Category: Crazy Times

Construction, Crazy Times, The Construction BizLeave a comment

Just One More Accident

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I had a new gold and beige colored crew cab Chevrolet. It was a beautiful truck. It had everything imaginable on it. This was in the mid 1980s. It still had paper tags on it. I pulled up in front and center at Holt Caterpillar in Austin one morning. Just as I reached the front door I heard a crash. I looked around to see a one ton welders truck had backed into the drivers door. As I got closer I saw that he had a pair of fork lift forks on the bed of his truck. They extended over … Continue reading Just One More Accident

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., Old Dog - New Trick, The Construction Biz2 Comments

Eating Foods You Hate

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When I was about 13 years old, on a hot summer day Cec took me to a John Deere Front End Loader on the top of Taylor Mountain, as we always called it. From up there you could see Marble Falls, because you were up there looking down across the town. It was far into the distance. I was clearing off brush on several lots and then leveling them up for future house site. It was early in the morning when he dropped me and I didn’t think about taking a jug of water. When noon rolled around I had … Continue reading Eating Foods You Hate

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, SmithwickLeave a comment

Ride With Me To Austin And I’ll Take You Back To Smithwick Tomorrow

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Once Kenny and I were fooling around doing God only knows what one Saturday in Smithwick. I was living in Austin and Kenny was at a “flexible stage” in his life. I’m referring to when he was blowing in the wind, unattached. At some point something happened and it became necessary for us to go Austin. He wanted to go get his pickup, but knowing it was going to take up valuable time, I said “come on and ride with me and I can drive you back up to Smithwick tomorrow”. He agreed and we spent the night at my … Continue reading Ride With Me To Austin And I’ll Take You Back To Smithwick Tomorrow

Amazing Things, Construction, Crazy Times, On The Job, The Construction BizLeave a comment

The Day The Dollar General Truck Caused Chaos

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Once when we were working on the Inks Dam anchoring project there were many obstacles to overcome everyday. There was one day when the stars aligned and it appeared we would have a banner day of pouring concrete. We ordered up 2 huge concrete pump trucks that were capable of sending concrete all the way across the length of the dam. They came out of San Antonio, at a hefty price for mobilization. We had a huge team of finishers that we had hired out of Austin to help place and finish the concrete. The concrete was batched out of … Continue reading The Day The Dollar General Truck Caused Chaos

Crazy Times, The Early Days2 Comments

The Lemon Wedge

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Some of the simple things that happen in life prove to be the most memorable.. The Country Road Restaurant was a good place to eat lunch. You’d go through the line and fill your plate. We ate there often, as it was close to our office. One day our accountant Woody, Kenny and I went there. A fellow sitting across the dining room from us was drinking tea from one of the large mouth ice tea glasses. It had a lemon wedge on the lip of the glass. This fellow continued wearing his cap, with it pulled down low on … Continue reading The Lemon Wedge

Amazing Things, Crazy Times2 Comments

Lewis I Thought You Cheated

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This is another strange happening, like many other things in my life, that sure wasn’t scripted. I just happened. It was in my Sophomore year. We were still in the old building at Marble Falls and didn’t move to the new high school until midterm of that year. The teacher was Mr. Blanton. The subject was geometry. Since I seldom paid any attention to what was happening as it concerned the learning aspect of school, I became bogged down in that class in a hurry. I believe it was our first test of the year. As was my way of … Continue reading Lewis I Thought You Cheated

Another Daily Happening, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, SmithwickLeave a comment

Cec And The CB Radio Craze

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Back in the early 1970s CB Radios were the biggest thing going. No one got into CB’s more than Cecil Lewis. It didn’t matter what it took in the way of equipment to have the latest and greatest he would buy it. He was on a buying frenzy like I had never seen Cec go on before. He was a mostly a very frugal person. Not stingy at all. He would give a stranger anything he had and a friend, well the sky was the limit. But the CB Age saw him putting up a tall tower at his house. … Continue reading Cec And The CB Radio Craze

Construction, Crazy Times, On The Job, The Construction BizLeave a comment

My Dallas Hotel Room For The Night

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It was about this time a year in 1988. There were several of us in the underground utility business from Texas that belonged to an Association of Utility Contractors would meet in Washington DC in June. Among other things we would attend a Congressional Breakfast. It was a time where you could eat and visit with various politicians from around the country and let them know what we needed them to be working on. I was the Texas Chapter President for a couple of years, so it was a big deal to go to Washington DC. I had business in … Continue reading My Dallas Hotel Room For The Night

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, Smithwick, The Early Days2 Comments

Road Hunting; In The Middle Of The Day !

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As boys growing up in Smithwick, we always had venison in the freezer. In order to do that we had to take advantage of every opportunity to shoot a deer. We had been working down around Jonestown and we’re headed home. When we got to the top of the hill just before getting to Turkey Bend, Kenny looked out across a clearing and saw a nice fat doe and threw on the brakes. We always had a deer rifle in a gun rack behind the seat in those days. He learned across me and made a clean shot out of … Continue reading Road Hunting; In The Middle Of The Day !

Crazy Times, Meeting New People, Smithwick, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

You Can Take The Boy Out Of The Country, But………

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I was down at Turkey Bend one time visiting all the old Hall women as they were referred to. This consisted of sisters, Mabel Hall Wilson, Earlie Hall Croft, Mamie Hall Franck, and their sister in law Libby Hall. They all lived there in one little wad, so when you went to visit one, you just about needed to make an afternoon of it, but it was always a pleasure to do so. I always called them Aunt, not because they were my aunts, but out of respect. I’m not sure why that was respectful, but it was. I know … Continue reading You Can Take The Boy Out Of The Country, But………