Aging, Crazy Times, No Place Like Bertram, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

My Love Affair With Donkeys

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The Afternoon I Went On A Donkey Buying Spree. Right after we moved to our place in Bertram, I decided we needed to get some guard donkeys. I inquired around and found a women down the road a piece had three Jenny’s and a Jack she wanted to sell. Being green to buying such animals, I went to see her and ended up making a deal for the whole bunch. Of course I paid about double the going rate. I’m not even going to tell you what I paid. It’s been about 27 years ago that I made that transaction, … Continue reading My Love Affair With Donkeys

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

Granny Ruby Loved To Laugh

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I called her Granny or Ruby Lee. Either was fine with her. She lived in north central Austin on a short street, just off of Burnet Road in the 5500 block. As an adult running around Austin in the construction business if I was close to her neighborhood I would drop in. That is if I had time to kill. There were no short visits with her. She always had a lot to say. The only thing that would stop most of the talking was when the Price is Right came on. How anyone could live in a house that … Continue reading Granny Ruby Loved To Laugh

Funny Happenings, In and Around Austin, My Family1 Comment

The Garage Sale

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I have always enjoyed playing a practical joke on people, but no one as much as my Granny Ruby. She was always so humorous and would easily laugh at herself. Madeline and I had temporarily left Austin and were living in Houston where we had several projects going on. We still had our home in Austin so we would sometimes return to Austin on the weekends. This one weekend when we were in, my sis-in-law Karen told me that Granny Ruby, who lived in North Austin was having a garage sale and she was going to be taking stuff over … Continue reading The Garage Sale

Funny Happenings, In and Around Austin, My Family4 Comments

Granny Ruby and the Phone Call

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One time around midnight back in the 60s, Granny Ruby (my dad’s birth mother) received a phone call. The person on the other end told her that he was with the phone company and there was an indication that something was wrong in her phone that was causing a problem at the switchboard. He explain that some times that would happen and it need immediate attention and with her help it could be remedied. Would she be willing to help? Being the good and helpful person she prided herself in being she said sure I’ll help. The fellow ask if … Continue reading Granny Ruby and the Phone Call

Amazing Things, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings5 Comments

An Amazing Seamstress

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I always knew my Grandmother, Leona Purcell Lewis (Nonie or Aunt Nonie to many) was a great seamstress, but I guess I didn’t know how early in her life she had that talent. In 1933 she made this wedding dress for her little sister Amanda “Mandy” Purcell Lewis. Leona was but 22 years old at the time she sewed this wedding dress. She was raised on a farm in the community of High Grove, Bastrop County, Texas and had no formal training. It was surely a gift of God and being raised up in a hard working family. I’ve been … Continue reading An Amazing Seamstress

In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

There Are Certain Things You Just Don’t Want To Know

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Early in my construction career I was involved in a project in west Austin, on West 5th St. That project is seared in my memory, even though it happened almost 50 years ago, around 1973. We were relocating a bunch of utilities lines, that needed to be moved so MoPac could be constructed. There were many things that happened during the course of that project. They aren’t that important at this moment. Several years and a million miles later, we did a second project in the same area of Austin. That project was providing drainage for a new building, a … Continue reading There Are Certain Things You Just Don’t Want To Know

Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

The Winfield Escapades and the Changing Times

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This story consists of several previously written stories, all woven together to give better clarity of what happened when Winfield entered my life in the early 1980s. When I write a book about my life, Winfield will surely make up a long chapter in it. Therefore the following is written with a book in mind. When I think back on my life, business and personally, I don’t think anyone made a more lasting impression on me than did Winfield. He and I were just casual friends when we were growing up. Since we grew up in a small town, being … Continue reading The Winfield Escapades and the Changing Times

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Kenny Lewis, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Lewis Brothers Became A Little Intimidated (originally told in 2014)

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I’ve been searching for the right way to tell this story and there just doesn’t seem like a real right way. While spending time today with Kenny, he asked if I’d ever gotten around to telling it. So here goes. One day while driving through Marble, we encountered 2 very big, very black, very tough looking fellows in their 1960s something Cadillac Pimpmobile. This was about 1969 or 70. Kenny and I have differing memories when it comes to how this all began, but the end result is, he or I one of the other must have honked our horn … Continue reading The Lewis Brothers Became A Little Intimidated (originally told in 2014)

Amazing Things, Smithwick, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Saying Goodbye, for the Time Being

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Many of us gathered at the Smithwick Cemetery today, Saturday March 12, 2022 to celebrate the wonderful life of Mona Gayle Waldrip. Always such a beautiful and classy lady. (My apologies for the glare on a couple of these photos) I knew she had several books, but I’m not sure I realized there were this many. These were laid out on a table for us all to view and enjoy. The following book, Mona Gayle’s recording of the history of The Smithwick Cemetery is something we all will continue to enjoy and learn from. For this great work by Mona … Continue reading Saying Goodbye, for the Time Being

Amazing Things, Cecil Lewis, Crazy Times, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

Cecil Lewis And The Navy

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My Dad went away at an early age to fight for this country, during World War II. The picture shows him at the age of 17. He served most of his time on the USS South Dakota, a battleship. He was contacted by the USS South Dakota Association and sent a package sometime in the late 70s and was ask to deliver it and present it at a ceremony being held at the Battleship Texas, next to the San Jacinto Monument near Houston. Kenny and I accompanied him to that dedication one Saturday morning. We left Smithwick early, very early, … Continue reading Cecil Lewis And The Navy