Olin Sylvester’s Welding Shop

Olin Sylvester had a welding shop on 3rd Street in Marble Falls, just down below the Pool Hall. Olin had remarkable welding skills. Regardless of what we tore up on trucks and machinery, he could stick it back together. He was a hard worker and very steady at his craft. I didn’t know much about about him until it looked it up earlier. His mother was a Kinser. So it appears he had deep roots in Burnet County. I spent a lot of time at that welding shop, taking in pieces, picking them up as well as hanging around waiting … Continue reading Olin Sylvester’s Welding Shop

The Rest Of The Trip To California

After eating the big ole hairy steak in Del Rio, Butch crawled back in the sleeper for some much needed rest. He had been on the road for several days straight. We were in his Cabover Kenworth that was powered by a 335 HP Cummins engine that was turn to something like an additional 100 HP. This truck was equipped with 4 x 4 transmission. Meaning it had 2 – 4 speed transmissions. To shift those transmissions you stuck your left arm through the steering wheel and shifted the front transmission while shifting the back one with your right hand. … Continue reading The Rest Of The Trip To California

Looking at our Lineage

If you are thinking about getting married and you both have deep roots in Burnet County, it’s a good idea to look at your genealogy. You never know who your cousins are. In our case my 5th great grandfather and my wife’s 6th great grandfather were one and the same. Of course this isn’t a new discovery, but it’s the first time I’ve diagrammed it out to this degree. Continue reading Looking at our Lineage

An Interesting Look At Burnet County, Texas

This newly released book about Burnet County is very well researched and written. Well worth the purchase. I was very taken by the one chapter about Will Fish. I had never known about Mr. Fish until a few years ago. While spending time with my good friend Sam Hall he has often referred to his Uncle, Doctor Will Fish. For ever so long I thought he was using that as a metaphor of some sort. When he’d be telling a story about all the fish he caught with his buddies out at Decker Lake, the he’d say “my Uncle, Doctor … Continue reading An Interesting Look At Burnet County, Texas

The Lone Star Beer Wreck On The River Bridge – Marble Falls, Texas – 1968

Anyone remember the wreck on the River Bridge in Marble Falls back in 1968? A car traveling at a high rate of speed careened into the concrete and steel railing, knocking out a huge section. It was thought the car was traveling at 100 MPH, according to the speedometer being stuck on that speed at impact. (photo # 4) Note the number of full Lone Star Cans, left scattered about (photos # 2 &5) The driver was killed. That bridge had several cars and trucks run into it over the years. One, that I can personally attest to. https://angorachronicles.com/2021/01/23/the-wreck-at-the-south-end-of-the-marble-falls-bridge-2/ Continue reading The Lone Star Beer Wreck On The River Bridge – Marble Falls, Texas – 1968

Recurring Dreams

I think at 73 years of age, I have finally left a couple of recurring dreams behind. I had these dreams until sometime in the past 10 or 15 years. The first was driving in a car at a high rate of speed between home and town. Home was at Smithwick and town was Marble Falls. Everything would be fine as the car would float along because a turn or dip caused you to let off the gas, but when you topped out at Winn Hill, there was a long curve and a mostly straight stretch down through Mesquite Flats … Continue reading Recurring Dreams

The Inks Dam Anchoring Project

I’ve Never Really Been Afraid Of Heights, But……. In the hustle bustle of being in the construction business you hire people and trust that they know what they are doing. If a business stays small you can keep your thumb on it and watch every move. But as you expand and grow you have to allow decisions to be made that you are responsible for but you didn’t exactly make. This really applied in the following story. I had a guy, Tom, that was a very smart fellow working for me in a project management roll. Tom was an A&M … Continue reading The Inks Dam Anchoring Project