Category: Crazy Times

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, The Jollyville Years5 Comments

My Harvey Penick Story

lewisotr

This really isn’t about Harvey Penick per se, instead involves his daughter. I used his name because it will grab ahold of just about anyone that has ever played the game of golf or has connection to The University of Texas. Mr. Penick owed a ranch down the road from us when Kenny and I were growing up down on the creek out of Jollyville. I think it was his weekend get away, but at the time of this happening his daughter was living there. She had a German Sheppard Dog and a Collie. Us being goat people, we had … Continue reading My Harvey Penick Story

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Kenny LewisLeave a comment

Kenny Lewis was always hard on vehicles

lewisotr

This was the result of a run-in with the bridge across the South San Gabriel River in RM 1869 just out of Liberty Hill, back in 1979. He hit the side of the bridge and flipped and landed about 30 feet below. Remarkably he wasn’t seriously hurt. He did get to spend the night in Brackenridge Hospital. I think he was pretty sore for a few days. A little addendum to this event: He got our mother and dad to pick him up at the crash site, but started feeling bad on the way to Smithwick, so had them turn … Continue reading Kenny Lewis was always hard on vehicles

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis2 Comments

Yee-Haaaaw

lewisotr

In the early days of the Austin Rodeo moving to the new facility at the Travis County Expo Center in the Mid 1980s, Kenny had been very involved and was a “Founder“. A lot of the contractors in town volunteered a lot of time and money to that effort. I was not quite as involved. In fact, I just pretty much rode in on my brother’s coat-tails and enjoyed all the fun of the annual stock show and rodeo. He was very generous with tickets and the like. One night he and I decided to take my 3 older boys … Continue reading Yee-Haaaaw

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

A Sudden Stop

lewisotr

Back in the 70s and early 80s, after Kenny returned from his stint in the Army, he came to work with us. Most of the crazier things that ever happened was during that time period. It was customary that he and I would load up every few days and ride the jobs. We often had eight or ten projects going on, all over the Austin area. One day we met up out on the north end of town and he climbed in with me. I had a new 1980 Buick Riveria. We were driving through a project, The Cliffs Over … Continue reading A Sudden Stop

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, The Early Days1 Comment

Another Rock Blasting Story

lewisotr

During the first 15 years of my contracting career most trenches in rock were blasted, before good productive and dependable rock trenchers were developed. We had one crew that their primary job was drilling and shooting (term we used for blasting) rock. We were building a new subdivision right behind the Bannockburn Baptist Church (it wasn’t there then) on Brodie at McCarty Ln. in the Southwest part of Austin, Texas. All was going real good on that project. Don the crew foreman and our ace blaster was short handed, so he hired an old hippie that happened by. The old … Continue reading Another Rock Blasting Story

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, On The Job, The Construction Biz2 Comments

An Unfortunate Incident While Blasting Rock

lewisotr

Back in 1975 we were putting in wastewater lines to serve newly incorporated areas of Austin that had previously been on septic tanks. This was up in the area around North Lamar between Rutland Dr. & Braker Ln. One of the lines followed a creek that crosses Sagebrush Ln. about a block west of N. Lamar. Just before it reached the next street which was Neans Dr., it came up out of the creek and headed out into the streets as it continued on south. This meant it ran in an easement between two houses. It was a very narrow … Continue reading An Unfortunate Incident While Blasting Rock

Crazy Times, Funny HappeningsLeave a comment

The Break-In

lewisotr

I called her Grannie or Ruby Lee. Either was fine with her. She lived in north central Austin on a short street, just off of Burnet Road, up in the 5500 block. As an adult running around Austin in the construction business if I was anywhere close to her neighborhood I would drop in. That is if I had time to kill. There were no short visits with her. She always had a lot to say. The only thing that would stop most of the talking was when the Price is Right came on. I’ll never know how anyone could … Continue reading The Break-In

Crazy Times, Funny HappeningsLeave a comment

What Works In Texas May Not Work In Other Places

lewisotr

A few years ago several members of the Lewis family traveled to San Diego, California to attend the Marine Recruit Training Graduation of one of our sons. We were staying in a hotel not far from the Marine Base. Some of us walked down to a restaurant a block or so from the hotel to get something to eat. I remember the service not being all that good, especially when it came to paying the bill. Finally I stuck a $100 bill under the check (it was enough to cover the bill and tip) and we left. Most of us … Continue reading What Works In Texas May Not Work In Other Places

Crazy Times, My FriendsLeave a comment

The Legend of Stallion Estates

lewisotr

This is one of those stories that may take longer to tell than many of you have patience for. I’ll try to be as brief as possible, yet still giving you the essence of what happened. About 10 years ago, I needed to see my spine surgeon in San Antonio. Tommy Houy rode along. He remembered that he had recently spoken to a fellow down that way that had an old Plymouth for sale. Anyone that knows Tommy understands about his affinity for anything MOPAR. He found the guys number and called him as we left San Antonio. They arraigned … Continue reading The Legend of Stallion Estates

Construction, Crazy Times, The Construction BizLeave a comment

Just One More Accident

lewisotr

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