Category: The Construction Biz

Crazy Times, My Friends, The Construction BizLeave a comment

Dink And The Big Wastewater Line Break

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One day when Dink and I had our “partnership” going, he drilled through a 24″ wastewater line that we were relocating over at 5th and West Lynn St. for the new Mopac Highway that was being built. This was in the early 70s. Rather than tell anyone about breaking the line he put a big piece of tin over it, then parked a machine over the top. The plan was to return in the middle of the night when everyone went to sleep and put a “fix” on it when the flows were low. He enlisted me to meet him … Continue reading Dink And The Big Wastewater Line Break

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

I Would Be Considered Dink’s Stalker In Today’s Terms

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Back in the days when Dink would come through Austin and borrow money for a venture or a vehicle to drive until his boat would come in, it always kept me needing to contact him. This was during a time he would be headed off to Alaska to mine gold one time and then off to Africa to mine for diamonds the next time. Or another time when he made a little remote controlled oil gobbler that would go out into the water and clean up oil spills. Yes this was different than the containment diaper to strap onto barges … Continue reading I Would Be Considered Dink’s Stalker In Today’s Terms

Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Cec And The Big Billy Goat

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When we were building the Guadalupe River State Park my dad, Cecil took his small travel trailer down at the very end of the park at the rivers hairpin bend, to stay away from everyone else. The park land extends across the river at that narrow point and has some primitive camping and hiking over there. Between the time we bid that project and it actually getting under way, there was the huge flood that snapped off gigantic cypress trees and altered the landscape forever. Cec would sit and watch a herd of Spanish Goats that climbed the rock bluffs … Continue reading Cec And The Big Billy Goat

Crazy Times, On The Job, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings3 Comments

I Felt Kind Of Guilty For Contributing To This Fellow Getting Fired

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Alvin was a TxDot employee, the supervisor over all of the survey crews. I first got to know him in the early 70s when we were contracted to work on the I-35 expansion through downtown Austin. TxDot did all the layout in those days and had a bunch of survey crews. Now-a-days they mostly hire it all out I think. In fact they may not even have a survey division. Sometime later, around 1980, Alvin was seeing retirement coming so he started his own surveying company and would go out on weekends and do work. I hired him to do … Continue reading I Felt Kind Of Guilty For Contributing To This Fellow Getting Fired

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

The Dust Up At The Post Office

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We were talking about the Post Office on here one time and it made me think of an incident that I got involved in a few years ago at the Bertram Post Office. I walked in one day to transact some business. I found myself behind a young lady being waited on by the Post Mistress herself. The gals mother was driving a truck cross country and found herself out in Ontario, Ca. broke down and in the need of funds. She had left a credit card here at home that she was in desperate need of.Daughter was trying to … Continue reading The Dust Up At The Post Office

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, My Friends, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

And This Fellow Loaned Me, A Complete Stranger $50,000

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Back in the Winfield days of my construction career, we found ourselves a bit short of making a payroll one week. Winfield went to his former employer, the owner of a large CPA firm in Austin and asked him to make us a loan. Without any hesitation he agreed to spot us $50,000. His only request was that I come down to his office so we could meet. I met Winfield there and we went in. Without additional fanfare Mr. Simpson called his check writer person’s extension and requested a check. We walked out of that office with a check, … Continue reading And This Fellow Loaned Me, A Complete Stranger $50,000

Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

Paul Could Fix Anything

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I had a fellow worked for me for a long time. I guess 12 or 14 years. He could fix anything. He came from a family of mechanics. Let me rephrase that sentence above. The could get about anything running again. He never did it in a conventional way. One day he was out away from anything. Five miles to a phone and a lot further to anyone that could help him, when a tire went flat on his pickup. It was a slow leak he’d been neglecting. He made an air up device with a spark plug that he … Continue reading Paul Could Fix Anything

Amazing Things, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, The History of Texas, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Texas Crushed Stone Georgetown, Texas

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Most everyone has driven by the huge rock crushing plant between Round Rock and Georgetown. How many know where it was located prior to move there in the late 50s? The area in Austin along Mopac and from Far West Blvd south was the original location for this operation. The area where Doss Elementary & Murchison Jr. High is located was once being blasted away to make limestone road base used all around the city. Being in the construction business building roads and underground utility lines all around central Texas for more than 4 decades we have used a lot … Continue reading Texas Crushed Stone Georgetown, Texas

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, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, On The Job, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings, UncategorizedLeave a comment

My Memorial Day Memory – 1981

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Memorial Day is a time for reflection and to honor those Military Person’s that gave the ultimate sacrifice for this wonderful nation. But 40 years ago Memorial Day was marked by devastation to parts of Austin, like nothing some of us had ever lived through. The story below tells my personal experience that day. During the early morning hours parts of Austin received 11 inches of rain in the span of 3 hours. I have no doubt that one of the highest elevations around, Jester Mountain received that much rain or close to it. We were building what is now … Continue reading My Memorial Day Memory – 1981