Author: lewisotr

One Hell Of A Guy, If I do say so myself.
Aging, Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

I’m Living Right This Morning

lewisotr

A call came in on my cell phone. It was “Gerald” wanting to talk about my Medicare Coverage. Had that strange sounding voice. My wife was sitting here beside me in the living room and we are drinking coffee. She doesn’t like listening to me cutting up with these people on the phone. So I held off a few moments deciding whether I should just hang up or whether to go in the other room to talk my usual shenanigans. Then Gerald asked if this was Ronald and Madeline. It was really Geraldine, a lady up in DFW that was … Continue reading I’m Living Right This Morning

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early Days11 Comments

Brown Parker’s Well

lewisotr

Brown Parker and wife Eula moved back to Texas after spending 3 decades or so out in California, to a couple of acres down on our old home place on the hill overlooking the Lake. He went up to Marble Falls and bought a building that needed to be moved. He set it up on stilts the way it had been in town, so it would improve his view. Many of you may remember this building. In the earlier 60s it was a snack bar that Mr. Seals and Mr. Hill had built at the mini-golf place. To have water … Continue reading Brown Parker’s Well

Amazing Things, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Thoughts and Musings, Travels1 Comment

Travels Across The Desert

lewisotr

Few people ever went long distances prior to the last 4 or 5 decades. If they did it was making a migration to hopefully find a better life. That was in about 1955 or 1956. Maw-Maw Nonie and Paw-Paw Theron went with my parents and us to visit California. Kenny and I were both were pre-school age, 3 and 6. All six loaded up in a new Mercury 2 door car that Cec had just bought. It didn’t have air conditioning, few cars did back then. Being in the hot summertime Cec bought a contraption called a Thermador Car Cooler. … Continue reading Travels Across The Desert

Aging, My Friends, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

A Sobering Thought

lewisotr

I was sitting around today thinking about friendships. Back in the early part of 2004, I got a call from one of my high school classmates, a true friend, suggesting a few of us may want to go to Houston soon to pay a visit to one other of our 1970 classmates. It didn’t appear that he would live much longer. Richie had a very aggressive form of brain cancer. He was now in a rehab unit in Houston. John, Tommy and I left Marble Falls early on that morning, just a day or so after we knew we needed … Continue reading A Sobering Thought

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, The Early Days1 Comment

A Trip Up Sheffield Hill

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(Originally posted on March 8, 2017) I had been waiting almost 47 years to retrace some tracks that I made in what seems like a different lifetime. My wife and I made a trip out to Big Bend a few years ago, so it was a prefect time see what the big deal with Sheffield Hill was. (also called Lancaster Hill) Driving A Cattle Truck Soon after graduating from high school, I was still 17 years old, I got hired on as a relief driver, driving a cattle truck for the Wenmohs Ranch. I was Wallace Herbert’s swamper. I guess … Continue reading A Trip Up Sheffield Hill

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Cec And The Big Billy Goat

lewisotr

When we were building the Guadalupe River State Park my dad, Cecil took his small travel trailer down at the very end of the park at the rivers hairpin bend, to stay away from everyone else. The park land extends across the river at that narrow point and has some primitive camping and hiking over there. Between the time we bid that project and it actually getting under way, there was the huge flood that snapped off gigantic cypress trees and altered the landscape forever. Cec would sit and watch a herd of Spanish Goats that climbed the rock bluffs … Continue reading Cec And The Big Billy Goat

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, On The JobLeave a comment

He Bit My Thumb

lewisotr

There are a few things in life that really don’t mix. Being really tough and drinking too much are a good example of this. Cecil Lewis was tough guy and he drank a way more than he should have. Back in 1980 – 1981 I had contracted to build a new state park and campground area down on the Guadalupe River near the little community of Bergheim not far from Boerne, Texas. When I needed him, my dad would help me out on projects. On this job he mostly drove a water truck. He never drank while on the job … Continue reading He Bit My Thumb

Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

A Look Back To A Defining Moment In My Culinary Life

lewisotr

What Is Your Favorite Salad Dressing? This was a topic on a different Facebook group that I saw earlier today and it got me thinking. Everyone has an opinion on Salad Dressing. I’m fairly alright with any of them, but I do have my favorite – Blue Cheese. I can’t tell you why. It’s seems like an acquired taste kind of thing. Years ago I was all in on a tangy French (maybe it was truly a Russian Dressing) It was Pizza Huts signature dressing, then one day they did away with it. I never will understand that. On a … Continue reading A Look Back To A Defining Moment In My Culinary Life

Aging, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Is There Anything To A Dream

lewisotr

(let’s hope not, at least in this case) This story is wrapped around a dream I had last night. It goes like this: A lady I know passed away a while back. Her family decided to not have a service, but maybe something will be done later. That’s not so uncommon, this day and time. Cremation has made it even more possible to delay things a bit, you know. But I walked in the cafe where I usually have breakfast and a fellow I know was sitting there drinking a cup of coffee. He invited me sit with them. After … Continue reading Is There Anything To A Dream

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis2 Comments

Circling 4-Wheelers

lewisotr

Back in the winter of 1984, Kenny had a deer lease on several thousand acres of south Texas land between Laredo and Freer. He was so gracious to ask me down a few times. (or anytime I wanted to come). Once when several people were there, but all still out hunting, he and I both arrived back at camp, a nice house actually, on our 4-wheelers. The timing was such that coming from opposite directions we reached the big open gravel parking lot in front of the house at the same time. Skillfully we head for each other but turned … Continue reading Circling 4-Wheelers