Marshall Ford is where the Mansfield Dam is built on the Colorado River of Texas. Below are a couple of submissions I made a while back to Texas Bridges & Crossings – History https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrm16 More about Mansfield Dam https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansfield_Dam My dad was one of the workers on the Mansfield Dam Project. Continue reading Marshall Ford, Texas
Don’t let the title confuse you. I didn’t have a sex change procedure or anything like that. In fact back then, I don’t think I’d ever heard of such a thing. It was about 1986. I had a big project one time in Southwest Austin that took me though the property of a well known Austin doctor of female parts. I guess after what he had been looking at all day, a nice trip out on his farm was something he deserved. He would want me to show him what we were doing and explain how we were we going … Continue reading Back When I Used to Go Visit The Gynecologist
The younger folks probably have a hard time grasping that a call from Marble Falls and Burnet was long distance, and it cost money. In the early to mid 1960s we would listen to the radio station out of Burnet. Big Jimmy Palmer got in a habit of calling up to the radio station for contests they were running and to request songs to be played. He got carried away with it and ran up a pretty good phone bill, at least for those times. I’ll tell you for sure that Hannah Cox, his momma laid into him. I don’t … Continue reading Long Distance Calls
From my previous writings, I’m sure most of you have figured out that I go off half cocked at times and do things that create my own problems. But I’m as innocent as a newborn bunny rabbit in this deal. As many of you know, my wife’s mother, who turned 92 a month ago lives with us, as she has alzheimer’s. She is still very mobile, as any 92 year old can be. She is healthy, always has a great appetite and is generally very happy. Her daughter, who is “Her Friend” is extremely attentive to her and is so … Continue reading I Don’t Even Know Where To Start With This
There was a time in the 80s when times were really good in the construction business. I was flying high, as was Kenny and our friend Coy. We all had our own businesses but we worked together at times, hiring each other’s companies to help out on projects. Kenny & Coy had a lot more in common with each other than with me. During that phase of their lives they each were without the benefit of a wife at the time or at least they acted like it. They worked hard and partied hard as the old saying goes. Now … Continue reading The Double Tailed Quarters
The talk goes on and on about what the minimum wage should be. It is commonly referred to now as a living wage. This is not going to be a commentary on that issue. The first minimum wage I read was $.25 per hour back in the 30’s. When I entered the workforce in the early 70’s I think it was around $1.60 per hr. Graduating high school in 1970, left me bouncing around doing several jobs for the first few months. I had an independent streak going, so I didn’t stay tied down to any one thing for very … Continue reading What Is A Good Wage To Pay A Feller?
Earlier this week someone posted about on FB the 15 out of the way spots in Texas you just have to visit. (Or something like that) One of those is a place called Possum Kingdom. This place appears to be much more populated now than it was back in 1976. We lived there while doing a job up in Stephens County. This was a time between our first two sons being born. 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 … Continue reading Possum Kingdom Lake & The Goat Shed
It’s funny how things are ever evolving when it comes to finding happiness. As a small child, everything made me happy or at least a lot more things made me happy than made me sad. In elementary school days I could walk through the door after a hard day of school, smell the pot of pinto beans (we actually called them brown beans) cooking on the kitchen stove. Knowing my momma would get us a bowl dished up and a couple of pieces of light bread (we now call it white bread). Momma would say “Here, this will tide you … Continue reading Doing What Made Me Happy
A few years ago, when it was time to grab one of the big machines and take off across Texas, Charlie “Speedy” Leseman would get this rig all shined up and head out to wherever it was he needed to go. I don’t care what anyone says, that was a heavy haul rig. I was always proud to see those black trucks (there were others too) pulling out of a job loaded down and going to the next one. There’s a time and a place for everything. So now those are just fond memories. Continue reading This Is Called “Living In The Past”
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’s Dependable Dodge on I-35 between St. John’s & US 183, to buy it. I needed him to drive my pickup back. What better … Continue reading It Took Me Weeks To Figure Out Why She Was Upset.
Angora Chronicles 