Cec And The Soldier

Cecil was my Dad. My brother and I called him Cec. No one else did. It was our name for him. He was from the old school as they say. He had a very rough exterior. Come to think of it he had a rough interior too. He was in the construction and trucking businesses. He worked hard his whole life. I always thought he was the toughest man I knew. He never backed away from anything or anybody. Once when I was about 13 or 14, my friend Billy Gene Henry and I accompanied Cec on a trip to … Continue reading Cec And The Soldier

The Flying Stick

It was my 16th year of life. My brother Kenny was in college up at Tarleton, his second semester and had moved into an apartment, that had formerly been occupied by a cop he was told. The cop had left a night stick behind. Kenny was sure that I would need that club one day, so he brought it home to me. He always looked out for me like that. The wooden stick had been drilled through the core had a steel rod inserted. I kept it stuck between the seat and the console. My means of transportation was a … Continue reading The Flying Stick

In My Next Life

I’m not sure what the afterlife or the next life looks completely like. But what I know for sure is if given a chance to re-live my life over, I want to do it in an occupation where rain is never a bad thing. For over 50 years, while rains could come over a weekend and it wouldn’t stop work, but even then there would be pumping out holes and cleanup come Monday. But the real anxiety would be when the whole week would call for rain in the forecast, turning into a disaster when it actually happened. The weather … Continue reading In My Next Life

The Story Of The Bonnie & Clyde Movie (as told by Dink McDuff)

Paul Pruitt was a cattle buyer and had a feedlot down along the border. Dink had met him, I suppose, hanging out in one coffee shop or the other when he was there working on the water and sewer system in Eagle Pass back in the 60s. One day Paul invited Dink to fly with him to look at some cattle down at Laredo. Paul flew his own plane. They made it there and took care of the business they needed to and got ready to leave to fly back to Eagle Pass. A rain system was moving in so … Continue reading The Story Of The Bonnie & Clyde Movie (as told by Dink McDuff)

A Little Digging Pays Off

This post is about the name I found on my Paternal Great Grandparents (Moses and Judy Maybelle Linebarger) Marriage License. I was curious about who the Minister was that married them. The spelling of the name was hard to make out. Trying several different spellings I finally went to the Burnet Co. History Book – Vol. 1 and found the name Bro. Rucker. Seeing that he had been at a church, Hale Spring Baptist Church which was located up Hamilton Creek, I decided this may be the man I was looking for. But it didn’t give a first name or … Continue reading A Little Digging Pays Off

The Cowboys’ Turtle Association

“The things we don’t know!!” In premise, the Rodeo Association of America (RAA) was a great idea. Its formation in 1929 brought about a standard set of rules, allowing for world champions to be recognized in bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, steer roping, calf roping, bulldogging, team roping, and even wild cow milking. What the RAA lacked, however, was representation. Made up entirely of rodeo committees and producers, the RAA had its members’ best interests at heart, not necessarily the contestants’. This came to a head in October 1936, when Hugh Bennett, a world champion steer wrestler and top … Continue reading The Cowboys’ Turtle Association

The Felps Trailer Company Johnson City, Texas

By the time the early 80s rolled around, Madeline and I had a house full of young-uns, which translated into the need for a Suburban. She was always wanting to haul something that wouldn’t fit in there with all the boys. So I did what any good husband would do, I bought her a new 16’ tandem axle Felps utility trailer for her birthday one year. Dang that was the best pulling trailer I can ever remember having. Dick Laymon on Manchaca Road sold them back then. There was a rule for that trailer. If I pulled it, it had … Continue reading The Felps Trailer Company Johnson City, Texas

The Mystery

It was at dusk on Sunday evening 12/15/13. As I drove north on I35 nearing Hillsboro, Texas I had an encounter with an apparent drunk driver. In front of me I saw a white S-10 Chevrolet pickup (an older vehicle – late 90’s model) that was all over the road. Traffic was heavy. He took an 18 wheeler completely to the shoulder of the highway. I decided to hold back to observe. The pickup continued to drive erratically. I dialed 911. When the dispatcher answered, I gave her the details that I was observing. By that time we had passed … Continue reading The Mystery

Falstaff Beer and My Uncle Oscar (Ott)

This first photo makes me think about my mother’s oldest brother, Oscar Leland Boultinghouse.He was a fiddle player, that played around the Central Texas Area in many of the dance halls and was known as Oscar “Falstaff” Boultinghouse. I always supposed it was due to a beer company sponsorship, which was a popular thing back in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.For many years, perhaps to the end, he had a special affinity to Falstaff Beer, his brand of choice. Continue reading Falstaff Beer and My Uncle Oscar (Ott)