Category: The Early Days

Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Head-Plant In The Mud

lewisotr

I was about 17 years old. Lake Travis was really low like it is now. We had a bulldozer and a Cat 12 Motorgrader down along the bottom land, cleaning up and leveling out so when the lake came back up it would……….,,,,,..no we knew it wouldn’t stay smooth but Cec had a good idea. Something to keep me busy. My helper was, David Jordan, my one day in the future brother in law. If I remember correctly it was a fairly uneventful day, that is until I started out on top with motorgrader. Just when I got to the … Continue reading Head-Plant In The Mud

Crazy Times, On The Job, The Early Days

My Wildest Trucking Story

lewisotr

Being raised up around trucks and owning many during my working career, I’ve had many memorable trucking experiences. There are none that compare to this two and half days. I was driving a truck for Nelson Lewis hauling equipment around the state, in the winter of 1970-1971. I was 18 years old. 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 back then) there that needed to go up to Lake Jackson, further up the coast toward … Continue reading My Wildest Trucking Story

Crazy Times, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., The Early Days2 Comments

When Dean Came Home From Boot Camp

lewisotr

Dean and I ran around together. My brother and his sister dated throughout much of high school so that connection threw us together. They eventually married after high school. Dean was a little older than me so he had left school to join the Army when he became eligible but I was still just sixteen years old and a sophomore in high school. After completing basis training Dean came in on leave. He and several of our friends came out and picked me up to celebrate his return. It was a Saturday afternoon around 2:00 PM. They were in Larry … Continue reading When Dean Came Home From Boot Camp

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Bank Depositor

lewisotr

One day back in the 80s Kenny was driving and I was the passenger. That’s generally the way we have always traveled. Who needs to listen to a bunch of belly-aching about my driving? Not me. So I didn’t have to watch the road and see what he was about the crash into, I decided to read the newspaper. There was a story that I found intriguing. It was about this new bank they were opening in Austin and they were only going to have women customers. Relating the story to Kenny got him all stirred up. “This Women’s Lib … Continue reading The Bank Depositor

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Cec’s Pry Bar

lewisotr

One More Today From Kenny Lewis Ronnie and I had our share of mishaps growing up and for that reason, were known by the men of the community as being rather reckless. Among those men was one of Dad’s closest friends, Brown Parker. He always said that “Cec could have been a millionaire had he knocked the two of us in the head when we were pups”. Daddy owned a pry bar that had previously been a truck axle. It was at least six feet long and 1 ½” in diameter. Brown always swore that it was the only thing … Continue reading Cec’s Pry Bar

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

The Motorcycle Cop

lewisotr

I was just a kid, maybe 17 years old. Nelson Lewis had a big Cadillac Sedan and wanted me to take it and drop it off in downtown Austin for him. I was barreling up Trinity Street, a few blocks east of Congress Avenue. Just as I approached 3rd street, there was a motorcycle cop turning from 3rd and was going to head north on Trinity, the same way I was going. I saw him keep edging out in the intersection, like he expected me to stop and let him go ahead of me. I didn’t see any flashing lights, … Continue reading The Motorcycle Cop

Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Charlie and Minnie Campbell – A Love Story

lewisotr

This is a story about an old couple that showed up in Smithwick when I was just a kid. This story doesn’t involve actual family members. It does include the Smithwick Cemetery and a couple that were a part of the community for a few years. One day Minnie and Charlie arrived in an old Studebaker car. When people said their name, they always left off the p and b. It was Charlie and Minnie Camel. They never had children. They claimed they had no other close family. They just had each other. Minnie was from Oklahoma. She always said … Continue reading Charlie and Minnie Campbell – A Love Story

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

Then and Now

lewisotr

I graduated from high school in May 1970. By the fall of 70 I went to work in the underground utility industry. I believe I was earning around $3.00 per hour. Considering the minimum wage back then was $1.60, I was doing pretty well. A top operator was paid $3.75 per hour. By late spring of 1972, I had learned enough about the business, plus what I had picked up being around trucks and machinery my whole life, I subcontracted my first water line installation project in Burnet, Texas. I had a crew of 4 or 5 people including myself. … Continue reading Then and Now

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Opening Day Of Deer Season

lewisotr

I was probably no older than 13, but maybe 14. At least old enough to drive myself down in the pasture to kill a deer. We had company in from California. My mother’s youngest sister and her husband. Knowing I’d have better luck if I went across the fence that bordered us to the west. That was LCRA Property. There was no hunting allowed on the LCRA. To young boys, especially sons of Cecil Lewis, there were certain rules that we didn’t abide by. Especially that one. Either those same deer had just left our property or would be crossing … Continue reading Opening Day Of Deer Season