Category: Amazing Things

Amazing Things, Grandchildren, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

The Big Accident

lewisotr

Below are two of our early Angora Chronicles Stories that some will remember, while others probably never heard about. It is stories that involves my beloved Grandson Will “Catfish” Lewis. While it happened when he was still 11 years old, it lives on in my memory almost every time I drive out my front gate. Will turned 16 yesterday and now has his own pickup to drive. He is a very good driver and I wish him all the best and hold high my prayers over him for his safety every time he is behind the wheel. This is the … Continue reading The Big Accident

Amazing Things, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Gift Of Grandparents In Children’s Lives

lewisotr

I’ve mentioned before about what a blessing my grandmothers played in my life. I mostly grew up without the benefit of a grandfather. My mothers dad died when she was 9 years old, which was a decade before I was born. My grandfather, my dad’s father – Theron died when I was barely 6. I had just stated first grade. I have memories of him, but not many true interactions. Yes, riding on a tractor with him as he plowed and falling asleep. I probably don’t actually remember that but I remember stories of it happening. I’ve had grandkids ride … Continue reading The Gift Of Grandparents In Children’s Lives

Amazing Things, The Jollyville Years, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Only Track Meet I Ever Competed In

lewisotr

Going to school in Jollyville didn’t provide for someone of the things that going to a more traditional school did. We didn’t have any sort of a sports program. We played kickball and dodgeball out on the playground. That was about it for sports. The principal, Mr. Pyle had come to us after being a coach and principal at Thrall. A year or so after he arrived at Jollyville, in my 6th grade year, he arraigned for those boys in grades 6 – 8 to go compete in the Thrall Track Meet. Eight or ten boys loaded up in cars, … Continue reading The Only Track Meet I Ever Competed In

Amazing Things, Thoughts and Musings5 Comments

It Almost Sent Me Into A Panic

lewisotr

This story actually started back in 2012 when my wife and I moved down to Corpus Christi to spend our twilight years on the coast. Of which after a couple of years, we knew there was no place like Burnet County to call home, so we came back to the Hill Country. Once we got our house and started outfitting it, we were buying most everything new, as we were maintaining a residence up here and left our old stuff behind. One Sunday afternoon we went to the CC Convention Center to the annual home and garden show. We were … Continue reading It Almost Sent Me Into A Panic

Amazing Things, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

Aged Bourbon

lewisotr

I have told many people before that I lost all taste for bourbon after drinking a fifth and a pint of Old Crow in about 30 minutes one time, and eventually woke up in jail the next day. But that was when I was 16 years old. I just never could stand the smell, much less the taste of it after that. That was well over 50 years ago. I have several bottles that have been in the top of a cabinet, leftover from when the popular thing to do was hand out whiskey as gifts at Christmas time, in … Continue reading Aged Bourbon

Aging, Amazing Things, Funny Happenings, Grandchildren, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

The Girls and Their Music

lewisotr

I never had the chance to be around teenage girls, since I was a teenager myself. Well except the ones my 5 boys managed to drag to the house with them as they got old enough to date. When I started getting granddaughters, (Holly now a couple of years out of college & Emma started her second year of college last month) the two older ones got old enough to really start getting into music and needing me to take them places, I was in for a real treat. I learned to cope with their music by buying albums they … Continue reading The Girls and Their Music

Amazing Things, In and Around Austin, My FriendsLeave a comment

Making A Case For Eavesdropping

lewisotr

It happened on the steps on the church house. Several of us were lingering outside the building after church one day. As I spoke with one elderly gentleman, two of our other members where close by having a conversation about a potential land dispute, with one of these fellows being an attorney and the other one owning a parcel of land. It seemed that the landowner was having difficulties with TxDot over what was a very tiny parcel of land. Several years before TxDot was expanding one of their highways and through right of eminent domain had taken this man’s … Continue reading Making A Case For Eavesdropping

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, My Friends, The Early DaysLeave a comment

I Would Be Considered Dink’s Stalker In Today’s Terms

lewisotr

Dink McDuff was one of my best friends in my earliest days in the contracting business. I had know him since about 1963 or 64. He and my Dad had worked for the same company, doing underground utility construction. I thought he was the funniest person I’d ever met. Being about 12 years old upon our first encounter, it didn’t take much to impress me. After going into business at 19 years old our paths crossed and it didn’t take long for us to have some sort of a partnership. It wasn’t an enduring sort of deal, so within a … Continue reading I Would Be Considered Dink’s Stalker In Today’s Terms

Amazing Things, On The Job, The Construction Biz, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Check Washer

lewisotr

Years ago, maybe 1977 or 78 a fellow showed up in our office selling portable check embossing machines. Those are the ones that punched a series of tiny perforations in the amount line of the check, to make it less likely to be forged. As part of his sales pitch he had us write out a check and within 3 minutes he had put a solution on the check and washed all the ink off. He left our signature on it by taping over it before the washing started. Then he made it out to himself with a million dollars … Continue reading The Check Washer

Amazing Things, Grandchildren, Thoughts and Musings4 Comments

If you want something badly enough, can you make it happen?

lewisotr

Is it possible for a person to want something enough that they can make it come true ? My case in point; My grandson Will loves basketball more than almost anything. He knows that being tall will make him a better basketball player. He comes from a family of not extremely tall people, on either side. But now as he starts his sophomore year in high school he is 6’-2” tall and it doesn’t appear he’ll stop growing anytime soon. So is there a special force at work? I guess we’ll just have to stand back and watch what happens. … Continue reading If you want something badly enough, can you make it happen?