The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

Bar Ditches

lewisotr

Bar Ditch is what we commonly refer to as the ditch along side of driveways, roads and highways. Like so many other things in our Texas Speak, Bar Ditch is a shortened version of Borrow Ditch. So called because when building the roadbed, dirt is taken or borrowed from the sides of the road and brought to the middle to build up the roadway. This provides positive drainage so the rain runoff can be directed natural drainage ways. Streets with curbs don’t have bar ditches because drainage is achieved with inlets, flumes and networks of underground piping to direct runoff … Continue reading Bar Ditches

Construction, Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, On The Job, The Early Days2 Comments

A Case of Limestone Poisoning ?

lewisotr

Sometime in 1973 we were doing a project for the new I-35 expansion in downtown Austin. It was a crazy, difficult project with old pipes running underground every which way. We had one place that we were excavating about 40 deep and then bored underneath I-35 for about 250 feet to run a new wastewater line. In those days the road bores were done where water was mixed with the limestone rock cuttings that were being excavated. It was called Wet Bore Method as opposed to now most all road bores are done using the Dry Bore Method. Wet Boring … Continue reading A Case of Limestone Poisoning ?

Aging, Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., My Friends2 Comments

George Corker and Sammy Hall – Doing Laundry

lewisotr

Sammy Hall is always asking if I’ve heard how George Corker is doing. Then he’ll tell me about the two of them washing out some red grease rags with gasoline at Dale Corker’s Mobil Station. Then they took them across the street to TQ Brown’s Laundromat and put them in a dryer. When those gasoline fumes made it to the pilot light, it blew the front windows out of the place. No matter how many times he tells me that story, I always laugh. I remember it actually happening. Continue reading George Corker and Sammy Hall – Doing Laundry

Amazing Things, Marble Falls and the Area Around it.Leave a comment

The History of Marble Falls

lewisotr

We have done several segments over the years on the wonderful look back over the first 100 years of Marble Falls. This is to allow folks to look at the whole thing. Very interesting stuff. This should come with a disclaimer. Once you start looking through it, it could take up the better part of your day. Part 1: file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/56/06/45A3C219-C51E-4BE5-87C8-AB110073A1C6/FILE_9738.pdf Part 2: file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/b8/08/7BA9E81E-DB74-4D54-A84E-26CFC250E2B2/1911-1935.pdf Part3: file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/85/05/042ABDB6-1A8C-46C4-A97F-DE3086F910DE/1936-1960.pdf Part 4: file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/87/07/24805FCD-B1E7-41DA-9151-0D9DDA86094E/1961-end.pdf Continue reading The History of Marble Falls

Aging, Another Daily Happening, Crazy Times, Thoughts and Musings9 Comments

Well I Just Ran Into A New One

lewisotr

Let me start out by telling you all that I’m a restless sleeper. I’m up and down and all around the whole night long. I’ve gone through a lot of different mattresses, pillows and just about everything ever invented to help an old boy get a good nights sleep. I bought one of those beds that each end jacks up and down and vibrates. Then I’ve gone thru several different mattresses but finally found one that seems to work better than the others. If I remember correctly I paid about $3600 for it. And it’s just a queen size. BTW: … Continue reading Well I Just Ran Into A New One

Amazing Things, Another Daily Happening, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., The History of Texas, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

C.H. Roper – Dentist

lewisotr

I was asked one time if I knew of a dentist in Marble Falls by the name of Roper. I hadn’t heard that name come up before.He went on to tell me he believed that he moved on to Austin with his practice sometime in the 30s and by the later 40s he had been involved in a murder, but didn’t know a great deal about it. After doing a little research I found several things that seem to be quite interesting about this dentist. Yes, he had in fact been convicted of murder (I couldn’t find out much about … Continue reading C.H. Roper – Dentist

Marble Falls and the Area Around it., Texas History, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

As I Start Down This Slippery Slope

lewisotr

Why am I bringing this up? I’ll probably be asking myself the same question before the days out. Actually I saw something on an old map, from 1903 a few days ago, that I had never seen before. There was a crossing below Wirtz Dam that was named Nigger Crossing. (More research will be done to fine when that name was expunged from the USGS Maps) Did it get that name because they had their own crossing? If so, did the white folks cross wherever they wanted? That seems special to have your own crossing. I was well aware of … Continue reading As I Start Down This Slippery Slope

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

Glenn Lewis’s Old Blue & White “62” Ford Pickup

lewisotr

Anyone that was around Marble Falls in the 60s should remember Glenn’s old pickup. It was his main mode of transportation for at least a decade. Often could be seen pulling that old single horse trailer. When we finished our first project which was in Burnet in 1972, we moved on to Lakeway, A few months later we completed that job that was called The Greenway Condo’s. Glenn’s Old Blue Ford Pickup had given up on him and he left it sitting in a field at the side of those condos, out in a patch of cedar trees. He started … Continue reading Glenn Lewis’s Old Blue & White “62” Ford Pickup

Marble Falls and the Area Around it., Smithwick, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

Cedar Choppers

lewisotr

This isn’t an actual story. It is the notes that I made to read off of while I gave a talk at The Falls on the Colorado Musuem last Saturday June 3, 2023. A fellow said to me before I gave this talk: ”You ain’t gonna claim you used to cut cedar are you? How are you going to get up and talk about it?” I said “I talk about things all the time I’ve never done, thankfully.” Good morning everyone . I am here today to talk about Cedar Choppers. Primarily the Central Texas Cedar Chopper. Hasn’t The Museum … Continue reading Cedar Choppers