Another Daily Happening, My Friends, On The JobLeave a comment

Big Jimmy Finally Got A Belly Full Of Me

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This is a story I wrote a couple years ago. I know this because it was the 43rd birthday of my oldest son Matthew – August 22, 1974. Sometimes it takes a call from an old friend to stir up memories from the past. Jimmy Palmer called to wish me a happy birthday. He always likes to sing happy birthday to me. I reminded him that 43 years ago today we were working over on Knuckles Crossing Road in Southeast Austin. I remember that because we lived just a very shorty distance from that job while Madeline was really big … Continue reading Big Jimmy Finally Got A Belly Full Of Me

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, My Friends, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Disease (rewrite)

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When I originally wrote this story I left out a few minor details as I didn’t think it was right to possibly bring shame on my brother, mostly, as he has always been a pretty wholesome, upstanding sort. But in an attempt to tell it like it was, here goes. It was in the hot summer time and I was out of school for the summer. I was 15 years old and working for my Dad, Cecil Lewis. We were building some roads down by Turkey Bend, for Frank Wycoff. They were just country subdivision roads. That’s about all we … Continue reading The Disease (rewrite)

My Friends, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

This Popped Up From A Long Ago Post Of Mine….. Like Six Years Ago Today.

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To clear the air a bit. A couple days ago, one of the members of this forum (FB Friend) chided me a bit for my misspelling and grammar usage. It was in a joking way and I really don’t care what she thinks, just because she has her teaching credentials. (Big deal Laurie – And I am really jabbing her for jabbing me) I’m not here to write a treatise that will end up in the Library of Congress. My point here in my posts are to convey my thoughts in a matter that would be liking to me speaking … Continue reading This Popped Up From A Long Ago Post Of Mine….. Like Six Years Ago Today.

Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

J.P. And The Fancy Wheels And Tires

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The junk yard is what we called it. It was a 5 acre abandoned field up the hill and just out of sight of our house. It was on our land, but Cec let Hugh Hampton use it. He would bring wrecked cars in and strip them down for usable car parts then scrap the remaining pieces. One day a “63” (may have been a “64”) Chevy Impala was brought in that had been in a wreck and was pretty much totaled. It had belong to fellow Marble Falls schoolmate, Jerry Ford. It had a really nice set of wide … Continue reading J.P. And The Fancy Wheels And Tires

Crazy Times, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Stolen Beer Caper

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Big Jimmy grew up across the highway at Smithwick, Texas from our Grandmother. Maw-Maw is what we called her, until in later years we called her Nonie, as she was called by many of her nieces and nephews. Nonie was derived from Leona, by her little brother years earlier. Jimmy helped Kenny & me haul hay and with other work around the place as we grew up. After getting his commercial driver’s license he started driving a dump truck for our Dad on weekends and after school. Since Kenny always had a girlfriend and became occupied with her, Jimmy and … Continue reading The Stolen Beer Caper

Crazy Times, On The Job, The Early Days, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Cleaning Golf Balls

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When all moved from Marble Falls we rented places Oak Hill, on Highway 71 out west of town. Madeline and I had our own mobile home. At the same trailer park in a rented trailer was Jimmy Palmer, Glenn Lewis and Jeff Carter. They mostly comprised my crew at that time. In the summertime of 1972 were working on a project at Lakeway. We were helping build a condo project, one of the first ones at Lakeway, which was a fairly small community in those days. One part of our project called for us to drain a pond at the … Continue reading Cleaning Golf Balls

Crazy Times, Kenny Lewis, My Friends, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Hay Hauling – Smithwick Style

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At 15 cents per bale, three young boys could make a fortune hauling hay or so we thought. Our Dad furnished the pickup, a 55 Chevy ¾ ton with a 4 speed and a 6 cylinder engine. But we had to pay for gas, which was cheap – $.30 per gal and flat repairs, which was a big unknown. We kept several spare tires around just in case. That’s what you did back in those days. Kenny was the driver, the pusher, the big boss man of the bunch. That left big Jimmy Palmer and me to load the hay … Continue reading Hay Hauling – Smithwick Style

My Friends, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Big Jim’s Ride

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Jim and Hanna put Jimmy in his first vehicle, a “53” Chevrolet 1/2 ton step-side pickup. It was a red color, with a few dents all around it, but it was solid. (This is about the best photo I could find to replicate that old pickup) He drove that old pickup for a few years before he bought Wallace Herberts gold “65” Impala. (This is a close resemblance to his Impala) I would say he wasn’t real easy on a vehicle, but he was always able to keep them going. That’s probable a good testament to how well built vehicles … Continue reading Big Jim’s Ride

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, My Friends, Smithwick, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Gift

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Some of my best memories growing up was hauling hay and doing the hard work. I’m not sure why those are my best memories, but they are. A few years ago when Madeline and I turned 60, our kids along with Kenny and Carol threw us a grand party out at Kenny’s place on Cow Creek. Jimmy Palmer brought me one of the best gifts I could have received. It was his hay hook that had hung in his barn for all these years. He wanted me to have it to remind me of the time that when he got … Continue reading The Gift

Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, My Friends, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Big Jimmy Got An Ear Full

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I told you a story about Big Jimmy Palmer giving the workers Feenamint Gum on the job one day and we lost the whole crew for that day. I’m not sure if anyone around, including those workers knew what had happened or if they thought they’d eaten some bad taco’s for breakfast. Along about that same time period, while on the same job, Jimmy and I drove back and forth Marble Falls to Austin everyday. This was circa 1972. Since I was furnishing the pickup we figured Jimmy could do the driving. An arraignment that worked pretty well, especially for … Continue reading Big Jimmy Got An Ear Full