Category: My Friends

Amazing Things, My Friends, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Summer Of 1961

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Much of our summer of “61” was spent down in Woodsboro, Texas. Our dad was the chief inspector for Marvin Turner Engineers in Austin. He was sent to Woodsboro to oversee a complete makeover of the Water and Wastewater system. Knowing that we needed to do stuff that regular city kids did, we started off the summer by going to Austin and Navy Store on Congress to buy baseball gloves. I still have mine 60 years later. A new start up company, B & T Construction from Port Lavaca had the contracts to perform the work. I turned 9 years … Continue reading The Summer Of 1961

Amazing Things, Meeting New People, My FriendsLeave a comment

Lewis the Hawksbill Turtle

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It was a Saturday morning in the Fall of 2012 and I asked our neighbors down at Port Aransas, Gene and Virginia, if they would like to go with me to the Padre Island National Seashore. We had talked before about going to the two areas they call Little Shell Beach and Big Shell Beach. We drove about 22 miles south of the visitor center before we decided to turn around. The going got too rough to chance continuing any further. On the way back we saw a huge Turtle on the beach not very far out of the water. … Continue reading Lewis the Hawksbill Turtle

Marble Falls and the Area Around it., My Friends, Smithwick3 Comments

Charlie & Minnie Campbell – A Love Story

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This is a story about an old couple that showed up in Smithwick when I was just a kid. When people said their name, they always left off the p and b. It was Charlie and Minnie Camel. Minnie and Charlie arrived in an old Studebaker car with everything they owned, including a couple of dogs. They never had children. They claimed they had no other close family. They just had each other. Minnie was from Oklahoma. She always said she was part Indian. While she had a round pie plate face, she did have real high cheek bones. A … Continue reading Charlie & Minnie Campbell – A Love Story

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Kenny Lewis, My Friends, The Construction BizLeave a comment

He Got On That Harley And They Rode Away

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There were a couple of brothers sitting around visiting a few years ago. I’m not sure how or why it came up, but they were discussing a fellow contractor with whom they had know most of their lives. The younger brother said “did you hear about Ol Dan (not his actual name). I’m not sure his company will be around much longer. It seems he’s gone middle crazy. He bought a new Harley and left his wife. Last time the guys at his shop saw him he was headed out west on that motorcycle with a large breasted blond on … Continue reading He Got On That Harley And They Rode Away

Aging, My Friends, Thoughts and Musings6 Comments

The Big RL Is Climbing Up On His Soapbox Once Again

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I don’t want to sound preachy and I’m not trying to guilt anyone into anything. It has been a long while since I brought this up. You say “what is it that this old fool is talking about”? It has to do with Facebook Etiquette. It doesn’t only apply to The Angora Chronicles, it pretty well goes across all groups, pages and people personal walls. When you take the time to read something, simply go up there and tap one of the icon showing what your feeling for that post is. By hitting LIKE or ❤️ or even the one … Continue reading The Big RL Is Climbing Up On His Soapbox Once Again

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, My Friends, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Winfield’s Funeral (also Jazzy’s Funeral)

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I should let this story be the final one for Winfield, but I will go ahead and tell it now, because there are many other chapters between the one I wrote earlier about him and the end. I’m sure a lot of people wondered what ever happened to him. His family was pretty well off in terms of most of us. His dad had a good job at one of the dams in the area and also had a large hog farm. Winfield left Marble Falls in a Porsche headed to LSU in the fall of 1969. He became a … Continue reading Winfield’s Funeral (also Jazzy’s Funeral)

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, In and Around Austin, My Friends, The Construction Biz4 Comments

Winfield’s Trip To Jail

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Winfield was a guy a grade ahead of me at Marble Falls High School. He had the reputation of doing wild and crazy things. We ran around together some, but weren’t constant companions in our school days. He was extremely intelligent, but lacking in the common sense department. After high school, he went off to college and became a C.P.A. I saw very little of Winfield throughout the 70s, as he was in Houston, carving out his niche in the accounting world. Sometime in the early 80s, I found out that Winfield was in Austin working for a small local … Continue reading Winfield’s Trip To Jail

Crazy Times, My Friends, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Don’t Just Follow The Crowd

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Back in the high flying times of the 1980s, there were several of my contractor friends that enjoyed going to Las Vegas, as did I. There were about 10 or 12 couples this one particular weekend that all left Austin on Southwest Airlines together bound for a great fun filled weekend in Vegas. It was a flight that took us through Tucson, Az but we weren’t suppose to de-plane, just a short stop-over. It was a fun flight with a festive atmosphere. I never heard anything said that I thought was out of line. Just a lot of fun and … Continue reading Don’t Just Follow The Crowd

Amazing Things, My Friends, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

The Two Minute Talk That Has Lasted Me A Lifetime

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Udo was of German descent. He had a coarseness about him, but an incredible refinement as well. He adapted to the situation he was in at the moment. When he retired after a long career in the excavation business, he sold me his office and yard, along with some heavy equipment and trucks. We lived across the street from he and his wife, so our visits were frequent. In retirement he moved from his lifetime hobby of flying planes, to flying helicopters. He would often fly me around to look at my projects. It helped him stay in touch with … Continue reading The Two Minute Talk That Has Lasted Me A Lifetime

Crazy Times, My Friends, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Watch What You Say. You Never Know Who’s Listening.

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I met a friend for breakfast every morning when were working together. When I got to the restaurant that morning my friend Gerry wasn’t there yet but I took a seat at our regular table. One table away was a older man, very pleasant sort of fellow and we struck up a conversation about the first one thing and then the other. After a bit Gerry came in an took a seat. He and I chatted like we did every morning. Nothing real deep. The conversation got around to “did your in laws make it in last night” kind of … Continue reading Watch What You Say. You Never Know Who’s Listening.