Category: On The Job

Amazing Things, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., On The JobLeave a comment

What Is A Good Wage To Pay A Feller?

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The talk goes on and on about what the minimum wage should be. It is commonly referred to now as a living wage. This is not going to be a commentary on that issue. The first minimum wage I read was $.25 per hour back in the 30’s. When I entered the workforce in the early 70’s I think it was around $1.60 per hr. Graduating high school in 1970, left me bouncing around doing several jobs for the first few months. I had an independent streak going, so I didn’t stay tied down to any one thing for very … Continue reading What Is A Good Wage To Pay A Feller?

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, On The JobLeave a comment

He Bit My Thumb

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There are a few things in life that really don’t mix. Being really tough and drinking too much are a good example of this. Cecil Lewis was tough guy and he drank a way more than he should have. Back in 80 – 81 I had contracted to build a new state park and campground area down on the Guadalupe River near the little community of Bergheim not far from Boerne, Texas. When I needed him my dad would help me out on projects. On this job he mostly drove a water truck driver. He never drank while on the … Continue reading He Bit My Thumb

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, Leona (or Nonie) and a host of aunts, uncles and his grandparents. Ruby Lee, Grannie Ruby or Grannie was a big part of our life going up. She lived in Austin and 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, even if for just a few minutes. One … Continue reading The Fire

Crazy Times, On The Job, The Early Days

My Wildest Trucking Story

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Being raised up around trucks and owning many during my working career, I’ve had many memorable trucking experiences. There are none that compare to this two and half days. I was driving a truck for Nelson Lewis hauling equipment around the state, in the winter of 1970-1971. I was 18 years old. I had worked on a job-site in Burnet all day, but needed to be in Port Lavaca the following morning. There was an Inley Excavator (or a Trackhoe as we called them back then) there that needed to go up to Lake Jackson, further up the coast toward … Continue reading My Wildest Trucking Story

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

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, On The Job2 Comments

It Wasn’t Me

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(this story happened in the early 2000s) Kenny has always had a lot of company pride. He likes all of his machines and trucks looking good and clean. Everything needs to be ship-shape in Kenny Lewis’s world. He enjoys having his company name on jackets and caps. He spends a lot of advertising bucks and it pays off for him. I see people wearing them often, putting the CCI out in the public. Kenny and I had an arraignment for about a decade that lasted until 2003. We pooled resources and CCI was the name that was in the forefront … Continue reading It Wasn’t Me

Crazy Times, On The JobLeave a comment

Helicopter Hog Hunting

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The wild hog problem is one that without witnessing it you cannot imagine the damage to the land, fences and property that these out of control creatures create. So to help control this problem, helicopters with shooters armed with shotguns, loaded with buckshot are used. The shooters hangout of windows of small 2 person helicopters with the pilot carefully positioning you over a herd of ferrel hogs, allowing you to blast away killing as many as possible before they take up refuse in the brush. My brother Kenny, and avid hunter had a relationship with a huge south Texas ranch … Continue reading Helicopter Hog Hunting