Category: Thoughts and Musings

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, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Private Fallout Shelters in the 1960s

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Fallout or Bomb Shelters were both used to describe these underground structures. Talking about the Nike Bases that were built to protect Bergstrom Air Force Base made me think back to the early 60s in Austin. My dad was working for a construction company doing what I’ve spent my lifetime doing, installing underground utilities. The company transitioned into building “private underground bomb shelters” all over Austin. The only one I remember ever seeing built was over in a neighborhood off of Airport Blvd., very near the old Austin Airport.I wonder how many are still intact after all these decades. The … Continue reading Private Fallout Shelters in the 1960s

Amazing Things, My Family, My Sons, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Willy Willy Christmas Tree

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If I started telling you about the Willy Willy Christmas Tree you’d have no idea what I was talking about. But to Madeline and me, we have known this special tree by that name for 50 years. That special tree is the Zilker Park Christmas Tree that just about every Austinite has probably stood under and twirled around. When our first born son, Matthew (born in 1974) was young, 2 or maybe 3, we had planned to go see “The Christmas Tree” one evening. There had been a big build up to seeing it, he had probably seen it on … Continue reading The Willy Willy Christmas Tree

Aging, Amazing Things, My Family, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

My Mother

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Bonnie Gay would have been 93 next month, but she left us behind 35 years ago. She was only 57. Her sudden death on December 14, 1990 was one of the greatest shocks in my lifetime. It just didn’t seem like it was that time. She grew up poor, in a very large family. She was the 8th out of 11 children. Her oldest sibling was born in 1916 and the youngest was born in 1937. Her father died when she 9 years old. Bonnie went through the 8th grade at Smithwick Community School, then the 9th grade at Palm … Continue reading My Mother

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, On The Job, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The VW Bus Was Parked In A Bad Spot

lewisotr

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

lewisotr

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, No Place Like Bertram, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Back in the 90s – When a City Boy Moved to the Country

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Not so very long after we bought our place here in Bertram, I went up to a local used tractor dealer and made a deal for a Poppin Johnny Tractor. It was well past being worn out, but I more wanted something to play around with and work on occasionally. It was a John Deere “G”. I had grown up around one like it and loved the sound of it starting up and then listening to its unique sound of that 2 cylinder engine. The fellow I bought it from had done a good job of giving it a new … Continue reading Back in the 90s – When a City Boy Moved to the Country

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, My Friends, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

An LJ Henderson Memory

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I was about 10 years old. LJ was drilling a well for us in Smithwick. He got me off to the side to ask me a few questions. “When your daddy goes fishing, what kind of bait does he use“?I was more than willing to tell him my daddy didn’t use, bait. He used a telephone to fish with. He got me to tell him exactly how it was done and how many fish they would get each time. About that time he reached in his pocket a flashed something, real fast, saying “you see this badge, I’m an undercover … Continue reading An LJ Henderson Memory