Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, On The Job, The Construction Biz3 Comments

Glenn and the Hat

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If you grew up in Marble Falls, you knew Glenn. If you ever passed through Marble Falls you may have encountered Glenn Lewis. His was a real cowboy, doing ranch work most of his life. You always hear it said, that ol boy was born a hundred years too late. In Glenn’s case, there was never a truer cliché ever used. He was rugged, both inside and out. As a young man you would seldom see him that he wasn’t riding a horse or didn’t have one in a trailer behind an old pickup. He was 5 years older than … Continue reading Glenn and the Hat

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

The Princess Mobile Phones

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Back in the early 70s there was a fellow that started a new mobile phone service operating out of Austin. It was a far cheaper option than Southwestern Bell had at that time. That service could run into hundreds of dollars per month. I believe it cost “X” amount per call placed plus something like 50¢ per minute. Some high rollers would actually spend over a $1,000 per month, but it was the cost of doing business. Larry Bird with Capital Communications, the new guy, tapped into some new technology which allowed for a fairly small radio box to be … Continue reading The Princess Mobile Phones

Funny Happenings, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

A Good Laugh Will Take You A Long Way

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We are moving on down the road again this morning. As we headed out, with Madeline behind the wheel, I almost immediately started complaining about the seat in this thing. I actually blamed her for turning all these knobs on the side that adjust the lumbar and the hardness in the seat bottom. I cranked them both ways, belly aching the whole time. Mind you I wasn’t coming down too hard on her because I fiddle around with things constantly, so I had in the back of my mind that I could be the culprit. “It’s like sitting over here … Continue reading A Good Laugh Will Take You A Long Way

Amazing Things, My Friends, Thoughts and Musings2 Comments

Just Imagine My Surprise

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I haven’t been posting much lately. Call it being tired and worn out. Or I could blame it on a bout of COVID 19 back in March and then a pinched nerve and in my neck and left shoulder. All the above hasn’t made be feel all that much liking getting out and doing things and writing about them. Before I go on, let me tell you I’m also not all that pleased with FaceBook and how they have treated many of us. Therefore doing business with a business that is 180° from where I am on about 99.99% of … Continue reading Just Imagine My Surprise

Marble Falls and the Area Around it., Thoughts and Musings3 Comments

When My Dad Passed On

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My Dad did a lot of things throughout his life that I was very proud of him far. He was a very generous guy. He really would give you the shirt off his back. He’d even pull his pants off and hand them to you on Main Street, if he thought there was a good reason for doing so. He really didn’t care what anyone thought. “They can just kiss my ass“, was the attitude he went through life with. To just say he did things his own way just doesn’t seem adequate. He took it to a whole new … Continue reading When My Dad Passed On

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, The Construction Biz, The Early DaysLeave a comment

The Machine That Developed A Mind Of Its Own

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Back in 1973, we were doing a project out in the Northwest Hills Area of Austin. We had just acquired a new C14 Hein Werner Excavator, much like the one below. To make it travel the 2 shorter levers (with the black grips) in the picture below would be pushed forward or back depending on the direction you wanted to travel. Of course only pushing or pulling one lever would cause the machine to turn. If you were traveling for a far distance they could be snapped in, so you didn’t have to hold them. At the end of the … Continue reading The Machine That Developed A Mind Of Its Own

Amazing Things, Crazy Times, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Wilson’s Story

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Wilson was a child born probably in the early 1960s. There were siblings I remember hearing, but I’m unsure how they faired in life. Wilson ended up at the Austin State School. A ward of the state. My Granny Ruby worked there for many years in 60s and 70s and maybe even a little in the early 80s. She took a special interest in Wilson. No one every came to see him, so see took him under her wing. It was easy to tell that Wilson never really developed physically or mentally, but he had a sweet disposition about him. … Continue reading Wilson’s Story

Amazing Things, The History of TexasLeave a comment

Don’t Mess With Texas

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Believe it or not, Texas had an even worse roadway litter problem a few decades ago than we do now. This is what typical roadways looked like back in the 1960s & 1970s. This was along RM 2222 as it winds down the hill to Bull Creek. This from Texas Highways Magaine The history of one of the most successful ad campaigns ever https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don’t_Mess_with_Texas A Smithsonian Magazine Article about the very famous anti-litter campaign. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/trashy-beginnings-dont-mess-texas-180962490/ It guess it’s not just a Texas problem. When traveling through New Mexico we saw billboards concerning their Highway Litter Problem. Evidently they used the … Continue reading Don’t Mess With Texas

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

My Wife Always Tells Me To Pace Myself

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(The following story was written in November 2014, when The Angora Chronicles was but a few months old) My problem is when I think of something I have to get busy with it then and there or I may never get it done. It’s that way with writing stories. When something pops in my head, I need to get it written or I may never think of it again. That may be the reason that in just a few months time I’ve written about everything that’s happened to me and around me in a whole life time. If I had … Continue reading My Wife Always Tells Me To Pace Myself

My Friends, On The JobLeave a comment

My Friend Dave

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I first got to know Dave in 1972. He was a successful underground utility contractor and very well respected in the business. His office was located in Lubbock. My first subcontract was working for him installing water lines in Burnet, Texas. It was actually more complicated than that. I was a sub to another sub that subcontracted to Dave’s company. That happens in our business a lot. Ok if you aren’t too confused I’ll continue. Throughout the 1970s I worked with Dave several times. He had an enormous capacity for numbers. I learned a lot from him. There came a … Continue reading My Friend Dave