Category: Thoughts and Musings

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

EXCAVATING FOR A NEW BANK BUILDING

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Back in 1978, I think it was, my company contracted to excavate for the new Capitol National Bank. It was the largest job that of that type that Lewis Contractors had ever taken on. Considering it was excavating 30′ deep a full block square downtown Austin from 7th to 8th St. between Guadalupe and Lavaca and it was solid limestone rock it had its challenges. The only real way to accomplish a project like that was to blast. If I remember correctly, we did it in around 60 days. Considering the equipment we had to work with in those days, … Continue reading EXCAVATING FOR A NEW BANK BUILDING

Aging, Amazing Things, Kenny Lewis, Thoughts and Musings4 Comments

Kenny’s Passing: A Reflection on a Meaningful Life

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Letting Go Is Hard, But It’s Necessary Kenny and I have always been close, walking in similar footsteps throughout our entire lives. We have shared countless moments of joy and laughter, as well as endured the hardships that life throws at us. Although I will miss my brother dearly, I will always cherish the thousands of memories we made together. The sadness lies in the fact that we won’t be able to create more memories together. Kenny and I didn’t always agree on everything, but where would the fun be in that? Now, it’s my turn to be strong and … Continue reading Kenny’s Passing: A Reflection on a Meaningful Life

Marble Falls and the Area Around it., My Family, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Connecting The Dots

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This past weekend was a slow one. Several times I’ve been talking with or chatting on messenger with someone and we start thinking we are kinfolks, because we have the name Lewis or Boultinghouse in our lineage. For me, of course, I carry the Lewis name around with me in my billfold right there on my drivers license. My mother was a Boultinghouse, so there you go. There aren’t all that many Boultinghouse’s in the world, or in Texas. And for the most part that is the world to me. Lewis is a name that is far reaching. There may … Continue reading Connecting The Dots

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Fast Food (really fast food)

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Anyone remember when they built the new hamburger place on William Cannon at Manchaca Rd. Best I can remember it was a Carl’s Jr. They started and worked around the clock to have it in operation in 24 hours and they did it. It was an attempt to set a record for the fastest fast food place to be built. It was in August 9, 1979 or September 26, 1982, I can’t remember which. How do I know it was one of those dates? We lived a few blocks from there. I took my wife to St. David’s one morning … Continue reading Fast Food (really fast food)

Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Jollyville Years, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Vernon Blizzard

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I found out years later it was Blisard. With the temperatures cooling down a little, let me tell you about a Blizzard I once experienced. His name was Vernon Blizzard. He worked with my grandmother Ruby at the State School that was in West Austin in the early 60s. I don’t know what Vernon did at work but away from work he traded in Shetland Ponies. He didn’t just deal in them he was was a major Shetland Pony Trafficker. If you, like many parents of that day wanted your child to have a Shetland Pony you went to Vernon … Continue reading Vernon Blizzard

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, On The Job, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, Smithwick, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings5 Comments

The Disease

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It was in the hot summer time and I was out of school for the summer. I was about 14 or 15 years old and working for my Dad, Cecil Lewis. We were building a road down by Turkey Bend. Just country roads are all we built back then, hauling and spreading out caliche for new subdivision roads. I always ran the loader, loading the five or six dump trucks that hauled the caliche. The trucks were driven mostly by our school age friends, the ones at least sixteen and could get a commercial license. Socks Jackson was the mechanic … Continue reading The Disease

Crazy Times, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

The Highway Patrolman At Paleface Park

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Besides racing Shetland’s at Paleface and eating lots of BBQ at the old Paleface Store, I have one other story that connects to Paleface. Kenny and I together with our wives were heading to Luling for our great grandmother Purcell’s birthday celebration on a Sunday morning. I was driving Madeline’s 1974 Pontiac Granville. This incident happened in 1975 or 1976, given the car we were in. Most likely I was exceeding the speed limit. Oh of course I was. They had reduced the speed limit to a maximum of 55 MPH, so almost everyone broke the speed limit. How were … Continue reading The Highway Patrolman At Paleface Park

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

Winfield and the Wimberley Bank

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I thought that the incident with Winfield and the speeding tickets had taught him a lesson. I found out later how clueless I was about what all was going on in that man’s head. If you set and listened to him you would really take him to be just a big talker, but you knew he wanted to make it big one day. He had been around a couple of years by this time and my business was going through a very tumultuous time. My bills were all behind, creditors were beating our door down and Winfield was spending most … Continue reading Winfield and the Wimberley Bank

Aging, Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings3 Comments

The Lady With the Beautiful Green Eyes

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In the spring of 1969, my dad had a trailer truck that he would send down below San Antonio to pickup carpet grass and deliver around up in the Marble Falls area. There was a man and his wife that built a new house just down off of Haynie Flat Road near Paleface Ranch. The house was right on top of a big bluff overlooking the Pedernales River. It was a very nice, ultra-fancy place for those days. We had the job of hauling a bunch of good topsoil in, to go over the rocks. I got several of my … Continue reading The Lady With the Beautiful Green Eyes