Cypress Mill School – North Blanco County, Texas.
The last photo is the old gristmill that gave the community its name. Continue reading Cypress Mill School – North Blanco County, Texas.
The Life Of A Utility Contractor
I’ve been broke and I’ve been moderately successful – each thing several times. Failure is only a really bad thing if it takes you down and keeps you there. Falling on hard times can be a character builder like nothing else. Once you’ve found success and experience failure, it makes a good person try even harder to find those good times and to not repeat the same mistakes. I started out in the construction business back in 1972, a few months before I turned 20 years old. I had nothing but a new wife and a good work ethic. I … Continue reading The Life Of A Utility Contractor
Leona May Purcell Lewis
She was known by many names. Leona, Nonie, Aunt Nonie, Maw-Maw, which turned into Maw-Maw Nonie to Kenny and me somewhere along the way. She had a nickname that her Daddy called her by. She and I spent a lifetime of me asking her what it was and her telling me I’d never find out. In her later years I was talking to one of her sisters and posed a question in such a way that she blurted out the name. When I got back to her, I called her by that name. She was surprised that I’d found out. … Continue reading Leona May Purcell Lewis
Travels With Nonie
By the time Maw-Maw Nonie got to retirement age, she had traveled very little. I’m trying to remember, but a trip to California in 1955 and another trip with our family in the mid 60’s to Arkansas for a vacation … Continue reading Travels With Nonie
The Fortune Teller
If a fortune teller tells you something, maybe you should listen. We traveled from Marble Falls to San Antonio for our 1970 senior trip. Whoopee, that was a dandy trip of less than a hundred miles, after putting in 12 hard years. Late in the afternoon we ended up by Breckenridge Park at an amusement park and arcade. Several of us, Madeline included, which is now my wife of over 49 years, decided to go to a fortune teller. When it was my turn she read my palms or something and said ” one day you will write a book”. … Continue reading The Fortune Teller
We Played Beneath This Old Oak And We Climbed In It
The Old Oak Tree at “The Little House”, my grandmothers house (we lived there until I turned 4) in Smithwick, Texas that we played under and climbed in when we were kids. There were always at least a half dozen well made toy trucks and equipment, all constructed from metal that made their home under this marvelous tree. The Old Crib and Pens down behind the house. It has weathered pretty well, considering it hasn’t been used or had any upkeep in more than 50 years. Considering it was several decades old when I was a kid.Walk away from any … Continue reading We Played Beneath This Old Oak And We Climbed In It
Forward Thinking
Some of you may know that back in the 1980s, John Kemper, a group of businessmen and investors and myself developed Gateway, a 96 acre tract of land, south of the river in Marble Falls. It was originally part of the Michel Ranch. What you may not know is during the planning of that development we made a pitch to TxDot for us to give a ROW through the property for new northbound lanes from Max Starcke Dam Road to the south end of the river bridge. That would then have allowed the current highway to only be used for … Continue reading Forward Thinking
Grannie Ruby And The Body Shop
It comes that time in old peoples lives when they shouldn’t drive any longer. Since Granny Ruby, my dad’s birth mother, was so independent, she drove longer than she should have. One day she had a wreck and messed up the front end of her Ford Sedan. She took it down the street from her house to a body shop, hoping to get it fixed before any of us knew anything about it. Bill’s Body Shop gave her an estimate and went to work on it. When he got ready to repainted it, they couldn’t make the paint match. The … Continue reading Grannie Ruby And The Body Shop
The Little House or to others The Tin Shack
In the early days of the Angora Chronicles we had a lengthy discussion about “The Little House” as we always called it. It was the house my parents and older brother lived in when I was born. We lived there … Continue reading The Little House or to others The Tin Shack
The Little Keepsake Box
This little wooden box is one of the treasures that I hold close to my heart. It belonged to my Grandmother, Leona, that we affectionately called Maw-Maw. The initials L P was for Leona Purcell. I will be telling you more in a couple of days about my Maw-Maw, who was known as Aunt Nonie by many folks around the country. Why in a couple of days? May 6, 2021 will commemorate 112 year’s since her birth. Now back to the box. I remember that she always kept this box on her dresser. When I would ask her about it, … Continue reading The Little Keepsake Box
Angora Chronicles 