Category: The Early Days

Amazing Things, Smithwick, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Early Boyhood Memories

lewisotr

The Old Oak Tree at my grandmothers house along the highway in Smithwick (we lived in that house until I turned 4) that we played under and climbed in when we were kids. There were always at least a half dozen well made toy trucks and equipment, all constructed from metal that made their home under this marvelous tree. The Old Crib and Pens down behind the house. It is very weathered, considering it hasn’t been used or had any upkeep in more than 50 years. It was several decades old when I was a kid, for it to still … Continue reading Early Boyhood Memories

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, The Early DaysLeave a comment

A Sudden Stop

lewisotr

Back in the 70s and early 80s, after Kenny returned from his stint in the Army, he came to work with us. Most of the crazier things that ever happened was during that time period. It was customary that he and I would load up every few days and ride the jobs. We often had eight or ten projects going on, all over the Austin area. One day we met up out on the north end of town and he climbed in with me. I had a new 1980 Buick Riveria. We were driving through a project, The Cliffs Over … Continue reading A Sudden Stop

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, The Early Days1 Comment

Another Rock Blasting Story

lewisotr

During the first 15 years of my contracting career most trenches in rock were blasted, before good productive and dependable rock trenchers were developed. We had one crew that their primary job was drilling and shooting (term we used for blasting) rock. We were building a new subdivision right behind the Bannockburn Baptist Church (it wasn’t there then) on Brodie at McCarty Ln. in the Southwest part of Austin, Texas. All was going real good on that project. Don the crew foreman and our ace blaster was short handed, so he hired an old hippie that happened by. The old … Continue reading Another Rock Blasting Story

Another Daily Happening, The Early Days2 Comments

The Pecan X-Ray

lewisotr

My Grannie Ruby was always a target for my practical jokes. Sometime in the late 70s I stopped by her house for a visit. She was just coming inside from picking up pecans. She had several pecan trees in her yard. Every year she would be out there slaving away picking up these pecans. The trees she had kept her supplied with pecans to use throughout the years. She told me how disappointed she was that she wouldn’t have many pecans. She had cracked several already and a large percentage were bad. Bugs or disease had taken a toll on … Continue reading The Pecan X-Ray

The Early Days, The Jollyville Years, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Learning Life’s Lessons

lewisotr

I was probably in the 3rd grade and Kenny was in the 5th. Mr. Henniger was the principal at Pond Springs School at the little three room school we attended in Jollyville. After we ate our lunch each day, Mr. Henniger had a chest type freezer in his office where he kept ice cream bars. If you had a nickel you could buy a ice cream sandwich or a fudgsicle to eat out on the playground. He would go in and we would all line up and watch as he unlocked the freezer with a key on the big key … Continue reading Learning Life’s Lessons

Crazy Times, The Early Days2 Comments

The Lemon Wedge

lewisotr

Some of the simple things that happen in life prove to be the most memorable.. The Country Road Restaurant was a good place to eat lunch. You’d go through the line and fill your plate. We ate there often, as it was close to our office. One day our accountant Woody, Kenny and I went there. A fellow sitting across the dining room from us was drinking tea from one of the large mouth ice tea glasses. It had a lemon wedge on the lip of the glass. This fellow continued wearing his cap, with it pulled down low on … Continue reading The Lemon Wedge

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, Smithwick, The Early Days2 Comments

Road Hunting; In The Middle Of The Day !

lewisotr

As boys growing up in Smithwick, we always had venison in the freezer. In order to do that we had to take advantage of every opportunity to shoot a deer. We had been working down around Jonestown and we’re headed home. When we got to the top of the hill just before getting to Turkey Bend, Kenny looked out across a clearing and saw a nice fat doe and threw on the brakes. We always had a deer rifle in a gun rack behind the seat in those days. He learned across me and made a clean shot out of … Continue reading Road Hunting; In The Middle Of The Day !

Crazy Times, Meeting New People, Smithwick, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

You Can Take The Boy Out Of The Country, But………

lewisotr

I was down at Turkey Bend one time visiting all the old Hall women as they were referred to. This consisted of sisters, Mabel Hall Wilson, Earlie Hall Croft, Mamie Hall Franck, and their sister in law Libby Hall. They all lived there in one little wad, so when you went to visit one, you just about needed to make an afternoon of it, but it was always a pleasure to do so. I always called them Aunt, not because they were my aunts, but out of respect. I’m not sure why that was respectful, but it was. I know … Continue reading You Can Take The Boy Out Of The Country, But………

Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Wild Rides

lewisotr

Kenny and I had would take the engine off of a push type lawn mower and then tie a rope on it. The object was to sit in the little hole in the middle and with a horse pulling it we would get in a big open field and start circling to see how long the rider could stay on. It’s amazing how much dirt and dust can be stirred up doing this. The bad part (actually there were many bad parts) to doing this was the only real way to hang on was to grab under the bottom lip … Continue reading Wild Rides