Ronald “Ronnie” Gene Lewis – Sophomore Class Favorite

Marble Falls High School – 1967/1968 I had no idea what the quote below the photo meant, so I looked it up. Here is the full poem. Now, I still don’t know what it means, but I never did really understand poetry. https://www.facebook.com/groups/729839877052650/permalink/773138669389437/ Continue reading Ronald “Ronnie” Gene Lewis – Sophomore Class Favorite

Kow Bell Arena

Mansfield, Texas For 45 years (1959-2004) the Kow Bell was the place to go for an indoor rodeo. There was something going on there almost every night. When in the early 1990s we were living in Waxahachie our 2 older sons, Matt & Mike rode for the high school rodeo club there. They participated all around north Texas against other young fellows riding rough stock. Matt rode bulls, while Mike rode bareback horses. For practice they would go to Kow Bell and for $10 they and several of their buddies would ride on certain nights. It is a place of … Continue reading Kow Bell Arena

The Sound of Hoof-Beats

I was the kind of kid that wanted to ride a donkey while everyone else rode horses. Tar Baby was an average donkey to most but he was my pride and joy. We rode in rodeo parades with me dressed as a clown. Tar Baby & Me Kenny, my older bother was quite the horseman. He lived to break and train horses. I was made to help with the horse breaking, but it was something that I could have done without. By the time I was 7 or 8 years old our spending money came from working with Shetland Ponies. … Continue reading The Sound of Hoof-Beats

Going To The Texas Prison Rodeo

I only have one clear memory of attending the Huntsville Prison Rodeo. It was in the early 60s. I was no more than 10 years old. Our family of four went down there. The rodeo was pretty entertaining. Many of the inmates rode like they didn’t care what happened to them. I guess you’d say they rode with reckless abandon. Candy Barr was the featured entertainment. She was serving a sentence in the Huntsville Women’s Prison at the time. I guess I wasn’t sure what a stripper was at that time. I think she sang rather than taking off her … Continue reading Going To The Texas Prison Rodeo

The Texas Prison Rodeo

The Texas Prison Rodeo At Huntsville was a favorite of many from 1931 until 1986 when it was discontinued. A good article by Jesse Sublett – April 2012 for Texas Monthly Magazine Prison Rodeo Gone, but Not Forgotten Another piece of Texas history was razed in mid-January when bulldozers unceremoniously demolished the prison rodeo arena in Huntsville, but the memory of the event rides on. With barely a peep from preservationists, another piece of Texas history was razed in mid-January as bulldozers unceremoniously demolished the prison rodeo arena in Huntsville. The brick-and-concrete building, which hadn’t held a prison rodeo since … Continue reading The Texas Prison Rodeo

“AUSTIN FOLKS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT”

Austin StatesmanJuly, 2007 COMAL COUNTY – Collision involved naked couple Investigators think that alcohol was a factor in a head-on collision in Comal County on July 18 in which two victims were pulled from their car naked. “The only thing they had on was the radio . . . and their seat belts,” Department of Public Safety Cpl. Rick Alvarez said. On the evening of July 18, xxxx xxxxx Bishop, 25, of Austin was driving north on FM 1102 north of New Braunfels when she went around a curve and swerved into the southbound lane, crashing head-on to a truck … Continue reading “AUSTIN FOLKS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT”

The Mormon Missionaries

I remember how shocking it was. We had lived just a short distance from where it happened just prior to it taking place. It was unthinkable to me that a person could not only kill a couple of young men, but take them into a bandsaw a cut them into little enough pieces that they’d never be seen again. Little did I know that Jeffery Dahmer would be killing and eating people within a year or 2 after that. I know there have been horrendously shocking things going on in this world since the beginning of time, but the Mormon … Continue reading The Mormon Missionaries

Beer Company Sponsorships

Back in the 50s and on into to 60s the various beer companies would hire bands to promote their product. A local Austin band, Jesse James and All The Boys was one that Pearl Beer sponsored. Pearl also had another band, Adolph Hofner and the Pearl Wranglers that was more widely recognized than the James band. I used to hear radio promotions for Adolph Hofner, mostly playing in San Antonio, on up into the 70s. I mention Jesse (William Howard “Jesse”) James because he used to come to our house “On The Creek” just out of Jollyville. He was a … Continue reading Beer Company Sponsorships

The Patience Of Job (like in the Bible)

I’m not professing to be a biblical figure, but always hearing that saying seemed relevant to this odyssey I’ve been on for over four months, while trying to get my sickly truck running. THE STORY I hired a young man to make what I thought was probably a simple and straightforward mechanical repair. But it turned out to be anything but. The last thing I’d ever want to do is harm this young man’s reputation. He seems like a very nice and knowledgeable person. I have told him it’s never my intention to leave a bad review, but it would … Continue reading The Patience Of Job (like in the Bible)

Back When I Used to Go Visit The Gynecologist

Don’t let the title confuse you. I didn’t have a sex change procedure or anything like that. In fact back then, I don’t think I’d ever heard of such a thing. It was about 1986. I had a big project one time in Southwest Austin that took me though the property of a well known Austin doctor of female parts. I guess after what he had been looking at all day, a nice trip out on his farm was something he deserved. He would want me to show him what we were doing and explain how we were we going … Continue reading Back When I Used to Go Visit The Gynecologist