Back in 1973, Donn’s Depot had just opened. In the beginning it was called McNeil Depot, as the building had in an earlier life been the Rail Depot at McNeil, north of Austin. It was located at the northwest corner … Continue reading Dink and Barmaid
Anyone remember this story ? I read it in the Austin Statesman, about a fellow that worked downtown and would drive past Camp Mabry each day. One of the Jets on a pedestal caught his attention after awhile. The tail … Continue reading Jet on a Pedestal @ Camp Mabry
Fallout or Bomb Shelters were both used to describe these underground structures. Talking about the Nike Bases that were built to protect Bergstrom Air Force Base made me think back to the early 60s in Austin. My dad was working for a construction company doing what I’ve spent my lifetime doing, installing underground utilities. The company transitioned into building “private underground bomb shelters” all over Austin. The only one I remember ever seeing built was over in a neighborhood off of Airport Blvd., very near the old Austin Airport.I wonder how many are still intact after all these decades. The … Continue reading Private Fallout Shelters in the 1960s
In 1960 my Dad, Cecil worked as a construction inspector for Marvin Turner Engineering. He was assigned to overseeing the building of two missile launch sites in the Austin area. There were deep underground silos dug into the ground where the Nike Missiles were to be launched from. I’ve read that the launch sites were decommissioned in 1966. I think the program was being scuttled before it really ever got off the ground. There is one off of Bee Caves Rd. The Command Center, for both launch sites, has now become the Bee Caves Armory, is across Bee Cave Road … Continue reading Nike Missile Bases Built To Protect Bergstrom Air Force Base
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 and a Slight Misunderstanding
This was written back in Oct. 2018 and shared on this group. As I attended the funeral of a friend, I reflected back on the first memory I have of this man. John R. Hughes was a young man then. … Continue reading The Sad Facts We Face – Burying Friends
The Lewis Brother’s holding up a couple of large rattlesnakes back in the spring of 1960. We lived “Down on the Creek” as referred to it. That was just above Bull Creek out of Jollyville. The hilliest, rockiest piece of ground you ever tried to walk across. We were riding horses, our enterprise back then was breaking and training shetlands, when we rode up across the hill looking down toward our house. These two snakes were rearing up and wrapping themselves around each other. I’m sure we thought they were fighting, but mostly likely they were romancing. Kenny tore on … Continue reading Rattlers Were Ever-Present
I know I’ve told y’all this story before, but I can’t pull it up. That may be because it was in the comments of another story. Anyway, I don’t have much going on this morning so I’ll just re-tell it. It’s actually worthy of being a story all on its own. Back in the late 1970s I contracted to do the excavation for the Capitol National Bank in downtown Austin. The project called for the removal of approximately 100,000 cubic yards of solid limestone. The excavation was a hole that was a full block square by about 30’ deep. It … Continue reading The Big Loser
I hope I can explain this without it become too technical and going right over your head. But I saw a segment on How It’s Made (it was the next one after watching sanitary napkins being made) about making reinforced concrete pipes. I videoed the TV screen for a short while to give you some idea of what this little story is all about. That clip will be at the bottom of the page. I had a project for the City of Austin one time that was running a 48” wastewater line right beside and back and forth across Onion … Continue reading The Pipes With The Broken Bells
I went in a restaurant, to have coffee and a light breakfast this morning and catch up on some emails I needed to answer. Shortly after sitting down a fellow came in and they seated him facing me in the next booth. Immediately he started talking to me. Mostly nonsense. Trying to be polite, I engaged with him for a couple of minutes. I could tell it was a conversation that was going nowhere. After a bit, he noticed that I was no longer responding to him, his voice level lowered. But he continued will a nonstop dialogue with himself. … Continue reading It wasn’t my intention to be rude.
Angora Chronicles 