Category: Crazy Times

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Princess Mobile Phones

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Back in the early 70s there was a fellow that started a new mobile phone service operating out of Austin. It was a far cheaper option than Southwestern Bell had at that time. That service could run into hundreds of dollars per month. I believe it cost “X” amount per call placed plus something like 50¢ per minute. Some high rollers would actually spend over a $1,000 per month, but it was the cost of doing business. Larry Bird with Capital Communications, the new guy, tapped into some new technology which allowed for a fairly small radio box to be … Continue reading The Princess Mobile Phones

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Machine That Developed A Mind Of Its Own

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Back in 1973, we were doing a project out in the Northwest Hills Area of Austin. We had just acquired a new C14 Hein Werner Excavator, much like the one below. To make it travel the 2 shorter levers (with the black grips) in the picture below would be pushed forward or back depending on the direction you wanted to travel. Of course only pushing or pulling one lever would cause the machine to turn. If you were traveling for a far distance they could be snapped in, so you didn’t have to hold them. At the end of the … Continue reading The Machine That Developed A Mind Of Its Own

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Wilson’s Story

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Wilson was a child born probably in the early 1960s. There were siblings I remember hearing, but I’m unsure how they faired in life. Wilson ended up at the Austin State School. A ward of the state. My Granny Ruby worked there for many years in 60s and 70s and maybe even a little in the early 80s. She took a special interest in Wilson. No one every came to see him, so see took him under her wing. It was easy to tell that Wilson never really developed physically or mentally, but he had a sweet disposition about him. … Continue reading Wilson’s Story

Crazy Times, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., The Early DaysLeave a comment

My Wife Always Tells Me To Pace Myself

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(The following story was written in November 2014, when The Angora Chronicles was but a few months old) 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 whole life time. If I had … Continue reading My Wife Always Tells Me To Pace Myself

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, The Early DaysLeave a comment

$$$$The Day The Lewis Brothers Became A Little Intimidated

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I’ve been searching for the right way to tell this story and there just doesn’t seem like a real right way. While spending time a while back with Kenny, he asked if I’d ever gotten around to telling it. So here goes. One day while driving through Marble Falls, we encountered 2 very big, very black, very tough looking fellows in their 1960s something Cadillac Pimpmobile. We were at the red light at US 281 and FM 1431. This was about 1969 or 1970. Kenny and I have differing memories when it comes to how this all began, but the … Continue reading $$$$The Day The Lewis Brothers Became A Little Intimidated

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, On The Job, The Early Days2 Comments

$$$$I Could Never Pass Up Tools Laying In The Road

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It always amazes me how often I used to find tools, like wrenches, hammers, screw drivers and the like laying on the road when I was traveling so much. I always accused my careless mechanic Paul of being the one that lost most of them. Almost any day I could drive out of the yard and find something Paul had left laying under the hood or on the bumper that would fall off. Of course he wasn’t too worried about it as long as I had charge accounts at all the parts houses in Austin. Perhaps Paul’s carelessness fed my … Continue reading $$$$I Could Never Pass Up Tools Laying In The Road

Construction, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Pipe Bursting Experiment

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Back in the 1980s I was contacted by the owner of an apartment complex over in “Apartment City”, the area along Riverside Drive east of I-35 in Austin. The city was requiring them to upsize the wastewater, as it wasn’t adequately handling the amount of flows that the apartment was generating. Evidently a few years before, when the project was built there had been a sizing miscalculation. With it being a nice property with beautifully landscaped yards they wanted the disruption to be held to a minimum. I made some phone calls and found a company in Louisiana that was … Continue reading The Pipe Bursting Experiment

Crazy Times, On The JobLeave a comment

An Unfortunate Situation

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It was not long after I graduated high school that Cecil, my dad, hired on one of his trucks to haul equipment with an old Austin trucking firm. I was the driver that went with the truck. Charlie Evans had spent many years in the heavy haul business in Austin and branched out and opened up a second yard down in San Antonio. Business was expected to be pretty good there so I ended up being based out of that yard, which was on the east side out on I-10, near WW White Blvd. I stayed in a fairly dated … Continue reading An Unfortunate Situation

Crazy Times, Meeting New PeopleLeave a comment

Checking Out People As A Hobby

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I don’t know why, but I’ve always been nosey. I like to find out everything I can about everybody I ever run across. Well almost everyone, but don’t worry I doubt I’ve checked out any of my Angora Friends. Since the beginning of the Internet I have found many ways to obtain sketchy and useful information on people. I even subscribed to several paid services. It has been a good and worthwhile hobby, finding long lost friends for people and rounding up names for class reunions and such as that. In the early days of the Internet it was easier … Continue reading Checking Out People As A Hobby

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Meeting New People, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Have You Ever Gotten A Business Proposition That Sounded Like A Scam? Of Course You Have.

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Below is an email proposal that I once received and then my response. For some reason Andrew never contacted me again. “The Proposal”Dear Ronnie Lewis, (Lewis Contractors)My Name is Andrew Dunlop and I work for a company based here in Canada. I have a business proposal which will benefit both of us. I will give you a brief overview on the proposal. I request that you act as an intermediary agent/supplier to my company. In so doing, this will yield high dividends for both of us. However, I need your co-operation to make this business opportunity a success. My company … Continue reading Have You Ever Gotten A Business Proposition That Sounded Like A Scam? Of Course You Have.