Category: In and Around Austin

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

Construction, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, On The Job, The Early Days2 Comments

A Case of Limestone Poisoning ?

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Sometime in 1973 we were doing a project for the new I-35 expansion in downtown Austin. It was a crazy, difficult project with old pipes running underground every which way. We had one place that we were excavating about 40 deep and then bored underneath I-35 for about 250 feet to run a new wastewater line. In those days the road bores were done where water was mixed with the limestone rock cuttings that were being excavated. It was called Wet Bore Method as opposed to now most all road bores are done using the Dry Bore Method. Wet Boring … Continue reading A Case of Limestone Poisoning ?

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

MQ Scott and the Hog Buyer

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I had only limited contact with MQ Scott 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 … Continue reading MQ Scott and the Hog Buyer

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, On The JobLeave a comment

Replacing The Old Brackenridge Apartments On Lake Austin Blvd.

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Sometime in the earlier part in the mid 1980’s, I contracted to run the underground utilities (water, wastewater & drainage) for the New Brackenridge Apartments that were being built. The project involved the tearing down of the old wooden buildings that had far outlived their normal life. Then the site was prepared and prefabbed concrete modules built by the HB Zachery Company In San Antonio were brought in and stacked together like toy building blocks. It was a new building concept. The Zachery Company had just finished building the Palacio Del Rio, a high rise hotel on the San Antonio … Continue reading Replacing The Old Brackenridge Apartments On Lake Austin Blvd.

In and Around Austin, UncategorizedLeave a comment

How Different Things Were In 1960 In Austin

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A while back on another group I’m on, we were commenting about Bruce’s & Barnett’s Fried Pies made me think about the other things that were happening around Austin around that same time. It made me realize how simple our lives were almost six decades ago. The selections of eateries was really limited, but people didn’t eat out very often. Eating out was a special occasion instead of a way of life. My first memory of eating in a real restaurant was when I was 6 or 7. We were traveling home to Jollyville and it was getting late so … Continue reading How Different Things Were In 1960 In Austin

In and Around Austin, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Charlie’s Hamburgers

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There was a place on the western side of Houston. More than 40 years ago I started going there, when I was working near there. It was an old house, that was converted into an antique store that served up burgers. My oh my, those were the best burgers I ever ate. I would seldom would go to Houston, without going there. I almost planned my trips to Houston around a stop by Charlie’s Hamburger Joint. I would often think, why don’t they franchise this place. Lo and behold one day in the mid 80’s I looked up and saw … Continue reading Charlie’s Hamburgers

In and Around Austin2 Comments

Remembering The Early Days Of Television In Austin

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In Austin channel 7 (KTBC) was it for several years. They were the official CBS affiliate, but they showed certain programs from NBC, DuMont and ABC. The following from Wikipedia Primary Programing: CBS (1952–1995) Secondary Programming: DuMont (1952–1956) NBC (1952–1966) ABC (1952–1971) Everything was pretty well off the air after 12:30 or 1:00 AM coming back on around 5:30 AM. The Second Station To Sign On: In 1962 PBS was first aired in Austin with the call letters KLRN. It was a collaboration between Austin and San Antonio, and was shown on channel 9. It broke away from the San Antonio PBS affiliation in … Continue reading Remembering The Early Days Of Television In Austin

In and Around AustinLeave a comment

ROBERTA CRENSHAW

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I became acquainted with this lady by owning land that adjoined property she owned in south Austin. Her obituary tells her life story far better than I can. She truly was a remarkable lady. The things she did will leave a mark of beauty on Austin for an eternity. Civic pioneer Roberta Crenshaw dies at 90 Parks activist fought to keep Town Lake serene. By Dick Stanley AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Wednesday, February 09, 2005 Lady Bird Johnson often gets the credit for Town Lake’s beauty and its popular hike-and-bike trail, but when she was praised for that, Mrs. Johnson used to … Continue reading ROBERTA CRENSHAW

In and Around AustinLeave a comment

Holt Caterpillar Tractor Co.

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Anyone remember Holt Caterpillar Tractor being on South Lamar, between the River and Barton Springs Road. I think the whole business was on one or two city blocks. Now that property is covered with condo’s and shops. They have come a long ways from those humble beginnings. This facility opened sometime in the early 1970s out on I-35, just south of Slaughter Lane. There is a smaller location in Pflugerville, that was built in the 1990s. Now they are having a grand opening in a few days for another huge facility in Georgetown. Continue reading Holt Caterpillar Tractor Co.

Amazing Things, In and Around AustinLeave a comment

A Really Fast Food Joint

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Anyone remember when they built the new hamburger place on William Cannon at Manchaca Road. It was a GW Jr’s. They started and worked around the clock to have it in operation in 24 hours and they did it. It was an attempt to set a record for the fastest fast food place to be built. They wanted to break a Guinness Book of World Records. Mostly a public relations stunt. Seemed to have worked. Forty years later and we are talking about it. It was in August 9, 1979. How do I remember the date, you may ask. We … Continue reading A Really Fast Food Joint