Category: Thoughts and Musings

Texas History, Thoughts and Musings5 Comments

San Antonio’s Union Stockyards

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I personally have great memories of this place. I was blown away to learn that actual auction rings with the auction calls we are now familiar with have only been around for around 60 years. Prior to that a cattle stockyard was a place that ranchers met up and sold their livestock to each other with the facility being there to weight the stock and help with the money transfer. I didn’t know the real history behind this place but I was able to find this article, which is the best writing I’ve found on the history of the SA … Continue reading San Antonio’s Union Stockyards

Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

State Juvenile Training School Cemetery Gatesville, Coryell County, Texas

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This is a small cemetery at Gatesville at what was the Boy’s Reformatory. There are 16 graves. Most died in a fairly short period of time 3-4 years. One died in 1908 and all the others died between 1916 – 1920. Pneumonia appears to be the major cause of death with Typhoid Fever and Meningitis also showing up on death certificates. I saw a drowning in the river as the cause of another. I suppose while trying to escape. Times were hard and if they were a long distance away from their homes, they just didn’t have a means or … Continue reading State Juvenile Training School Cemetery Gatesville, Coryell County, Texas

Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

It Can Get Hot In May

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Looks like we have a fairly nice week coming up. Well after today it shouldn’t be just oppressively hot. Of course today’s 96° won’t be bad after those 100°+ stuff the past few of days. I remember back in the early 80s, I bid a wastewater project in Laredo, right down along the Rio Grande River. My old bookkeeper Woody went down with me to look at it. He dumped me out up on the upper end and drove about five miles down the river to a predetermined location where I’d be coming up out of the bottoms. I headed … Continue reading It Can Get Hot In May

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, My Friends, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

A Lincoln Town Car Sedan With Dual Tires On All Four Wheels

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My friend and colleague Gerry I got to the restaurant at the same time one morning. This took place south of Dallas at the town of Waxahachie. As we were walking in I saw a strange sight. A new Lincoln Continental was parked front and center. It looked like any other car of that make, except it was equipped with dual tires all the way around. Each tire was only approximately half the width of a normal car tire. It was the strangest thing I’d seen in a while. We stood there discussing it for a bit, trying to figure … Continue reading A Lincoln Town Car Sedan With Dual Tires On All Four Wheels

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Rolling Back The Odometer

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I told in an earlier story about working during my senior year of high school at an Auto Dealership. I was in the Distributive Education Program, allowing me to spend the afternoon actually working on a job where I made money, instead of sitting in a classroom wasting my time. At least that’s the way it felt. For my job I moved cars around from place to place, cleaned up cars, took out the trash and vacuumed the floors in the offices. I did pretty much anything that was needed to be done. I even drove cars around town to … Continue reading Rolling Back The Odometer

Aging, Funny Happenings, Phone Scam, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

Ring Ring Ring

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Hello this is Joseph Smith with Medicare Claims Department. Is the Ronald? No, this is Frank his Son. Can I speak to Ronald? No. We are having his funeral on Sunday. Will you be able to come? Did Ronald die? Yes Sir, that’s why we are burying him on Sunday. I’m sorry. That’s okay. Can you get us some death benefits, to help pay for the funeral expenses? A, a, a, that’s not in my department. We are going to miss him, he was such a great man. If you need to get ahold of me, I’m going to keep … Continue reading Ring Ring Ring

Aging, Funny Happenings, Phone Scam, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Ring A Ling Ding

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Mr. Lewis this is the GM Warranty Department. Me in my regular voice: Hello GMW Man: I see your warranty on your 2018 GMC has expired. I can offer………… Me in a distress voice: I don’t have it any longer. GMW Man: Well thank you. Me in a crying voice: Don’t hang up. Can you help me. They took my pickup away from me and sold it. GMW Man: Why did they do that, Mr. Lewis. Me in a crying voice: They said I can’t drive any more. GMW Man: Hopefully you’ll get it back: Me now in an crying … Continue reading Ring A Ling Ding

Aging, Amazing Things, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Story Of The Beagles

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I have a long love affair with Beagles. A lot of people will find umbrage with me claiming to love dogs, but never having an inside dog. That just speaks to different peoples tastes in pets and how much they want to be one with them. I’m fine with a dog having a nice comfy bed in the garage and waiting for me to come outside and go for a walk. But if someone wants to share their human bed with a dog, that’s you own business. What a man or woman does in their bedroom is up to them. … Continue reading The Story Of The Beagles

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Call Me Clueless

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Let me tell you something that I even find hard to believe and I was at the center of it. A few years back my wife and a couple of my sons were talking about The Eagles. I simply had no idea who or what they were talking about. It was like “you’ve got to be kidding, you don’t know who The Eagles are ?”. I could honestly say that I had never heard of The Eagles. After them explaining to me that they were one of the most popular bands of the 70s and again in the 90s I … Continue reading Call Me Clueless