Author: lewisotr

One Hell Of A Guy, If I do say so myself.
Amazing Things, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Then and Now

lewisotr

I graduated from high school in May 1970. By the fall of 70 I went to work in the underground utility industry. I believe I was earning around $3.00 per hour. Considering the minimum wage back then was $1.60, I was doing pretty well. A top operator was paid $3.75 per hour. By late spring of 1972, I had learned enough about the business, plus what I had picked up being around trucks and machinery my whole life, I subcontracted my first water line installation project in Burnet, Texas. I had a crew of 4 or 5 people including myself. … Continue reading Then and Now

Amazing ThingsLeave a comment

What A Novel Idea !!!!

lewisotr

We have all grown used to calling up customer service and talking to someone that you can’t understand. That’s because that person is actually sitting in a call center in India, The Philippines or Bangladesh. I was having a conversation with a lady that works in a call center located right here in our fair little town of Bertram. You say you didn’t know there was a call center located here. It’s right in her home. Yes, she and her husband can remotely log in when they have time, day or night and take calls from people all over the … Continue reading What A Novel Idea !!!!

Amazing Things, The Early DaysLeave a comment

A Strange Thing Happened Early This Morning

lewisotr

I woke up and decided finish watching America’s Got Talent that I had drifted off in middle of last night. What would I do without a DVR? As I watched I bumped the remote control, causing it to change channels. It went to live TV. The following commercial was on. I picked up on it the second it started. I let it play out, then backed it up and recorded it. The reason I went to all that trouble you see, I saw my life playing out. Yes, 47 1/2 years ago my girl friend and I walked in the … Continue reading A Strange Thing Happened Early This Morning

Crazy Times, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Sid and Fay

lewisotr

When Madeline and I married we moved into a trailer house (we called it a mobile home – but it was a trailer house, I’m pretty sure). It was in Sherwood Shores. Our next door neighbors were Sid and Fay. They were retired. Our place was almost new and was pretty spacious, for a young couple just starting out. Sid and Fay lived in a very small older trailer, but it was immaculate. Everything was pretty and neat. We shared a small pond out back that had ducks swimming around all the time. We would sit out back and visit … Continue reading Sid and Fay

On The Job, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Mr. Lawson Gibbs

lewisotr

Mr. Lawson Gibbs was such a nice man. He was the head of the Water Department in Burnet for many years and was in that position when I worked all over town replacing water lines in the 1971 and 1972. The pipe we used back then was AC (asbestos cement) and was very fragile. Sometimes the pipe would break after being put in service as settling would occur. Most of the time in the middle of the night, it seemed. Madeline and I rented a room at the Arrowhead Motel. (That’s a whole other story) Many times I got a … Continue reading Mr. Lawson Gibbs

UncategorizedLeave a comment

A Look Back

lewisotr

When a person can look back on their life and say there’s nothing I would change even if I could is someone living in denial. Are there things about my youth I’d like to do differently? Of course, but it is what many may think. I wouldn’t trade the hard times for anything. I don’t want any do-overs for the pranks or nonsense I was a part of. All those things were character builders. As I moved into adulthood and started out in the construction business at a very young age, I somehow knew that honesty and integrity was the … Continue reading A Look Back

UncategorizedLeave a comment

One Of The Most Vile Mass Murders In American History And I Can’t Recall It Happening

lewisotr

I watched a newly released episode of People Magazine Investigates on ID, Children of Thunder, that happened in the Bay Area of California. It seems worse than the Manson Murders. It involves the murders of the ex-wife and daughter of Blues Musician, Elvin Bishop, as well as 3 others. The song I most remember Elvin Bishop for is; I Fool Around And Fell In Love, which was written about his then wife Jenny. The whole story and the motives behind them are far too difficult to explain here. If you are into this type of thing, you may want to … Continue reading One Of The Most Vile Mass Murders In American History And I Can’t Recall It Happening

Amazing ThingsLeave a comment

You’ve Always Been Told To Not Light A Fire With Gasoline

lewisotr

We were taking earlier about a boy dropping a match in a dump truck gas tank and how dangerous it was. Well this is something I saw done in Mexico at Kenny Ranch that he used to have before life became so dangerous across the border. Out on the patio at the lodge there was a large fireplace with a grill where they cooked steaks on an open fire. The workers would pile wood in it then get it going with gasoline. Yes gasoline. Here’s what they would do. They would cut the top off of an aluminum beer can, … Continue reading You’ve Always Been Told To Not Light A Fire With Gasoline

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, The Early DaysLeave a comment

When We First Moved To Jollyville

lewisotr

We left Smithwick in August of 1956. My brother, Kenny was ready to start to first grade early the next month. I turned 4 years old that month. Our dad, Cecil had just had a career altering run-in with Skinny Childers at Pure Stone, where he had been from the beginning of its existence. I guess Skinny had seen something in Cecil and had hired him as his right hand man to get the plant built and the quarry started. He even allowed Cecil to own and operate the dump trucks that brought the rock from the quarry into the … Continue reading When We First Moved To Jollyville

The Early DaysLeave a comment

Building Campfires

lewisotr

When we were kids we played outside all year round. Weather didn’t seem to be that big of a deal. When it was real cold we just carried more wood and built our campfires bigger. In the summertime a small fire was built so it wouldn’t give off much heat. But on those cold days we’d take Tar Baby the donkey and pull up cedar stumps and drag fallen trees to the clearing out from the house where we had our fires. I don’t guess we were ever told we couldn’t build a fire. It kept us busy. Out away … Continue reading Building Campfires