Category: The Early Days

The Early DaysLeave a comment

If It’s Not Yours Don’t Take It

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I’m guessing I was probably in the 3rd grade and Kenny was in the 5th. Mr. Henniger was the principal at Pond Springs School, the little 3 room school we attended in Jollyville. After we ate our lunch each day, in Mr. Henniger’s office there was a chest type deep freezer where he kept ice cream bars. If you had your nickel you could buy a ice cream sandwich or a fudgesicle to eat out on the playground. After we finished our lunch, we would go in there and line up and watch as he unlocked the freezer with a … Continue reading If It’s Not Yours Don’t Take It

Crazy Times, My Friends, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Big Crash

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Shortly before Madeline and I married I was working in Burnet and she was living in South Austin with Dixie Lewis and another gal. On Wednesday nights I would drive to Austin to court her, spend the night and head out early the next morning so as to arrive in Burnet by 7:00 AM. Of course courting Madeline meant I’d come to Austin and she, Dixie and I would go to El Matamoros (El Matt’s was what we all called it) and completly stuff ourselves with Mexican Food. Once we would arrive there with Dixie, the place would come alive … Continue reading The Big Crash

On The Job, The Early Days2 Comments

LJ Henderson – The Best Blaster In The Country

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LJ lived in Burnet. He and my Dad were friends for most of their lives. They entered the service at the same time. There is a story of them hitchhiking back home to Burnet Co. at some point. Either during the service or when they got out. It was a true Cecil Lewis adventure, as I remember it. I always wanted to visit LJ and get him to recall it for me. I missed that opportunity. LJ passed away before I got around to asking him about it. Many of my stories are rooted in the things that I learned … Continue reading LJ Henderson – The Best Blaster In The Country

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, The Early DaysLeave a comment

On A Quest To Buy A Truck

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On the day after Thanksgiving in 1977 Kenny and I went to Cross Plains, Texas to look at a potential truck purchase to haul our equipment with. We started out from Smithwick. We were both there with our families where we were spending the holidays with our mom and dad. Being a 3 hour trip up to the northwest we left early in the morning and arrived in Cross Plains by 8:00 AM. We had seen an ad for this used truck dealer in a magazine. When we got there, they had a sea of trucks on the lot. We … Continue reading On A Quest To Buy A Truck

Crazy Times, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., My Friends, The Early Days1 Comment

The 13 Vehicle Accident In Marble Falls

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Usually you think of multi-car wrecks happening in Austin or Houston or Dallas. Like a pile up on the freeway. A little known or remembered fact is there was a wreck that happened right in Marble Falls, Texas that involved 13 vehicles back in the spring of 1970. I was involved. It was my senior year and I only went to school in the mornings and worked at a local car dealership in the afternoon. This one afternoon things weren’t to busy at the car lot so I ran home and grabbed a small trailer mounted air compressor and headed … Continue reading The 13 Vehicle Accident In Marble Falls

My Friends, The Early DaysLeave a comment

A Trip To Pennsylvania

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The week I graduated from high school, May 1970, I was invited to take a trip up to Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. There was a slight catch to it, the trip wasn’t going to pay much or maybe nothing at all. But all expenses were paid for. There were 5 of us traveling together. Price Allen “Pat” Taylor, a MF school classmate, a year older than me, Kenny and Vickey Jackson, and a gal by the name of Martha Rucker. Pat and I were making the trip just to help transfer vehicles, but the other 3 were moving there to be … Continue reading A Trip To Pennsylvania

Amazing Things, Another Daily Happening, The Early Days2 Comments

It Took Me Weeks To Figure Out Why She Was Upset

lewisotr

Not long after we married in 1971, I came home with Madeline a brand new 1972 Dodge Demon automobile. It was an absolute beauty. White with a White Pearlescent Vinyl Top and Snowy White Interior. Very sporty but not in a hot rod sort of way. More in a very hot, young chick sort of way. That baby had all the beauty and innocents that my new wife had. My Dad had gone with me to Austin to buy it. I needed him to drive my pickup back. What better thing could a new husband do than go buy the … Continue reading It Took Me Weeks To Figure Out Why She Was Upset

Construction, Crazy Times, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Goat Shed Up On Possum Kingdom Lake

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There was a time between our first two sons being born and we had a project laying a 24″ water line up in Stephens County. Housing was hard to find so while driving around the area, I found The Possum Kingdom Fishing Camp. This was a place that was very active in the summers but pretty well shut down during the winter. I found the owner and made a deal to rent the whole place. There was a little 2 bedroom house in the center of the property with one bedroom cabins surrounding it. This was in December of 1975. … Continue reading The Goat Shed Up On Possum Kingdom Lake

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

It Was The Day Before I Turned 16 Years Old

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The 1960s were most definitely a different time than now when it comes to the horsepower of trucks. Today our trucks operate with 400 to 600 horsepower. Back then the common range was 180 to 250 HP. We still hauled equally heavy loads over the same roads as today. Trucks were used much longer and maintained must less than by today’s standards. It was common when we were hauling a heavy dozer in hillier areas for me to go ahead in a pickup to assist. When we knew there was a grade too steep coming up, Kenny would pull over, … Continue reading It Was The Day Before I Turned 16 Years Old