Category: The Early Days

The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

It’s Strange The Things We Remember

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It’s been almost 45 years ago that I walked into G & L Stationeers on South Congress. The year was 1977. They were in a building just north of where the Night Hawk Restaurant was at So. Congress & Riverside Drive in Austin. I had decided it was time to put a distinctive mark on my company. They had a graphics designer that worked with me to make a company Logo. I still remember his name, Duane Kelly. In just a few minutes he was putting the finishing touches on the big LC that would grace our new sign out … Continue reading It’s Strange The Things We Remember

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My Friend And Mentor Dave

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I first got to know Dave in 1972. He was a successful underground utility contractor and very well respected in the business. His office was located in Lubbock. Dave was my mentor, someone I could learn from. I figured if I watch him and handle my business like he did, I surely be successful. My first subcontract was working for him installing water lines in Burnet, Texas. It was actually more complicated than that. I was a sub to another sub that subcontracted to Dave’s company. That happens in our business a lot. Ok if you aren’t too confused I’ll … Continue reading My Friend And Mentor Dave

Crazy Times, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., My Friends, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Things That Young Men Do

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A while back I was reminded of a happening by my long time friend Clay Simmons. He, Kenny and I were making a mad dash from somewhere to Marble Falls by way of Hwy 281 north, with Kenny behind the wheel. What the hurry was escapes me, but we were always in a hurry. When we approached the railroad tracks north of town the pickup sputtered as it started to run out of gas. Having a fleet of dump trucks we commonly had a barrel of gasoline tied off on the back with a pump in it, to rescue a … Continue reading The Things That Young Men Do

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We Have It Pretty Good, All Things Considered

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I was thinking about the different times we find ourselves in today. If people are ever worrying about where their next meal is coming from, there is always someway to make another meal. Below is an article from Mother Earth News that ran back in 1970 (wow, over 50 years ago) that tells a little about how our ancestors made the land work for them. Old-Time Methods of Preserving Food Victor A. Croley shares old-time methods of drying and preserving food from pioneer days that can still be used today. By Victor A. CroleyNovember/December 1970 Mid-continent pioneers were mainly English, … Continue reading We Have It Pretty Good, All Things Considered

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

Showing Off Our New Set Of Unbreakable Dishes

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Many years ago Madeline bought a new set of dishes. We hadn’t seen married all that long, but were beginning to have kids. It was Corel Ware. It was a good idea with the kids to get something that we wouldn’t be breaking every time we turned around. It was a good investment. My father in law came to visit. We were showing him the new dishes, when I flung one over in the floor to demonstrate how they were unbreakable. Well it just shattered into a thousand pieces . That’s when Madeline explained to me they weren’t unbreakable, they … Continue reading Showing Off Our New Set Of Unbreakable Dishes

Crazy Times, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings

The Fire Alarms

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Within a year of Madeline and I marrying we had lived in a big mobile home, then moved next door to a little trailer house (rented from an old couple that meddled) and in an old motel in Burnet (because there was nowhere else to rent). Actually that all happened in the first 10 month of our marriage. Then we rented a mobile home in a Mobile Home Park in Oak Hill, in the western edge of Austin on Texas 71. When answering a knock on the door one evening we found a fellow there that had good news for … Continue reading The Fire Alarms

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Rolling Back Odometers

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In an earlier story I told about working during my senior year of high school at an Auto Dealership. I was in the Distributive Education Program, allowing me to spend the afternoon actually working on a job where I made money. For my job I moved cars around, cleaned up cars, took out the trash and vacuumed the floors in the offices. I did pretty much anything that was needed to be done. I drove cars around to keep the battery’s charged up. My most important job was rolling back odometers. That was a common practice in those days. If … Continue reading Rolling Back Odometers

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The Lost Fuel Truck

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We were down in Houston working many years ago. I had a cousin, Butch Martin working with us. He had an old friend from Austin that was needing a job, so we found a place to fit Wilber in. He was an equipment operator and he also served as our fuel truck driver, which was just a part time gig. Butch and Wilber each had a bit of a drinking problem, and always found a joint to call home everywhere they went. One Monday morning when we showed up for work and Wilber was missing in action. We didn’t think … Continue reading The Lost Fuel Truck

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The Martin’s, Father and Son Roadhands

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Uncle Bob Martin worked for me a couple of times in the 70s. He was slow and steady but was accomplishing something with every motion. He was my maternal grandmother, Nancy’s brother. Uncle Bob’s oldest son Butch Martin worked for me several times. We was opposite of his Dad. He was fast and all over everything, but man could he move dirt. You just always knew it wouldn’t last long, before he’d twist off and not show up. Each time I’d swear that was the last. But he had an uncanny way of arriving when you most needed someone in … Continue reading The Martin’s, Father and Son Roadhands

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Kenny Lewis, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Writing Letters To My Brother

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I never was much of a writer when I was younger. But I told myself that I’d stay in touch with my brother, Kenny by writing him often while he was away in Vietnam and also when he was stationed in Germany. Telephone calls were not possible in Vietnam, and much too expensive when he got to Germany. I would write and tell him what all was going on in my life. I’d tell him about everything crazy happening in Smithwick. There always seemed like something Cec had gotten into that needed to be told. He wrote back to me … Continue reading Writing Letters To My Brother