Category: Crazy Times

Construction, Crazy Times, On The JobLeave a comment

The Martin’s – Dirt Men All The Way

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Uncle Bob Martin worked for me a couple of times in the 70’s. He was slow and steady but was accomplishing something with every motion. Cousin Butch Martin worked for me several times. We was the opposite of his Dad. He was fast and all over everything, but man could he move dirt. You just always knew it wouldn’t last long, before he’d twist off and not show up. Each time I’d swear that was the last. But he had an uncanny way of arriving when you most needed someone in the seat of that dozer, so I’d put him … Continue reading The Martin’s – Dirt Men All The Way

Construction, Crazy Times, The Early DaysLeave a comment

It Was A Sign Of The Times

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Back in 1976 we headed off to Houston to build a project out off of Highway 6 between I-10 and 290. A new housing development. We installed the utilities (water, wastewater and storm sewers) while a company from Houston built the streets and did the grading for the project. This company was new to that type of work, as their primary business had been building and maintaining railroads. It may have been their first venture into subdivisions. They were really a bunch of nice guys that were easy to get along with. Something I can’t say for all companies we … Continue reading It Was A Sign Of The Times

Crazy Times, On The Job2 Comments

Capitol National Bank, Winfield and Me

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Back when my friend Winfield, the CPA, worked for me we were being courted by one of the big downtown Austin banks. Emory Thompson was the pitch man for The Capitol National Bank that would come by and try to get us bring our business to them. I knew him, his family had owned a big tire business that had sold and he went from being a tire salesman to being a money salesman. We had been doing business with a small local bank in north Austin, aptly named North Austin State Bank. They had done everything I’d ever wanted … Continue reading Capitol National Bank, Winfield and Me

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

We Did Things Much Differently Back Then

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I grew up around construction equipment and trucks. In the 60s when I was in high school, my dad, Cecil Lewis ran a fleet of dump trucks. Among other things we had the contract to haul the blasted rock from the Pure Stone Quarry out south of Marble Falls back to the crusher in town. Even as young and as small as I was at 14 or 15, I would single-handedly pull transmissions and replace clutches in those old dump trucks and did brake jobs. I knew how to do all that then. For sure, there was always a lot … Continue reading We Did Things Much Differently Back Then

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

Cec’s Pry Bar

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(This was written by Kenny Lewis) Ronnie and I had our share of mishaps growing up and for that reason, were known by the men of the community as being rather reckless. Among those men was one of Dad’s closest friends, Brown Parker. He always said that “Cec could have been a millionaire had he knocked the two of us in the head when we were pups”. Daddy owned a pry bar that had previously been a truck axle. It was at least six feet long and 1 ½” in diameter. Brown always swore that it was the only thing … Continue reading Cec’s Pry Bar

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, In and Around AustinLeave a comment

The Drunk Lady and a Strange Coincidence

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When I was young, maybe 8 or 9 we lived at Jollyville. One Sunday night my Mom, Dad, Kenny and Me, left our Grannie Ruby’s house late in the evening. As we were heading, up Burnet Road, there was a car driving very erratically. Suddenly it ran up over a curb and came to a sudden stop. Our Dad, Cecil, got out to go check. It was a well to do lady in a very nice car than was extremely intoxicated. She was in no shape to drive. He agreed to drive her home. It was only a few blocks … Continue reading The Drunk Lady and a Strange Coincidence

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

MQ and the Hog Buyer

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I had only limited contact with MQ when I was a kid. I went to school with his son Winfield, but I was like many other Burnet County people, that just didn’t go around him. The first time I remember seeing MQ was during a hog buying episode when he bought a pen full of hogs from Brown Parker. Brown was my dads best friend and kept hogs at our place, down at the old place where my grandparents had once lived. MQ was a major hog raiser back in the 60s and 70s. While trying to load out the … Continue reading MQ and the Hog Buyer

Crazy TimesLeave a comment

Who remembers the name William Lee Bergstrom ? He was commonly known as The Suitcase Man or The Phantom Gambler.

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Back in the high flying prosperous years of the 80s, me and several fellow contractors had a great propensity to head to Vegas a way to often. So when the William Lee Bergstrom situation came about, I was right in the middle of watching and reading about it unfolding. Following is the Wikipedia version of what transpired: Bergstrom was born in Austin, Texas and attended Austin High School graduating in 1969. He attended UT, but dropped out in 1974. His brother Alan Bergstrom described their childhood as marred. Their parents were divorced and Bill constantly desired the respect and affection … Continue reading Who remembers the name William Lee Bergstrom ? He was commonly known as The Suitcase Man or The Phantom Gambler.

Construction, Crazy Times, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Watch Out What You Say, You Never Know When It Will Come Back And Bite You In The Rear End

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One time we laid a 48″ waterline up through a neighborhood in Northwest Austin, a real high dollar part of town called Cat Mountain. Our line started at RM 2222 and continued to the top of the mountain on Mt. Bonnell Blvd and various other streets to reach its terminus. Mt. Bonnell – Cat Mountain Project It was really a picture perfect project that kept us busy for most of a year. When we reach the termination point on that job, another contractor, a competitor, was picking up where we left off. This competitor was a friendly one. We had … Continue reading Watch Out What You Say, You Never Know When It Will Come Back And Bite You In The Rear End

Crazy Times, On The Job, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Fire

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Madeline was going through a bunch of old stuff in her cedar chest a while back and she ran across this newspaper clipping of a piece of construction equipment we had one time that caught fire. I wrote a story about this incident long ago. In fact it is even in The Angora Chronicles book. Just don’t want anyone thinking I exaggerated the “degree” to which the fire was. This photo shows it so well. The Story About The Fire: Ruby Waggoner was my dad’s mother. She and my grandfather had divorced when Cecil was very young. He was raised … Continue reading The Fire