Category: Cecil Lewis

Another Daily Happening, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Cecil Lewis Let A Blast Get Away From Him

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Back in 1967 there was an old service station in Burnet at US 281 and League St. The owner decided to replace the old gas tanks with new larger ones. After they had removed the old tanks it was discovered that some rock would need to be blasted so the hole would become large enough for the new tanks. Cec (the name that Kenny and I called him by – short for Cecil) was contacted about coming up to Burnet to drill & shoot the the rock. (Shoot the rock means to dynamite it) He headed out to do that … Continue reading Cecil Lewis Let A Blast Get Away From Him

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Kenny LewisLeave a comment

The Andice BBQ(As told by Kenny Lewis)

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THIS IS A STORY I’VE STARTED TO TELL SEVERAL TIMES, BUT REALLY THOUGHT KENNY COULD DO MORE JUSTICE TO IT SINCE HE WAS THERE. It has been noted previously that Cec was one of the toughest men I ever knew. He had a threshold for pain like no other. In the winter of 1986 it was predicted to fall below freezing and stay that way for several days. I had just built a new house between Georgetown and Andice. I suggested to he and mom that they close everything up at Smithwick and come stay with us for a few … Continue reading The Andice BBQ(As told by Kenny Lewis)

Aging, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, My Friends, Smithwick, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

George and the Misunderstanding

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One day back in the late 1970s Cecil, our dad, called and asked if we could do a favor for George. George is Smithwick’s own George Despain. They both knew we did a lot business with Holt Caterpillar. “Would we put a set of dozer tracks on our account, so George could get the best deal possible”? George would give Cec a check for the bill. We readily agreed to it. Wasn’t any skin off of us. George got his tracks all was great. Kenny nor I gave it much thought, figuring that Cec gave the check to the other … Continue reading George and the Misunderstanding

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

Cec Got Caught In A Tight Place

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Cec bought a 1960 Ford Falcon when they first came out. He drove the heck out of that little ol car. It eventually became Bonnie Gay’s car after he got the new worn off of it. These were the days when we lived in Jollyville area but would come to Smithwick every weekend to take care of the place and see too the animals. The Falcon developed a bumping sound up in the front end. He could see a shock absorber was loose. He got the bumper jack out, one of the tall stand type jacks that were just waiting … Continue reading Cec Got Caught In A Tight Place

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

Back When Our Dad Would Light Into Both Of Us, Just To Be Sure All Bases Were Covered

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Back in our early school years down at Jollyville, we rode the bus back and forth to school. A family, The Koepecke’s, had moved in not too far out of Jollyville. It was a place that is now part of the Balcones Country Club. This family were poor, you could tell. Kind of looked like they came in there straight out of the Grapes of Wrath movie. We got home from getting off the bus one afternoon and headed straight for the horse pen. About then the Koepecke’s old rattle trap station wagon came up the driveway. Kenny and I … Continue reading Back When Our Dad Would Light Into Both Of Us, Just To Be Sure All Bases Were Covered

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Sailfish

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Madeline and I had traveled to Acapulco, Mexico for a getaway in the late 1970’s. It was enjoyable and we wanted to go back. So we convinced my parents, Bonnie and Cecil, to go with us. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. One never knew how well Cecil Lewis would travel and adapt to various situations away from Smithwick. Once we got there we wanted to make the most of the trip and do something memorable for them. We lined up a parasailing ride for Bonnie Gay. She was extremely proud that she had tried it. Madeline took pictures, … Continue reading The Sailfish

Amazing Things, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Reflecting Back On Cecil Lewis

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This is something I wrote about my Dad, Cecil Lewis, not long after The Angora Chronicles was inaugurated. While Cecil Lewis wasn’t a perfect man, he did something for Kenny and Me both. He taught us about hard work and keeping to our word. If a man is paying you, then give him a days worth of work. If you tell a man something, you damn well better stick to your word. Those lessons were never forgotten. He gave us every opportunity to learn how to operate every kind of machine there was. He taught us how to work on … Continue reading Reflecting Back On Cecil Lewis

Another Daily Happening, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The GMC Toro-Flow

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Back in about 1967 Cecil Lewis, my dad, went off somewhere, probably Austin or San Antonio and bought a 1964 GMC truck. That GMC had perhaps the weakest engine ever put in a truck. It was a single axle with a winch that he paired up with a single axle float type trailer that he had recently purchased. Now here’s the deal, that float trailer was an oil field float. You knew that because it had a rolling tail bar on it and it was built extra heavy duty. Anything going into the oil field needed to be built strong. … Continue reading The GMC Toro-Flow

Cecil Lewis, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

My Old Daddy Saved Me From Myself

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I was fresh out of high school in1970. I knew I wanted to drive a truck, and felt I’d be better suited driving for myself, rather than hiring on to drive for someone else. Cecil Lewis knew trucks. By that time he had owned a bunch of them, every type you could ever think of. We went to Austin pretty regularly, with many of the trips ending up over at Searcey GMC just south of Ben White Blvd on I-35. There was a new cabover GMC Astro Truck/Tractor sitting out front. It really looked good to me. The price seemed … Continue reading My Old Daddy Saved Me From Myself

Aging, Amazing Things, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, My Family, Thoughts and Musings3 Comments

My Ol’ Daddy Didn’t Live A Good Clean Life

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No apologies for that, as I can almost guarantee you what he would have said if someone offered their opinion on the matter. He smoked his whole life from about age 9. He drank heavily except for about a decade and half, which was from when I was born until I became a teenager. But before that time he was hell on wheels and after that time he became legendary around Smithwick and beyond. Cecil Lewis lived his life throwing caution to the wind. He didn’t spend a lot of his time contemplating his next move. He just got a … Continue reading My Ol’ Daddy Didn’t Live A Good Clean Life