Category: On The Job

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, On The Job, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave 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. 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 the middle of UT. 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 and all. It didn’t travel real fast, so the … Continue reading The VW Bus Was Parked In A Bad Spot

Amazing Things, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., On The Job, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Olin Sylvester’s Welding Shop

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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

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, My Friends, On The JobLeave a comment

The Story Of My Friendship With Woody and how friendships can take amazing paths.

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When my ol’ friend and neighbor, Udo, decided to retire in 1977 from the excavation business I bought his office, yard and some equipment. The office was in a great location, not far from the current Austin airport. Woody had been his accountant for many years and a deal was struck for him to come with me. Woody was trustworthy and meticulous. Just the kind of guy I was looking for. He and I became best of friends. Woody and Lucy were both around 60 and had been married for about forty years. They never had children. Madeline and I … Continue reading The Story Of My Friendship With Woody and how friendships can take amazing paths.

Construction, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, On The Job, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Big Loser

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I know I’ve told y’all this story before, but I can’t pull it up. That may be because it was in the comments of another story. Anyway, I don’t have much going on this morning so I’ll just re-tell it. It’s actually worthy of being a story all on its own. Back in the late 1970s I contracted to do the excavation for the Capitol National Bank in downtown Austin. The project called for the removal of approximately 100,000 cubic yards of solid limestone. The excavation was a hole that was a full block square by about 30’ deep. It … Continue reading The Big Loser

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, On The Job, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Pipes With The Broken Bells

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I hope I can explain this without it become too technical and going right over your head. But I saw a segment on How It’s Made (it was the next one after watching sanitary napkins being made) about making reinforced concrete pipes. I videoed the TV screen for a short while to give you some idea of what this little story is all about. That clip will be at the bottom of the page. I had a project for the City of Austin one time that was running a 48” wastewater line right beside and back and forth across Onion … Continue reading The Pipes With The Broken Bells

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, On The JobLeave a comment

The Link Belt Crane At Inks Dam

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I have written before ago about the Inks Dam Project that we did a few years ago. Madeline reminded me of the story or stories of me and the crane. All of my guys that worked on that job made sure that Madeline was kept up to date with the happenings out on that project, when it came to me and the crane, Big Jim Palmer being the main one. He made a trip by the office in Bertram as often as possible to keep her nervous. She, being in the office all the time and never coming to the … Continue reading The Link Belt Crane At Inks Dam

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., On The Job2 Comments

The Inks Dam Anchoring Project

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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

Kenny Lewis, On The Job1 Comment

Flying Low

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In the early part of 1978 Nelson Lewis and I came to an understanding that we would be best served to sever ties and go our seperate ways. We had formed Lewis Contractors in August of 1973. In March of 78, I was strung out between a project finishing up in Houston and another one in the later stages of completion in Crystal City, Texas. Kenny had been out of the Army for a couple of years and had joined us. He was doing a project in Kempner, Texas. There had been a storm brewing between Nelson and me, (all … Continue reading Flying Low

Crazy Times, On The Job, The Construction Biz2 Comments

The Fire

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Ruby Waggoner was my dad’s mother. She and my grandfather had divorced when Cecil was very young. He was raised by his dad, Theron and Leona (or Nonie) his stepmother and a host of aunts, uncles and his grandparents. Ruby Lee or Granny Ruby as I called her was still a big part of our life growing up. She lived in Austin and we visited often. She was one funny old gal that laughed a lot and made the rest of us laugh. Any time after I was grown and had projects around north Austin, I’d stop by her house … Continue reading The Fire