Category: Amazing Things

Amazing Things, The Early Days, The History of Texas6 Comments

Evolution of a State by Noah Smithwick

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This is a post I originally made on the Texas History Books – Facebook Group I have always heard it said that this is one of the best, if not the best first hand account of the settling of Texas ever put into book form. I grew up with a 1st edition, 1900 copy of this book in our home. It had belonged to my grandfather, A.T. Lewis. I knew it was a book that had to remain in our family. I grew up in Smithwick Texas, with the old Smithwick Mill on the Colorado River being on part of … Continue reading Evolution of a State by Noah Smithwick

Amazing Things, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, The History of Texas, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Texas Crushed Stone Georgetown, Texas

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Most everyone has driven by the huge rock crushing plant between Round Rock and Georgetown. How many know where it was located prior to move there in the late 50s? The area in Austin along Mopac and from Far West Blvd south was the original location for this operation. The area where Doss Elementary & Murchison Jr. High is located was once being blasted away to make limestone road base used all around the city. Being in the construction business building roads and underground utility lines all around central Texas for more than 4 decades we have used a lot … Continue reading Texas Crushed Stone Georgetown, Texas

Amazing Things, In and Around Austin, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

How Different Things Were In Austin Back In 1960

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A while back on another group I’m on, we were commenting about Bruce’s & Barnett’s Pies made me think about the other things that were happening around Austin around that same time. It made me realize how simple our lives were five and half decades ago. The selections of eateries was really limited, but people didn’t eat out very often. Eating out was a special occasion instead of a way of life. My first memory of eating in a real restaurant was when I was 6 or 7. We were traveling home to Jollyville and it was getting late so … Continue reading How Different Things Were In Austin Back In 1960

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Mary Ann Muldoon

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Once again Facebook and The Angora Chronicles came through. (June 9, 2016) A couple of days ago, a letter showed up at the Marble Falls Post Office. It was addressed to the Post Master. In the letter was a note and eight photographs that were taken back in the 40s. The author of the note said she had an old friend, from childhood that she lost touch with and hadn’t spoken to in about 25 years. She gave the lady’s family name and her married name, as of 25 years ago. The 85 year old lady wanted help finding this … Continue reading Mary Ann Muldoon

Amazing Things, My Friends, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Summer Of 1961

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Much of our summer of “61” was spent down in Woodsboro, Texas. Our dad was the chief inspector for Marvin Turner Engineers in Austin. He was sent to Woodsboro to oversee a complete makeover of the Water and Wastewater system. Knowing that we needed to do stuff that regular city kids did, we started off the summer by going to Austin and Navy Store on Congress to buy baseball gloves. I still have mine 60 years later. A new start up company, B & T Construction from Port Lavaca had the contracts to perform the work. I turned 9 years … Continue reading The Summer Of 1961

Amazing Things, Meeting New People, My FriendsLeave a comment

Lewis the Hawksbill Turtle

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It was a Saturday morning in the Fall of 2012 and I asked our neighbors down at Port Aransas, Gene and Virginia, if they would like to go with me to the Padre Island National Seashore. We had talked before about going to the two areas they call Little Shell Beach and Big Shell Beach. We drove about 22 miles south of the visitor center before we decided to turn around. The going got too rough to chance continuing any further. On the way back we saw a huge Turtle on the beach not very far out of the water. … Continue reading Lewis the Hawksbill Turtle

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, On The Job, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings, UncategorizedLeave a comment

My Memorial Day Memory – 1981

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Memorial Day is a time for reflection and to honor those Military Person’s that gave the ultimate sacrifice for this wonderful nation. But 40 years ago Memorial Day was marked by devastation to parts of Austin, like nothing some of us had ever lived through. The story below tells my personal experience that day. During the early morning hours parts of Austin received 11 inches of rain in the span of 3 hours. I have no doubt that one of the highest elevations around, Jester Mountain received that much rain or close to it. We were building what is now … Continue reading My Memorial Day Memory – 1981

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, The Construction Biz, The Early DaysLeave a comment

A 1980 Buick Riviera Was A Great Looking Car

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I bought a new Riviera in the fall of 1979. I was going to use it mostly for road trips. It drove so good and looked even better, that I found it hard to park it and get back in a pickup. One day I picked up Kenny so we could make a run around town and see how everything looked. We did that pretty often back in those days. We drove through a subdivision we were building out on RM 2222, overlooking Lake Austin. All the utilities had been completed on that project and we dressing up the sub … Continue reading A 1980 Buick Riviera Was A Great Looking Car

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, The Early Days, The Jollyville Years1 Comment

Big Snakes

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A contribution by Kenny Lewis As Ronnie has mentioned, we lived on 65 acres of the roughest country that Bull Creek had to offer. Suitable for our little Angora goat herd, a few Shetlands, Tarbaby, a little Jersey cow named Crickett and Rattlesnakes. It never failed that when I got the urge to ride (which was usually daily) the horse I wanted to use was always in the back of the pasture. So, I took off with a halter in one hand and a small feed bucket in the other. Sure enough Shorty (a 31” paint Shetland) and Tarbaby were … Continue reading Big Snakes

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

My Wife Always Tells Me To Pace Myself

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This was a FaceBook post I originally made back at the end of 2014, just a few months after the inception of the AngoraChronicles. My problem is when I think of something I have to get busy with it then and there or I may never get it done. It’s that way with writing stories. When something pops in my head, I need to get it written or I may never think of it again. That may be the reason that in just a few months time I’ve written about everything that’s happened to me and around me in a … Continue reading My Wife Always Tells Me To Pace Myself