Category: Thoughts and Musings

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, My Friends, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Double Tailed Quarters

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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

Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

What Is A Good Wage To Pay A Feller?

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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?

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

Possum Kingdom Lake & The Goat Shed

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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

Aging, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Doing What Made Me Happy

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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

Amazing Things, Another Daily Happening, Construction, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

This Is Called “Living In The Past”

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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”

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, My Friends, The Early Days, The Jollyville Years, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Making Of A Short Documentary

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This is a Post that I made on this date February 7, 2018. We are six years and a million miles from here now. Several years ago my grandson Nathan came to me and ask for help with a school project. Nathan graduated last year and this happened when he was about 9 or 10 so yes, it’s been awhile. He needed to do a report about something historic. Since we owned the old Bertram Drug Store at that time and I’d researched the history of that building, I suggested that be the topic. A short time before that I … Continue reading The Making Of A Short Documentary

The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

She Was Mawmaw, Then She Became Mawmaw Nonie Before She Was Nonie

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No matter what we called her, she was always a seamstress extraordinaire. She made all of Kenny and my shirts in the early years. Even on up to our early teenage years. Just about all of our shirts, at least early in our lives were made alike with the same fabric. I guess she thought it looked cute. When we got a little older, we started asking for specific things. Kenny wanted western cut shirts with pearl snaps and I just wanted something that made me look handsome. Looking through all the photos from Kenny’s service, made me realize that … Continue reading She Was Mawmaw, Then She Became Mawmaw Nonie Before She Was Nonie

Amazing Things, Another Daily Happening, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, The Jollyville Years, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Sideboards

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When I ran across the post below about the Bois D’arc tree, it conjured up a memory from more than 60 years ago. We were living down on the creek out of Jollyville. Cec, our dad bought a 3/4 Chevrolet Pickup. It had been a Texas Highway Department truck in its first life. So it was yellow with the huge logo sanded off the doors. Later on he even painted it green. Not a green anyone else on earth would have chosen for a pickup truck. It was something of a mint green, but not a true mint green. It … Continue reading The Sideboards

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, My Friends, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

It’s Funny How Things Happen

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Last night at Kenny’s viewing at the funeral home a good Ol Boy reminded me something. Let me start from the beginning to tell you the whole story from start to finish. I went out to Lakeway in the late 1970s and bid on a project. When I prepared the bid it came out to somewhere around $325,000. I called my bonding company and told them that the bid was going to exceed the amount I originally told them. At that time they were limiting me to a maximum size job of $300,000. I couldn’t convince them to raise my … Continue reading It’s Funny How Things Happen

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

Sometimes A Mistake Can End Up Being A Good Thing

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I was talking to a fellow, Ray, tonight at Kenny’s visitation at the funeral home. We, being Kenny & I, first met Ray well over 30 years ago. Kenny and Ray became very good friends, just about since they first met. I pretty much traveled in different circles afterwards that didn’t afford me the opportunity to be as closely connected, but I would see Ray occasionally. Ray worked for a very successful apartment builder and developer. Our meeting was on the first project that his company built in Austin. It was a time when I wasn’t very busy and I … Continue reading Sometimes A Mistake Can End Up Being A Good Thing