Pat’s Saddle

I was visiting with Pat Taylor this morning about making the move from Loving, Texas where he has spend the better part of five decades, back to Burnet County. He mentioned all the stuff you can accumulate in that length of time. He was telling about his many saddles that he has acquired over the years. He mentioned of all the saddles he has the Dee Collier Saddle he got back in 1965 was his all time favorite. I told him that I would check around and see what I could find out about Dee Collier Saddle Maker. Sure enough … Continue reading Pat’s Saddle

My Senior Trip To California

It was a trip that I will always remember. While it was a trip that took place during my senior year, it wasn’t “The Senior Trip“. Our Senior Trip wasn’t quite so exciting or far away. It was an all day trip to San Antonio. Since I was working across the street from the school at Luther-McDuff Chevrolet, Buick and Oldsmobile, I was offered a chance to help get some vehicles out to California. I was in a program that allowed me to get out of school at noon in my senior year and work at the dealership. It was … Continue reading My Senior Trip To California

Beloved

I went to view the wonderful artwork of Akiane at the Beloved Gallery in Marble Falls. This was an amazing experience. If you haven’t seen this art exhibit, make an appointment to go see it. You will be treated to a wonderful guided tour through the Gallery. It starts off with a 18 to 20 minute video that tells the story of Akiane. Afterwards you go at your own pace to view some of this amazing child’s (now a woman) work. The whole thing lasts an hour. If you leave there feeling like you didn’t get your moneys worth let … Continue reading Beloved

It’s been 1 year

Everything changed one year ago. I could no longer write stories about Kenny Lewis, in my most honest voice unless they were telling about his finer virtues. No more poking fun at him, where he would need to defend himself. Not that he would ever join us here on Facebook. But he had surrogates, that kept in informed. Then he would always set the record straight through them, mostly his son Kody. Over the past year I have retold a few stories about things that involved Kenny, but it’s never been the same. Very little is the same. There are … Continue reading It’s been 1 year

Something Strange Occured As I Watched An Episode of 48 Hours

A couple of nights ago I was going through a bunch of saved television true crime shows I had saved. I title caught my eye, so I clicked on it to read a little about it. It had happened in Austin. The name of the episode was The Shootout at the Shaughnessys’. The story took place back in 2018, but I had no recollection of it ever happening. It was about a Jewelry Store and a couple that owned it. I watched a few minutes and a scene flashed up showing the front of the store. Then soon thereafter it … Continue reading Something Strange Occured As I Watched An Episode of 48 Hours

The Race Was On

This is a story of one of the greatest car races ever held in Smithwick. His name was Curtis Brown Parker. Brown Parker was how he was known. Brown was the person my Dad looked up to more, maybe than anyone else. Brown was several years older that Cecil Lewis. I believe that Brown help him become a man in more ways than one in his early days in Smithwick, Texas. However in the 1940s Brown and Eula moved to California, the same as a lot of people did during that period of time. Eula was one of the Turkey … Continue reading The Race Was On

The Queen Isabella Causeway Bridge Collapse

Four days after the horrific 9/11 attacks on this nation, Madeline and I decided to go to South Padre for a few days. I don’t remember if it was planned a way ahead of time or we, like so many, others just needed to go somewhere to reflect on what had just happened. We owned a condo on the beach side, at about the mid point of the island at that time. We found so much serenity in going there, watching the sunrises and mostly enjoyed sitting and reading and hearing the waves constantly rolling in. We had left late … Continue reading The Queen Isabella Causeway Bridge Collapse

The Baby Left In A Basket By The Door

This is a story I will tell from the bits and pieces I’ve gathered up from various sources, including accounts on the internet. It seems there was a Jones family that lived in Oklahoma. W.W. and Mandy Jones were both born in 1874 so they probably had been married for a while by 1914. On the morning of June 1, 1914, they found a newborn baby girl at their door. They took that baby and raised her as their own. This baby was named Laura Mae. Most likely the Jones Family was driven out of Oklahoma by drought and the … Continue reading The Baby Left In A Basket By The Door

Never Assume The Best Mousetrap Has Already Been Invented

Ryan was probably the more studious of the two brothers. Roy was the more sociable. There was a third brother by the name of Ricky. He was in the middle by age and there was a younger sister, Monica. But Ryan and Roy were the two that I was the most familiar with. Ryan was the same age as my oldest son Matt . Roy and my second son Mike were in the same grade. They went to school together for about six years in Dripping Springs. Ryan and Matt were pretty much alike both having more reserved personalities. They … Continue reading Never Assume The Best Mousetrap Has Already Been Invented

A Thanksgiving Feast With Charlie & Minnie

Charlie and Minnie were an old couple I’ve written about a lot over the years. They showed up in Smithwick ready to campout down by the river but ended up staying in the Old House, as we called it. This was where my grandparents, Theron & Leona had lived before his passing, and the house where all the Smithwick Lewis Clan had resided for decades. Minnie wasn’t a tidy housekeeper by anyone’s estimation. I guess living in an old farmhouse without a screen door would make it hard to keep things clean. Especially if you had a strong penchant for … Continue reading A Thanksgiving Feast With Charlie & Minnie