Author: lewisotr

One Hell Of A Guy, If I do say so myself.
Amazing Things, The History of TexasLeave a comment

What Do You Mean It All Started As A Joke ?

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Some History Of The Cowboy Hat The first known felt hats were narrow-brimmed affairs worn by ancient Greeks and their gods. J.B. Stetson fashioned the prototype of the cowboy hat to entertain his hunting companions back in the 1860s. By then, wide brims and tall crowns were already the signature look of cattlemen and horsemen from Texas to California. Spanish vaqueros wore sombreros with massive brims and crowns long before Stetson came along. ”Sombrero” is derived from the Spanish word for “shade” or “shadow;” a felt or straw sombrero protected its wearer from a relentless sun. The wide-brimmed and high-crowned … Continue reading What Do You Mean It All Started As A Joke ?

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

More About Jester Blvd.

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We had just finished getting the entire length of the boulevard built from bottom to top, the base was laid and tested, the curbs were all in, all we needed to do was put the asphalt down when the Memorial Day Flood of 1981 hit Austin. During the course of that one night and day, the torrents of water that came down, coupled with the extreme steep grades, we saw 3500 tons of limestone flex-base disappear from that hill. To give you an idea of how much that is, it took 150 large 18 wheeler loads to replace it. In … Continue reading More About Jester Blvd.

Crazy Times, The History of TexasLeave a comment

BEVO was “What’s For Dinner”

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Nostalgia: When Bevo was barbecue, and other trials of Texas’ most famous longhorn By Jim Weber Jim Weber runs the college football and men’s basketball site LostLettermen.com. This week, he looks at the early trials of Bevo, introduced to Texas on Thanksgiving 1916, ahead of Thursday night’s rivalry showdown between the Longhorns and Texas A&M in Austin. There isn’t a fan base more proud of its school or more in love with its mascot than the faithful from the University of Texas. Longhorn fans stay true to their school by traveling en masse to road games, decking themselves head to … Continue reading BEVO was “What’s For Dinner”

The Early Days, The Jollyville Years1 Comment

Hydroponic Gardening

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We took our boys to Disney World back in the mid 80’s. I don’t remember that much about the usual stuff that you see there. What I was most attracted to was Epcot Center. Actually I don’t remember that much about Epcot. But I do recall the demonstration on hydroponics. I loved seeing plants growing without soil, either directly in water and plant food or pea gravel medium. Almost immediately when we got back home I had to get myself into building a greenhouse and start hydroponic gardening. Of course there were books on the subject but it was before … Continue reading Hydroponic Gardening

Amazing Things, Kenny Lewis, My FriendsLeave a comment

The Thoughtfulness Of My Brother

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One day my brother, Kenny, walked into my wood shop carrying a wooden saddle rack, that he had bought somewhere. He ask if I could carve a name and maybe put something fancy on it. The rack was fairly simple, made from pine, just plain looking. He told me the story of seeing a saddle hanging in the barn of an old cowboy friend of his. He ask about the saddle and got a complete history of it. The old cowboy had owned that saddle most of his adult life I believe. He told him who made the saddle and … Continue reading The Thoughtfulness Of My Brother

Amazing Things, Meeting New People, My Friends, The History of TexasLeave a comment

Over The Hump

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A story about Howdy Fowler (yes our own Angora Chronicles Friend – Howdy Fowler) and his adventure of a lifetime. “Howdy told me once that this adventure is the single greatest highlight of his life and to have it captured on the pages of Texas Monthly – Don’t get much better than that”. I asked Howdy about some pictures one time and he came thru with this one. This is a story that was written by Carol Chapman for the February 1995 issue of Texas Monthly. NOW THAT STORY: THE REAL REASON THAT camels are called ships of the desert … Continue reading Over The Hump

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You Never Know Who You’ll See In Vegas

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One time playing blackjack in Las Vegas there was a fellow sitting at the other end of the table. I finally put together who he was. Rollie Fingers the MLB pitching great. Being amused by this, then another guy set down beside me. It was Catfish Hunter, another MLB pitching great. We played for a long time with neither of the 2 ball players acknowledging the other. The thing about the two of them that I knew the best – they both were known for their mustaches and I knew they both had played for the Oakland A’s, but I … Continue reading You Never Know Who You’ll See In Vegas

Crazy Times, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Sometimes Keeping Your Mouth Shut Is A Good Thing

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Years ago we were on a cruise in the Bahamas. One stop allowed us a day of sightseeing and gambling. I was in a casino playing blackjack. The dealer and another player were talking sports, mostly football. At some point the topic changed and Mr. Knowitall was telling the dealer all about Wimbledon and why this one had dominated and why this other one should think about retiring. I instantly thought, hey we are playing blackjack here, deal the cards a little faster. Who cares about tennis. But I never said anything. A few minutes later the subject went back … Continue reading Sometimes Keeping Your Mouth Shut Is A Good Thing

Amazing Things, Meeting New People, The History of Texas, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

What did we talk about that afternoon?

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This is an add-on to a story about an afternoon conversation I had with our then Governor Mark White. It was mostly centered around the over crowding problem in Texas Prisons. He knew I was in the construction business and was seeking my assistance in piloting a program to give early release to some worthy prisoners that just needed a break. He thought that if they could come out and show up to work (digging ditches, if you will) and not get back in trouble, they could find their way more easily back into society. We did some planning and … Continue reading What did we talk about that afternoon?

Crazy Times, Meeting New People, The History of TexasLeave a comment

Fasten Your Seatbelt

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I once was passing my neighbors weekend place out of Dripping Springs and saw he was there. It was a weekday and I realized he being a state employee, probably had the day off. It was Texas Independence Day. When I pulled up he came outside and we visited a few minutes, then he said, “why don’t we drive into town a buy a 6 pack of Lone Star Beer and drive over to the lookout and sit a spell and enjoy the afternoon”. I had nothing going on so that’s what we did. Amazing conversation, I’ll get into another … Continue reading Fasten Your Seatbelt