Category: The Early Days

My Sons, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Gifts That Mean The Most

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I am a little sentimental about gifts that my grandkids give me, even more so of things my sons made or bought for me when they were small. One gift that dates back almost 40 years, that I count as one of my most treasured possessions. It stayed out on my dresser for years, but somewhere along the way it got put in my sock drawer and remains there to this day. Most people would look at this prized possession and wonder why I have it in my sock drawer. The answer is simple. It was a gift this one … Continue reading The Gifts That Mean The Most

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Early Days, The History of TexasLeave a comment

Nike Missile Bases Built To Protect Bergstrom Air Force Base

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In 1960 my Dad, Cecil worked as a construction inspector for Marvin Turner Engineering. He was assigned to overseeing the building of two missile launch sites in the Austin area. There were deep underground silos dug into the ground where the Nike Missiles were to be launched from. I’ve read that the launch sites were decommissioned in 1966. I think the program was being scuttled before it really ever got off the ground. There is one off of Bee Caves Rd. The Command Center, for both launch sites, has now become the Bee Caves Armory, is across Bee Cave Road … Continue reading Nike Missile Bases Built To Protect Bergstrom Air Force Base

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, Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

My Wildest Trucking Story

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I was driving a truck for Nelson Lewis hauling equipment around the state, in the later part of 1970. I was 18 years old. I was driving a 1967 GMC 9500 “B Cab”, I think it was. I don’t think the truck collectors/restoration folks are seeking out these beauties. 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) there that needed to go up to Lake Jackson, further up the coast toward Galveston. Having a chance to … Continue reading My Wildest Trucking Story

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, Meeting New People, The Early Days1 Comment

The Guy Had An Accident. Perhaps You Could Say He Had Two.

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This happened back in the winter of 1981 – 1982. It was a cold evening. I remember when this happened the same way I mark time for so much of my life. By what vehicle I was driving. It was 3/4 ton Chevrolet long bed, crew cab, a 1982 model. Chevrolet had just started making a 6.2 liter Diesel engine for their pickups. It was advertised to be the greatest advance in power that had ever been. I had to have one. I found one. I didn’t care what color it was or where I had to go to get … Continue reading The Guy Had An Accident. Perhaps You Could Say He Had Two.

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

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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, 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 Family, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

My Mother In Law Has Been A Bad Influence On Me A Couple Of Times

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I have professed that I have chosen to drink very little alcohol in my “adult life”. I think I’ve even said that it’s doubtful that any of my son’s have ever even seen me embarrass myself, at least from being … Continue reading My Mother In Law Has Been A Bad Influence On Me A Couple Of Times

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

My Green Thumbs and Other Thumb Stories

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When we were kids, well teenagers, Cec had Kenny and me building a new shop building out from the house in Smithwick. It was a pipe frame, a simple structure. The cross bracing was used sucker rod (the steel rods lengths that were used with windmills to connect the wind-motor to the bottom pump) It was a misty rainy day. Kenny, using the skills he had learned in Ag Class was doing the welding. My job was to hold the long lengths of sucker rod. With it being wet, when he would strike an arc I would feel the current … Continue reading My Green Thumbs and Other Thumb Stories