Category: Smithwick

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early Days11 Comments

Brown Parker’s Well

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Brown Parker and wife Eula moved back to Texas after spending 3 decades or so out in California, to a couple of acres down on our old home place on the hill overlooking the Lake. He went up to Marble Falls and bought a building that needed to be moved. He set it up on stilts the way it had been in town, so it would improve his view. Many of you may remember this building. In the earlier 60s it was a snack bar that Mr. Seals and Mr. Hill had built at the mini-golf place. To have water … Continue reading Brown Parker’s Well

Crazy Times, On The Job, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

A Loader Laying On It’s Side

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In the early days we didn’t have the best equipment to work with. We didn’t expect anything to start without jumper cables or pulling or pushing it to start it. We had an old HD 5 Allis Chalmers Track Loader that we’d been using to clean out a stock tank down on our place. When we stopped for the day, on the before we parked it beside the road so we could reach it with a pair of jumper cables. There was a road cut with the bank about four feet tall that the loader was sitting up on. When … Continue reading A Loader Laying On It’s Side

Another Daily Happening, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Doing A Head-Plant In The Mud

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I was 17 years old. Lake Travis was really low like it often is. We had a D-7 bulldozer and a Cat 12 motorgrader down along the bottom land adjacent to the water, cleaning up and leveling out so when the lake came back up. We knew it wouldn’t stay smooth but Cec had a good idea. Mainly something to keep me busy. My helper was David Jordan, my one day in the future brother in law. He was a couple of years younger than me. If I remember correctly it had been a fairly uneventful day, that is until … Continue reading Doing A Head-Plant In The Mud

Marble Falls and the Area Around it., Smithwick, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

Cedar Choppers

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This isn’t an actual story. It is the notes that I made to read off of while I gave a talk at The Falls on the Colorado Musuem last Saturday June 3, 2023. A fellow said to me before I gave this talk: ”You ain’t gonna claim you used to cut cedar are you? How are you going to get up and talk about it?” I said “I talk about things all the time I’ve never done, thankfully.” Good morning everyone . I am here today to talk about Cedar Choppers. Primarily the Central Texas Cedar Chopper. Hasn’t The Museum … Continue reading Cedar Choppers

Marble Falls and the Area Around it., Smithwick, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Cemetery Working Day – 1954 Smithwick Cemetery, Burnet County

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Something important to the life and condition of a cemetery is the care it receives. Until a few years ago it was a Smithwick tradition to meet 3 times each year on designated Saturdays to do a thorough cleaning of the whole cemetery. I think it was in February, June & November. Everyone in the community and from places everywhere would show up, spend and few hours tidying up the place, then a big pot luck meal was enjoyed outdoors on the grounds. That tradition has now fallen by the wayside as more funds are available to hire the maintenance … Continue reading Cemetery Working Day – 1954 Smithwick Cemetery, Burnet County

Crazy Times, My Friends, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, Smithwick, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Gift

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Some of my best memories growing up was hauling hay and doing the hard work. Back in August of 2012 when Madeline and I turned 60, our kids along with Kenny and Carol threw us a grand party out at their place on Cow Creek. Jimmy Palmer brought me one of the best gifts I could have received. It was his hay hook that had hung in their barn for all these years. He wanted me to have it to remind me of the time that when he got out to open a gate and he got back in I … Continue reading The Gift

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Kenny Lewis, Smithwick, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

The Cushman Scooter

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I once had a Cushman Scooter like the one below, except it was painted gray. it had the little jump seat on the rear, just like this one. Most scooters like that just had a single seat. I can’t remember where it came from, but as I recall it didn’t run when I got it. But I tinkered with it and got it going. Smithwick probably wasn’t the best place to have a motor scooter like this. It didn’t have much ground clearance and would bottom out on a terrace in the field or drag on a rock laying in … Continue reading The Cushman Scooter

Aging, Amazing Things, Smithwick, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Learning To Do Things in Moderation

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There are few things that I ever attempt doing that I do it in moderation. Several years ago a guy was passing through with an old bookcase in the back of his van. He camped out for a while at Cec’s Fishing Camp at Smithwick. The story was that he was short on funds and needed to sell this family heirloom so he could travel farther west. It was full of old books. Mostly classics. Like nice sets of the classics. I found a note inside that told that it was a wedding present to a couple, supposedly the sellers … Continue reading Learning To Do Things in Moderation