Category: In and Around Austin

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

The VW Bus Was Parked In A Bad Spot

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I wasn’t long out of school, probably had just turned 18. One of my first jobs was driving a haul truck for Nelson Lewis, a cousin in the utility business. He had just landed a project in downtown Austin, laying a wastewater line up West Ave. It started down at 7th St and would continue up to about the 24th block on Rio Grande St. Right up in the middle of the University of Texas Campus. The first piece of equipment I hauled to the job was an old White-Oliver Rubber Tired Backhoe. It was a beast, 4 wheel drive … Continue reading The VW Bus Was Parked In A Bad Spot

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction BizLeave a comment

Harold wasn’t known as a man with a stellar reputation

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Sometime in the later 1970s Harold showed up in Austin as an underground utility contractor. There have been a bunch of them that have come and gone in Austin over the past almost 50 years that I’ve been around. But none like Harold, that would cause you to feel like you needed a bath, from just having a conversation with him. Okay that last sentence is a little bit of a lie. There have been several others that gave me that feeling. Harold had a gift of gab and you knew he was a bullshit artist the second he started … Continue reading Harold wasn’t known as a man with a stellar reputation

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

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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

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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, In and Around Austin, The Construction BizLeave a comment

They Made The Mayor Cry

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A long time ago I had a contract with the small city of Sunset Valley, a suburb on the southwest edge of Austin. The contract was to rebuild a crumbling street. When we finished, a condition of getting paid was I had to go to the City Council Meeting where the payment would be approved and they would write me a check right there on the spot. What I didn’t realize was there was a new mayor, a lady, and a couple of new male councilman. I sat through the entire meeting, with the approval of my payment coming at … Continue reading They Made The Mayor Cry

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

The Motorcycle Cop

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I was just a kid, maybe 17 years old. Nelson Lewis had a big Cadillac Sedan and wanted me to take it and drop it off in downtown Austin for him. I was barreling up Trinity Street, a few blocks east of Congress Avenue. Just as I approached 3rd street, there was a motorcycle cop turning from 3rd and was going to head north on Trinity, the same way I was going. I saw him keep edging out in the intersection, like he expected me to stop and let him go ahead of me. I didn’t see any flashing lights, … Continue reading The Motorcycle Cop

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

Then and Now

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I graduated from high school in May 1970. By the fall of 70 I went to work in the underground utility industry. I believe I was earning around $3.00 per hour. Considering the minimum wage back then was $1.60, I was doing pretty well. A top operator was paid $3.75 per hour. By late spring of 1972, I had learned enough about the business, plus what I had picked up being around trucks and machinery my whole life, I subcontracted my first water line installation project in Burnet, Texas. I had a crew of 4 or 5 people including myself. … Continue reading Then and Now

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin2 Comments

The Ice Storm That Completely Paralyzed Austin

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In the early part of 1973, I believe it was January 8th – 10th, it begin to rain and the temperatures dipped into the teens in Austin where we lived, and all around Central Texas. During a two to three day period it was impossible for cars to drive. The vehicles were not equipped for it. The city, county and state governments were ill-prepared to handle those road conditions. Weather forecasting was a hit and miss proposition back in those days, so everyone was caught mostly off guard. Almost everyone was forced to stay right where they were when it … Continue reading The Ice Storm That Completely Paralyzed Austin

In and Around Austin, On The JobLeave a comment

Attorney’s Don’t Always Think Out Their Next Question

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One time years ago we were working beside North Lamar out just north of Rhomberg Lane in north Austin. A few blocks south of our job site 2 cars got together in a pretty bad crash. Attorneys got involved and started suing everyone they could think of. I’m not sure how our name got involved but it did and we were named in the suit. Several months or even years had past when an attorney called me to get a statement. She had almost worn me completely out when I told her that I would send her a map marked … Continue reading Attorney’s Don’t Always Think Out Their Next Question