Austin, a real high dollar part of town called Cat Mountain. Our line started at RM 2222 and continued to the top of the mountain on Mt. Bonnell Blvd and various other streets to reach its terminus. Mt. Bonnell – Cat Mountain Project It was really a picture perfect project that kept us busy for most of a year. When we reach the termination point on that job, another contractor, a competitor, was picking up where we left off. This competitor was a friendly one. We had … Continue reading Watch Out What You Say, You Never Know When It Will Come Back And Bite You In The Rear End

Crazy Times, On The Job, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Fire

lewisotr

Madeline was going through a bunch of old stuff in her cedar chest a while back and she ran across this newspaper clipping of a piece of construction equipment we had one time that caught fire. I wrote a story about this incident long ago. In fact it is even in The Angora Chronicles book. Just don’t want anyone thinking I exaggerated the “degree” to which the fire was. This photo shows it so well. The Story About The Fire: Ruby Waggoner was my dad’s mother. She and my grandfather had divorced when Cecil was very young. He was raised … Continue reading The Fire

Amazing Things, Smithwick, The Early Days3 Comments

My Quest To Find Out More About The Life Of Charlie And Minnie

lewisotr

I have over time written several stories about Charlie and Minnie. That couple has always been a curiosity of mine. They claimed to no have living relatives. But I remember when Minnie died, Charlie had my mother contact some people, perhaps a sister of Minnie’s to let her know of the passing. There were some people, a couple of ladies and a teen daughter, not much older than me, showed up from Oklahoma to attended the funeral. I could remember that Mrs. Redd, Minnie’s Mother, it was told was with them when they first came to our family part of … Continue reading My Quest To Find Out More About The Life Of Charlie And Minnie

Amazing Things, Smithwick, The Early Days1 Comment

Minnie’s Stash (originally written Nov. 30, 2014)

lewisotr

Kenny reminded me of something yesterday that I had forgotten. I wrote about Minnie and Charlie Campbell and her dying. Charlie would always tell us that Minnie kept up with their money and he didn’t know where she kept it or how much they had. I guess they thought, as we all did that she would outlive him. Charlie wasn’t in a shape to do much looking so the first one and the other looked but never found any money. We were all pretty sure they didn’t have two dimes to rub together, so when nothing turned up, no one … Continue reading Minnie’s Stash (originally written Nov. 30, 2014)

Amazing Things, The History of Texas2 Comments

Sears Modern Homes

lewisotr

How many homes around Austin were Sears Kit Homes? I would think there are many. Click on the first link below to check out the history of these very fine homes. Then click the second link to see groupings of homes sold in various years from 1908-1940. By comparing the homes in these catalogs, you may find some in your neighborhood that are Sears Homes. You may be living in one and not realize it. http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/ http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/byimage.htm Continue reading Sears Modern Homes

Construction, The History of TexasLeave a comment

Sidewalk and Curb Markings

lewisotr

Once upon a time, wherever you went around Austin, the concrete curbs and sidewalks had a stamp of the company that did the work. Maufrais Bros was the ones most often seen. While Maufrais Bros did the work, they also operated their own ready mix plant, which for many years could be seen east of Lamar, on the north side of West First St. (Cesar Chavez) This article delves into the story of the Markings. http://www.texasescapes.com/AustinTexas/Austin-Sidewalks-Maufrais.htm These are a few of the names you’d see: In the older sections of the city, these stamps can still be seen, but are … Continue reading Sidewalk and Curb Markings

Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Have You Gotten A Message From A Friend Lately, Wanting To Make You Rich?

lewisotr

Well I get on average about one of these a day. You can tell by the way the conversations start that it’s not who it should be, using that name. My problem is that every time it happens, I let the conversation run off the deep end and then it becomes something I can’t share here on this forum. But today I watched myself so that it didn’t become “R” or “X” rated. It’s funny how after a while they must figure out that something is up and I’m wasting their time. Well anyway, I amuse myself a little each … Continue reading Have You Gotten A Message From A Friend Lately, Wanting To Make You Rich?

The Early Days, The History of TexasLeave a comment

Burnet County and Cotton

lewisotr

Burnet County is known for several industries with various minerals or tourism being at the heart of most bustling enterprises. However in the early 1900’s cotton was king there like many other areas of Texas. The little town where I now reside, Bertram, had 4 cotton gins at one point. I think I’ve read that it also had about that many banks. The soil around this area is more suited to ranching than farming, but that didn’t stop the industrious folks from making the most of black land areas spotted around the county. Besides the four in Bertram, there were … Continue reading Burnet County and Cotton

The History of Texas4 Comments

SH 165 – This Highway Has Several Unique Distinctions

lewisotr

The Shortest Highway in Texas and possibly the nation at .51 miles long. It is shutdown every night. It connects to no other state highway. IT IS THE HIGHWAY THAT RUNS THROUGH THE TEXAS STATE CEMETERY IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN. This is an Article about Texas’ Unique Highway: State Highway 165 (SH 165) is a state highway in the state of Texas in the United States. At 0.51 miles long, it is the shortest main state highway in Texas, and perhaps the only one partially locked at night. It is connected to no other Texas highway system roads. In 1932, Texas … Continue reading SH 165 – This Highway Has Several Unique Distinctions

The History of Texas3 Comments

Austin White Lime – McNeil, Texas

lewisotr

Strange how much of it doesn’t look so much different 129 years later. (First photo) Processing limestone caused the community of McNeil to continue through the years, but it was the coming of the railroad that marked its place. In 1882, the railroad came through the area from Round Rock to Austin. George McNeil, section foreman on the Austin and Northwestern Railroad, was in charge of the construction of the line and the grading of the roadbed. Besides the kilns and the railroads, McNeil was also known for its caves and a highly publicized 1897 robbery of an International and … Continue reading Austin White Lime – McNeil, Texas