Amazing Things, My Sons, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Willy Willy Christmas Tree

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If I started telling you about the Willy Willy Christmas Tree you’d have no idea what I was talking about. But to Madeline and me, we have known a special tree by that name for more than 40 years. That special tree is in Zilker Park Christmas Tree that just about every Austinite has probably stood under and twirled around. When our first born son, Matthew (born in 1974) was young, 2 or maybe 3, we had planned to go see “The Christmas Tree” one evening. There had been a big build up to seeing it, he had probably seen … Continue reading The Willy Willy Christmas Tree

Crazy Times, Meeting New People, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Hood Blew Open

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A month before Madeline and I married in 1971, I had a 1968 Ford Galaxy 500 that I rear ended a Williamson Country Road Maintenance Pickup in Liberty Hill, completely demolishing the front end. It took a couple of months to get it the repairs done. I finally got it out of the body shop on a Friday afternoon, just before leaving on Saturday morning for the Jordan Christmas Party in Houston. The Jordan Family Christmas Party was the highlight every year for Madeline’s whole family, when they got to see all their cousins, aunts and uncles on her dads … Continue reading The Hood Blew Open

Amazing Things, Thoughts and Musings5 Comments

It Almost Sent Me Into A Panic

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This story actually started back in 2012 when my wife and I moved down to Corpus Christi to spend our twilight years on the coast. Of which after a couple of years, we knew there was no place like Burnet County to call home, so we came back to the Hill Country. Once we got our house and started outfitting it, we were buying most everything new, as we were maintaining a residence up here and left our old stuff behind. One Sunday afternoon we went to the CC Convention Center to the annual home and garden show. We were … Continue reading It Almost Sent Me Into A Panic

Crazy Times, The Construction BizLeave a comment

Not Being Easily Embarrassed

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My wife swears she has only seen me embarrassed one time. It was 20 something years ago, when I was out in the sun a lot and my skin was very dark. As suntanned as I was, my face lit up like Santa’s suit. It so happened that one day in our office I barged in on an office worker nursing her new born son, even after Madeline told me not to go in that room. I thought she meant that I would wake up a sleeping baby, “so don’t go in there”. Well that wasn’t the only reason for … Continue reading Not Being Easily Embarrassed

Crazy Times, My Friends, On The Job, The Construction BizLeave a comment

A Hunting Trip To Utah

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Back in the days, mid 1980s, when I had the energy to trek up and down mountains hunting deer I went off to Utah with few others to hunt for the big one. We were supposed to spent five days up there and not a one of us ever got a shot off. Of course it was the worst spell of rain to ever hit that area. It was however one of the greatest adventures that any of us had ever been on. This trip happened right in the middle of the double tailed quarter episode that I’ve written about … Continue reading A Hunting Trip To Utah

Amazing Things, My Friends, The Early Days, The Jollyville Years1 Comment

Just Another Strange Happening

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When we were kids going to school in Jollyville, there were the Reeves boy’s that were the same age as Kenny and me. Donnie was Kenny’s age and Danny and I were in the same grade. We often visited each other’s house and played together. Then the Reeves’s cousin Elvin Horner came to live with them. He was a grade ahead Kenny and Donnie. The Reeves family moved and we lost touch with them. That was about 1963. By the mid 80s I was awarded a contract to construct a development project in Round Rock. When we got started building … Continue reading Just Another Strange Happening

Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, The Early DaysLeave a comment

My Crooked Nose

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I earned my crooked nose. It took me a long time to learn what to do to keep from getting punched in the nose. It was mostly all about keeping my mouth shut at the right time. Back in the mid 70s we were doing a project on the east side of Houston. At I-10 and Federal Rd. to be exact. The job keep me later than usual so well after dark I found myself standing at a pay phone outside of Jim’s Coffee Shop on Federal Rd. Probably letting Madeline know to not wait dinner on me. At the … Continue reading My Crooked Nose

Crazy Times, The Construction Biz1 Comment

Cell Phones On The Cheap

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After the prosperous years of the 80s came the real estate bust of the late 80s and early 90s. Kenny, Coy and I (of double tailed quarter fame) were teamed up again doing work together. The days of mobile phones had given way to pagers and pay phones.Mobile phones were very expensive in the early days. My average phone bill in the 80s was $1,000 – $1,200 per month. That wasn’t for the whole company, that was just me. I stayed on the phone constantly, conducting business and doing a fair share of BSing. Those costs just weren’t in the … Continue reading Cell Phones On The Cheap

Crazy Times, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Teacher’s Pet

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I wasn’t the most well behaved student in Mrs. Corkers 8th grade class. That year was the first and only time I ever had to change schools. I must have tried hard to fit in. I certainly got my share of attention, for a new kid. She was considered a good teacher, but was very stern. English was my most difficult subject. I didn’t like it, I didn’t understand it. Mrs.Corker didn’t take to students that failed to excel in English. It was obvious that the two of us were going nowhere, fast. One day during class, she was talking … Continue reading The Teacher’s Pet

Aging, My Friends, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Sometimes If You Keep On The Trail, It Lead You To Where You Are Going

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I had a good friend that passed on a while back. When he was still alive, he would sometimes ask me what I thought ever happened to a gal, that was his first love. I got busy and found out where she lived, even found him an address, which wasn’t too far off his beaten path. He never got the courage to make contact. I think he knew it’s wasn’t the thing to do. His life had made many turns and given that it appeared she had married a couple of times and had children and grandchildren, not making contact … Continue reading Sometimes If You Keep On The Trail, It Lead You To Where You Are Going