Category: The Construction Biz

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

Private Fallout Shelters in the 1960s

lewisotr

Fallout or Bomb Shelters were both used to describe these underground structures. Talking about the Nike Bases that were built to protect Bergstrom Air Force Base made me think back to the early 60s in Austin. My dad was working for a construction company doing what I’ve spent my lifetime doing, installing underground utilities. The company transitioned into building “private underground bomb shelters” all over Austin. The only one I remember ever seeing built was over in a neighborhood off of Airport Blvd., very near the old Austin Airport.I wonder how many are still intact after all these decades. The … Continue reading Private Fallout Shelters in the 1960s

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Construction Biz, The History of Texas19 Comments

Hauling A Parsons Ladder Trencher

lewisotr

Back in 1970, not too long after I graduated from high school, I was driving a truck for Nelson Lewis, hauling equipment all over the state. I remember being dispatched to Devine, Texas to haul a Parsons Trencher from there over to Port Lavaca. It was a trip of around 200 miles, maybe more with weaving my way down through the many little south Texas towns. This was before any big highways were built. Those towns were connected with Farm to Market Roads and a few State Highways. I got to Devine late in the afternoon one day, loaded the … Continue reading Hauling A Parsons Ladder Trencher

Aging, Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Connecting The Dots After 43 Years

lewisotr

I received a text from a fellow I know this morning. He sent me a picture of one of my business cards. It was a card from sometime prior to 1985. That is when I sold my office on Montopolis Drive and moved on with a new address. So that’s how I knew how old the card was. He found it taped to the wall in a house he had recently purchased. Out of curiosity I ask where the house was, thinking that I may know the person that lived there. As soon as he told me which house it … Continue reading Connecting The Dots After 43 Years

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings7 Comments

All The Vehicles I’ve Driven

lewisotr

1963 Ford Galaxy – 2 door – 390 automatic (used) 1964 Riveria – 465 automatic (used) 1965 El Camino – 327 – Automatic (used)  1966 El Camino – 283 – 4 speed (used) 1966 Fastback Mustang – 289 – Automatic (used) 1968 SS Camaro – 396 – 4 speed (used) 1968 Corba Jet Mustang – 429 – 4 speed (used) 1970 1/2 ton Chevrolet Pickup – 350 – Automatic (new) 1968 Ford Galaxy 500 – 390 – Automatic (used) 1970 Ford 3/4 ton pickup 289 – 4 speed (used) 1972 Ford 1/2 pickup – 360 – Automatic (used) 1972 Ford 3/4 ton pickup – 360 – 4 speed (new) 1973 … Continue reading All The Vehicles I’ve Driven

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

lewisotr

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

lewisotr

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

Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Story Of Dennis Rodman – Or A Part Of It – incomplete

lewisotr

This story was originally on here in June, 2018. I haven’t followed Dennis R. closely, but have been fascinated by his antics throughout the years. Somewhere between being a very good basketball player, to a weirdo, to the guy that went traipsing over to visit Kim Jong-Un in North Korea, his life has been very colorful. I knew he was connected to a once big excavating company headquartered in the DFW area, but had operations in Austin and San Antonio before going bankrupt almost a decade ago. As I was driving along this morning, a Sunday morning, which isn’t my … Continue reading The Story Of Dennis Rodman – Or A Part Of It – incomplete

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

The Rio Motel and Club – Austin, Texas.

lewisotr

I knew about The Rio because in the mid 1970s several of us that were working on the I-35 expansion from Airport Blvd up to US 290. We used to go there and drink coffee and eat breakfast or lunch sometimes. I was surprised when I opened the Austin Statesman newspaper one day to find out that The Rio had become really famous in the history of Austin. There was a club there also, but I never remember going to it. But there were several notable Austin people found it to be a great meeting place. There was a well … Continue reading The Rio Motel and Club – Austin, Texas.

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Not Every Land Deal Will Make You Money

lewisotr

This is the story of a piece of land I got up in Dallas one time, to settle a debt. Here goes: These real estate deals can be crazy. Outfit owed me about $300k on an apartment project in Houston in the 1990s.I put a lien on it and waited about 2 years.They wanted to sell the project so they had to square with me.They had 21 acres in south Dallas they gave me in trade for releasing the lien. How can I go wrong owning 21 acres in Dallas, with I-35 frontage? Except when I sold it about a … Continue reading Not Every Land Deal Will Make You Money