Author: lewisotr

One Hell Of A Guy, If I do say so myself.
On The Job, The Construction Biz, The Early Days3 Comments

My Guy Friday

lewisotr

A good old fellow that worked for me for several years in the 70s and 80s went by Friday. His name was Troy Hargraves. Lot of people told me he got the name Friday, because that was his favorite day. Friday was a steady hand. He knew the road and excavation business. He was an estimator mostly, but worked in several positions within the company during his time with us. He was very gruff sounding, but was the kindest and gentlest soul you ever would meet. All the guys out on the jobs loved to see Friday coming. He’d bring … Continue reading My Guy Friday

Another Daily Happening, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Day The Wrecks Almost Never Stopped

lewisotr

The Friday before Deer Season started in 1967, the town of Marble Falls was swarming with deer hunters. In front of the little Chamber Building – Kenny, my brother, driving a small white Oldsmobile car, with Karen Schaefer sitting much too close (I’m sure) to him in the middle pulled out of the Gulf Station directly in front of a businessman from Houston, that was coming to hunt. He was in a brand new Oldsmobile 98 Sedan. Both cars were totaled. Luckily no one was seriously injured. That set off a chain of wrecks that day for the Lewis family. … Continue reading The Day The Wrecks Almost Never Stopped

Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

I Just Want To Turn Y’all On To Something Else

lewisotr

Sometime back I became concerned that something may happen to Facebook or mine and Facebook’s relationship and all of my stories would go up in smoke. I was made aware of a program or perhaps it’s a platform called WordPress. That is what I’m typing this narrative into now. It is more of a blog format. Besides the security that all my words are just being entrusted to Facebook, I found that by using WordPress I could dress up my stories with better graphics, insert photos and go back and edit articles much easier than going directly to FB. You … Continue reading I Just Want To Turn Y’all On To Something Else

Amazing Things, Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz2 Comments

Another Rock Blasting Story

lewisotr

During the first 15 years of my contracting career most trenches in rock were blasted, before good productive and dependable rock trenchers were developed. We had one crew that their primary job was drilling and shooting (term we used for blasting) rock. We were building a new subdivision right behind the Bannockburn Baptist Church, before it was built, on Brodie at McCarty Lane in southwest Austin. All was going real good on that project. Don the crew foreman and our ace blaster was short handed, so he hired an old hippie that happened by. The old hippie’s only job was … Continue reading Another Rock Blasting Story

Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Dynamite Headaches

lewisotr

I have talked extensively about blasting rock and handling explosives (or mishandling as the case may have been). As I’ve said before, my days in the blasting game came early in my life, mostly before I was 30 years old which was up until the early 1980’s. Most of what I learned about blasting rock was from Cecil Lewis or Burnet, Texas blasting legend LJ Henderson. Of course trial and error and being self taught was where I learned the most I suppose. Since there wasn’t a school to actually go to learn the trade, you start out loading a … Continue reading Dynamite Headaches

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Smithwick2 Comments

Cecil Lewis Smoked One Joint In His Whole Life

lewisotr

Cec was well into his 60s and had never smoked marijuana. He is a man that had not lived a completely pure life, but for whatever reason smoking pot or doing drugs was something that had never appealed to him. He had a fellow living at his fishing camp that had enjoyed a long life of pot consumption. Virgil tempted Cec with a baggie of weed one day. Not knowing how he was going to react to it’s effects, he decided to take it with him and find a convenient time to smoke some without calling too much attention to … Continue reading Cecil Lewis Smoked One Joint In His Whole Life

Amazing Things, Cecil Lewis, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Let me give you a little insight into my dad, Cecil Lewis.

lewisotr

I hope I don’t give the impression that Cecil Lewis was an outlaw or something. He was, what can I say, he was Cecil Lewis. Truly a one of a kind. If he liked you he’d do anything for you, if he didn’t like you, he’d still do anything for you. He was liked by most people, respected by many but people knew to give him a wide berth.I owe much of my success to him. Not only in the things he taught me to do, but in the things I learned not to do. He was the nicest yet … Continue reading Let me give you a little insight into my dad, Cecil Lewis.

Smithwick, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Salt Cedar Switch

lewisotr

I scarcely ever see a salt cedar tree anymore. As a small child there was one growing off the edge of the sleeping porch at my grandparents house. In fact that’s about the only one I ever remember. I saw one a while back down along the river by the lower end of The Santa Elena Canyon at Big Bend. It made me remember why I was so well behaved as a youngun. Just the threat of “Ronnie Gene do I need to go cut a switch off that salt cedar” would get me in line. I’m doubtful that there … Continue reading The Salt Cedar Switch

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, Smithwick, The Early Days1 Comment

The Adventures Of Driving Under-Powered Trucks

lewisotr

The 60s were a different time than now when it comes to the horse power of trucks. Today our trucks operate with 500 to 600 horsepower. Back then the common range was 180 to 250 HP. We still hauled equally heavy loads over the same roads as today. Trucks were used much longer and maintained must less than by today’s standards. It was common for when we were hauling a heavy dozer in hillier areas for me to go ahead in a pickup to assist. When we knew there was a grade too steep coming up, Kenny would pull over, … Continue reading The Adventures Of Driving Under-Powered Trucks

My Family, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Let me tell you about Delbert and Nancy Boultinghouse, My Mother’s Parents

lewisotr

This is a story I wrote sometime ago about my mother’s parents and what life was like back in the 1915 throughout their lives. Much, if not all of their married life was spent in Smithwick. Nancy was a member of the Martin Family from Burnet. I think Delbert was raised primarily in Smithwick. From this union came 11 children, 3 boys and 8 girls. They lived on what has always been known to me as the Old Boultinghouse Place, which is a couple of miles east of the Smithwick Cemetery. A quarter of a mile east of Balcones Springs … Continue reading Let me tell you about Delbert and Nancy Boultinghouse, My Mother’s Parents