The Early Days, The Jollyville Years, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

What’s In The Name ?

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The reason I took to the name – The Angora Chronicles – Angora goats were mine and my brother Kenny’s first business venture.The year was 1960. Shelton Kennedy (one of my Dads very best friends) was a goat man.When it came time to sell off his years kid crop, he sold 20 freshly weaned goats to us each. We had no money so he let us pay him after we had sheared them and collected the money. He sold the goats to us for $2 each.We lived on 65 acres of the hilliest, rockiest pasture land in all of central … Continue reading What’s In The Name ?

Aging, Thoughts and Musings3 Comments

A Trip To The Apple Store

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Went to The Domain in Austin yesterday morning to get my IPhone screen replaced at the Apple Store. It was going to take a little while so I found a good vantage point so I could watch the comings and goings. That’s quite the place. I’m not sure I could ever settle in and get that homey feeling there, but to each there on. It’s fairly pricey to rent one of the many apartments throughout the place. It seems more like you are in New York City or San Fran, than Austin. Heck I’ve even got a granddaughter, Holly living … Continue reading A Trip To The Apple Store

Amazing Things, My Family, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

The Magical Minds Of Children

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I was driving down the road this afternoon with my 4 year old granddaughter, Sofia in a car seat in the back. I’ve been experiencing issues with my brand spanking new hot tub, the one that I thought would never get installed. In the week since it got installed, there have been a series of it working fine, then suddenly it will throw a breaker and shut down. Then I get the tech out to fix. That’s already happened 3 times. This guy has been great. It’s obvious that he knows his business, but there are some real oddities happening. … Continue reading The Magical Minds Of Children

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, No Place Like Bertram, Thoughts and Musings1 Comment

BBQ For The Super Bowl

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I went to the best BBQ Joint around and bought the largest spread I could carry. It was on a huge circular tray with every kind of meat imaginable. It even had a huge pile of burnt ends that tasted like delicious rib meat for sure. Did I tell you I love beef ribs? There were juices almost running over the sides of the tray. I had to be very careful not to tilt it and spill it. Perhaps not the best way to package that kind of a spread for transport. I think that’s the way they bring it … Continue reading BBQ For The Super Bowl

Amazing Things, The Early Days, The Jollyville Years3 Comments

Capital Plaza And Greasy The Pig

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When I was 9 years old, in November 1961, Austin was a very different place. It got it’s first shopping mall. It was called Capital Plaza Shopping Center. It wasn’t anything like some of the ones that would follow. Hancock Mall, Highland Mall, & Barton Creek Mall were a decade or so later. The center piece of Capital Plaza was a Montgomery Wards Department Store. There were about two dozen other stores located within the center. The first McDonalds in Austin was built there. Prior to this time there there were small little strip centers, like Delwood and of course … Continue reading Capital Plaza And Greasy The Pig

Aging, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, Thoughts and Musings4 Comments

A Simple Trip To The Drug Store

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A few days ago I drove up to the window at Walgreens in Burnet to pickup a couple of prescriptions. Prescriptions that I’d been trying to get refilled for several days. But finally got a text telling me they were ready. She kept telling me that I didn’t have anything ready yet. After debating the issue a few moments I finally sent my phone in for her to see for herself. “Lady it’s not like I’m making it up”. After looking she let me know, with a little smirk on her face that my prescriptions were ready at CVS, and … Continue reading A Simple Trip To The Drug Store

Aging, Amazing Things, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Old Man Cardwell

lewisotr

When we were young, I would have been a preteen, we went all over Smithwick horseback. Mostly it was Kenny, Jimmy Palmer, Glenn Lewis and me, but sometimes other boys in the community joined in. I guess it had more to do with whether a youngster had access to a horse. Everett and Maude Jackson had the little store beside the road just below the cemetery, back towards the church house. The store had really limited fare. Mostly snacks and soda pops. Maybe some soda crackers and Vienna Sausages or potted meat. I don’t remember there being many perishables. Seems … Continue reading Old Man Cardwell

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, My Friends, The Construction Biz, Thoughts and Musings, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Pete and the Boulder Busters

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Times have changed a lot in the 50 years that I’ve been in the construction business. The only economical way to excavate rock for installing underground utilities in the first 10 years was blasting with dynamite. It tapered off over the next decades to where that method is rarely even used today. We blasted up and down streets in very congested areas. In my first 4 or 5 years there wasn’t even a city permit required in Austin to transport and use explosives. Anyone dealing with the City of Austin now, would find that hard to believe. Now you need … Continue reading Pete and the Boulder Busters

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin4 Comments

A South Austin Hailstorm

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It happened along about 1975. My life has been mostly marked by the year model of this car or that pickup I was driving and at this time. I had a “75” Chevrolet El Camino, two tone blue. Midnight blue top and bottom with a medium blue in the middle. I needed a new pair of work boots, so I headed over to Herman’s Workshoes and Workbooks on South Lamar at Oltorf St. Being young married at the time, we did a lot together back then so my wife met there. She was driving a “74” Pontiac Grand Ville. We … Continue reading A South Austin Hailstorm

Amazing Things, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

One Of The Greatest Things I Was Ever A Part Of

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In the fall of 2013 I made plans to go to Washington DC. Madeline and I drove to New Orleans where we boarded the Amtrak Train and made the two day and one night trip to DC. We had reserved a sleeper berth so it was a fairly easy trip. We arrived and got to our hotel. Madeline was only there for a short time, maybe a day, then she flew away to a meeting, to which I can’t even remember where, these 8 1/2 years later. It was a little difficult getting around town on that trip. We had … Continue reading One Of The Greatest Things I Was Ever A Part Of