Category: Funny Happenings

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, My Friends, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Pete and the Boulder Busters

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Times have changed a lot in the 50 years that I’ve been in the construction business. The only economical way to excavate rock for installing underground utilities in the first 10 years was blasting with dynamite. It tapered off over the next decades to where that method is rarely even used today. We blasted up and down streets in very congested areas. In my first 4 or 5 years there wasn’t even a city permit required in Austin to transport and use explosives. Anyone dealing with the City of Austin now, would find that hard to believe. Now you need … Continue reading Pete and the Boulder Busters

Amazing Things, Funny Happenings, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

It’s an all new experience for us.

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Last week Madeline and I purchased our first motorhome in a very long time. So we left on our maiden voyage a couple of days ago. This coach is small enough that she feels comfortable driving it, but roomy enough that we can move around within with ease. We were intending to leave out Sunday morning but Saturday afternoon we looked at each other and said let’s do this, so we headed south. Our reservation in Port A wasn’t until Monday, so we knew we’d stop along the way. Madeline introduced me to something new. Boondocking. I got a Boondocking … Continue reading It’s an all new experience for us.

Aging, Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, No Place Like Bertram, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

My Love For Donkeys

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This was originally written in the early days of The Angora Chronicles, with the times freshened up for this time period. In about 1959 I got Tar Baby. He was a fine specimen. Kenny always had good horses, but I preferred riding Tar Baby. He was given to me by my Grandmother Leona’s brother, Uncle Ed Purcell. I rode him in many rodeo parades and just for a leisurely ride. I usually wasn’t in a hurry and neither was Tar Baby. When it came time to help gather cattle or goats, I’d have to mount up on a horse. Otherwise … Continue reading My Love For Donkeys

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

Harold & Catherine

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Harold and Catherine were some of the first people that moved in at Smithwick Mills, the subdivision my dad had built from our old home place. They had spent most, if not all of their long married life in Houston. With the crime and meanness going on, they felt Smithwick calling. They became very good friends to my parents. In the later part of the 1970s Kenny and I had contracted some work up on Mormon Mill Road, in Marble Falls, installing water and wastewater lines for a development that Mike O’Connor was building. It required a lot of blasting … Continue reading Harold & Catherine

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Styrofoam Cup Incident

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Back in 1977 I was finishing up a project out west of Houston and had another one going down in Crystal City, Texas. I spent a while on the Houston job that morning lining out the guys there. Paul was the one I was leaving in charge. We drank several cups of coffee. I pulled out about mid morning for south Texas, a good long 5 hour drive. It started to rain and it was a cold wintery day. I got over onto I-10 and was heading to San Antonio. Somewhere along the way it occurred to me in a … Continue reading The Styrofoam Cup Incident

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, On The Job, The Construction Biz3 Comments

Glenn and the Hat

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If you grew up in Marble Falls, you knew Glenn. If you ever passed through Marble Falls you may have encountered Glenn Lewis. His was a real cowboy, doing ranch work most of his life. You always hear it said, that ol boy was born a hundred years too late. In Glenn’s case, there was never a truer cliché ever used. He was rugged, both inside and out. As a young man you would seldom see him that he wasn’t riding a horse or didn’t have one in a trailer behind an old pickup. He was 5 years older than … Continue reading Glenn and the Hat

Funny Happenings, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

A Good Laugh Will Take You A Long Way

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We are moving on down the road again this morning. As we headed out, with Madeline behind the wheel, I almost immediately started complaining about the seat in this thing. I actually blamed her for turning all these knobs on the side that adjust the lumbar and the hardness in the seat bottom. I cranked them both ways, belly aching the whole time. Mind you I wasn’t coming down too hard on her because I fiddle around with things constantly, so I had in the back of my mind that I could be the culprit. “It’s like sitting over here … Continue reading A Good Laugh Will Take You A Long Way

Funny Happenings, Kenny Lewis, The Early Days4 Comments

Going Boating

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Kenny was away serving in the Army, so when he would come home, we spent as much time together as we could. He got home this one time and I had just purchased a Chrysler 17′ fiberglass boat, light yellow, with a 55 HP Chrysler outboard motor. (Yes there was a time that Chrysler got in the boat business – not a real successful venture) It was used, but just gently so. Not a real powerful boat but it would cruise up and down the lake. Gasoline was well south of $.50 per gallon back then. (For those unfamiliar with … Continue reading Going Boating

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.

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Thoughts and Musings3 Comments

Help Me, I Think I’m Having A Heart Attack

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It’s beyond annoying, the number of calls I’ve gotten recently. I had a call blocker on my phone that weeded out all unknown numbers. But for the past few days I turned that feature off. I’ve been trying to schedule appointments with my spine surgeon, MRI, and pain management doctors and didn’t want to miss any calls. I think on average my phone rings 2 dozen times a day and on the other end will be someone lacking a complete ability to speak English. My name is evidently very difficult for these people to pronounce. Once I hear them I … Continue reading Help Me, I Think I’m Having A Heart Attack