Category: My Family

Funny Happenings, In and Around Austin, My Family1 Comment

The Garage Sale

lewisotr

I have always enjoyed playing a practical joke on people, but no one as much as my Granny Ruby. She was always so humorous and would easily laugh at herself. Madeline and I had temporarily left Austin and were living in Houston where we had several projects going on. We still had our home in Austin so we would sometimes return to Austin on the weekends. This one weekend when we were in, my sis-in-law Karen told me that Granny Ruby, who lived in North Austin was having a garage sale and she was going to be taking stuff over … Continue reading The Garage Sale

Funny Happenings, In and Around Austin, My Family4 Comments

Granny Ruby and the Phone Call

lewisotr

One time around midnight back in the 60s, Granny Ruby (my dad’s birth mother) received a phone call. The person on the other end told her that he was with the phone company and there was an indication that something was wrong in her phone that was causing a problem at the switchboard. He explain that some times that would happen and it need immediate attention and with her help it could be remedied. Would she be willing to help? Being the good and helpful person she prided herself in being she said sure I’ll help. The fellow ask if … Continue reading Granny Ruby and the Phone Call

Crazy Times, My Family, Smithwick, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Are You Kin To Glenn Lewis, I Was Asked?

lewisotr

Earlier I was asked if I was kin to Glenn Lewis. Rather than answer that directly, I have copied a rough draft of the introduction of the book I am writing about Glenn Lewis. Toward the bottom of it it explains the kinship between Glenn and me. Remember this is a draft for the future, the introduction of a book about Glenn. It is my hope that sometime in the future, after COVID, a series of gatherings for the purpose of telling Glenn stories as well as personal visits to those that were around him and witnessed the many things … Continue reading Are You Kin To Glenn Lewis, I Was Asked?

Amazing Things, My Family, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

The Magical Minds Of Children

lewisotr

I was driving down the road this afternoon with my 4 year old granddaughter, Sofia in a car seat in the back. I’ve been experiencing issues with my brand spanking new hot tub, the one that I thought would never get installed. In the week since it got installed, there have been a series of it working fine, then suddenly it will throw a breaker and shut down. Then I get the tech out to fix. That’s already happened 3 times. This guy has been great. It’s obvious that he knows his business, but there are some real oddities happening. … Continue reading The Magical Minds Of Children

Crazy Times, My Family, Smithwick, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings5 Comments

The Battle Of The Smithwick Lewis Family

lewisotr

This story dates back to the late 1950s. I will be telling it from my perspective, which is the side I was born on. FP and Florence Lewis had a bunch of kids. There were two girls and seven boys (couple more died young) and they raised them in Smithwick. Best I know they had several pieces of property but our old home place was originally Stinnett land that they bought from Grandmother Florence’s family or inherited it. It was comprised of 450 acres that stretched from FM 1431 down to the Colorado River. It was approximately 1/2 mile of … Continue reading The Battle Of The Smithwick Lewis Family

My Family, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

We Took All The Boys Skiing

lewisotr

Soon after our trip on our Lake Tahoe Ski Trip, when I didn’t learn how to ski, Madeline was ready to take the 5 boys on their first ski adventure. I say Madeline was ready, because I had already retired from skiing after one trip to the top of a mountain. But figuring the boys would all go to ski school and then being young they’d catch on fast and everyone would have a good time. I didn’t mind just hanging out for a few days doing nothing. Madeline had made reservations at a nice resort in Keystone, Colorado. The … Continue reading We Took All The Boys Skiing

Amazing Things, My Family, Thoughts and Musings4 Comments

My Mother

lewisotr

This story was written back on my mother’s birthday, January 18, 2015. So as you read this just know that my mother would be 88 now. I didn’t rewrite it or even feel like editing it to bring it up to today’s date. I guess that comes from laziness or perhaps because I just don’t want to change it. This is the story of my mother. Bonnie Gay would have been 82 today. She grew up poor, in a very large family. She was the 8th out of 11 children. Her father died when she 9 years old. She married … Continue reading My Mother

Aging, Amazing Things, Crazy Times, My Family, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Wine Making Kits

lewisotr

Back in the early years of our marriage, before we had so many kids, Christmas shopping was something we enjoyed doing together. Of course after a few years and five sons our shopping habits all changed and I would stay home and Madeline would mostly go it alone. In those early days finding the perfect gift wasn’t always easy when shopping for our fathers. It was hard buying for them and staying within our budget. Nothing frivolous for either, they just weren’t that type. They were men of substance and practicality. At the mall at one of the department stores … Continue reading The Wine Making Kits

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, My Family, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Showing Off Our New Set Of Unbreakable Dishes

lewisotr

Many years ago Madeline bought a new set of dishes. We hadn’t seen married all that long, but were beginning to have kids. It was Corel Ware. It was a good idea with the kids to get something that we wouldn’t be breaking every time we turned around. It was a good investment. My father in law came to visit. We were showing him the new dishes, when I flung one over in the floor to demonstrate how they were unbreakable. Well it just shattered into a thousand pieces . That’s when Madeline explained to me they weren’t unbreakable, they … Continue reading Showing Off Our New Set Of Unbreakable Dishes

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, My Family, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Things We Find Out About Ourselves. (August 8, 2016)

lewisotr

I attended a funeral today, along with many others. It was a funeral where tears were shed, but no real outward displays of the terrible sadness that you know many felt. That comes from deep faith. That comes from the knowing and understanding that there are more good things to come. I left that service a bit saddened by the loss of an old friend, but that’s a normal reaction. I had a completely different emotion that I felt going away from there today. A complete feeling of dismay. It stems from an incident that supposedly happened around 50 years … Continue reading The Things We Find Out About Ourselves. (August 8, 2016)