Crazy Times, The Jollyville YearsLeave a comment

The Christmas Crayon Set

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As a young boy I loved to color. My mother knew to always get me a couple of coloring books and a fresh box of crayons. I had a bad habit of pressing down way too hard, using up the crayons much faster that I should have. Being rambunctious, I broke most of them in half. I’m sure I ate a few of them along the way. It was Christmas Eve night, most likely when I was 6 years old. When I unwrapped my presents I had a huge set of colors and it came in clear plastic carousal that … Continue reading The Christmas Crayon Set

Crazy Times, Meeting New People, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Hood Blew Open

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A month before Madeline and I married in 1971, I had a 1968 Ford Galaxy 500 that I rear ended a Williamson Country Road Maintenance Pickup in Liberty Hill, completely demolishing the front end. It took a couple of months to get it the repairs done. I finally got it out of the body shop on a Friday afternoon, just before leaving on Saturday morning for the Jordan Christmas Party in Houston. The Jordan Family Christmas Party was the highlight every year for Madeline’s whole family, when they got to see all their cousins, aunts and uncles on her dads … Continue reading The Hood Blew Open

Amazing Things, Thoughts and Musings5 Comments

It Almost Sent Me Into A Panic

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This story actually started back in 2012 when my wife and I moved down to Corpus Christi to spend our twilight years on the coast. Of which after a couple of years, we knew there was no place like Burnet County to call home, so we came back to the Hill Country. Once we got our house and started outfitting it, we were buying most everything new, as we were maintaining a residence up here and left our old stuff behind. One Sunday afternoon we went to the CC Convention Center to the annual home and garden show. We were … Continue reading It Almost Sent Me Into A Panic

Crazy Times, The Construction BizLeave a comment

Not Being Easily Embarrassed

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My wife swears she has only seen me embarrassed one time. It was 20 something years ago, when I was out in the sun a lot and my skin was very dark. As suntanned as I was, my face lit up like Santa’s suit. It so happened that one day in our office I barged in on an office worker nursing her new born son, even after Madeline told me not to go in that room. I thought she meant that I would wake up a sleeping baby, “so don’t go in there”. Well that wasn’t the only reason for … Continue reading Not Being Easily Embarrassed

Crazy Times, The Construction Biz, The Early Days1 Comment

My Crooked Nose

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I earned my crooked nose. It took me a long time to learn what to do to keep from getting punched in the nose. It was mostly all about keeping my mouth shut at the right time. Back in the mid 70s we were doing a project on the east side of Houston. At I-10 and Federal Rd. to be exact. The job keep me later than usual so well after dark I found myself standing at a pay phone outside of Jim’s Coffee Shop on Federal Rd. Probably letting Madeline know to not wait dinner on me. At the … Continue reading My Crooked Nose

Crazy Times, The Construction Biz1 Comment

Cell Phones On The Cheap

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After the prosperous years of the 80s came the real estate bust of the late 80s and early 90s. Kenny, Coy and I (of double tailed quarter fame) were teamed up again doing work together. The days of mobile phones had given way to pagers and pay phones.Mobile phones were very expensive in the early days. My average phone bill in the 80s was $1,000 – $1,200 per month. That wasn’t for the whole company, that was just me. I stayed on the phone constantly, conducting business and doing a fair share of BSing. Those costs just weren’t in the … Continue reading Cell Phones On The Cheap

Aging, My Friends, The Early Days, Thoughts and Musings4 Comments

Sometimes If You Keep On The Trail, It Lead You To Where You Are Going

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I had a good friend that passed on a while back. When he was still alive, he would sometimes ask me what I thought ever happened to a gal, that was his first love. I got busy and found out where she lived, even found him an address, which wasn’t too far off his beaten path. He never got the courage to make contact. I think he knew it’s wasn’t the thing to do. His life had made many turns and given that it appeared she had married a couple of times and had children and grandchildren, not making contact … Continue reading Sometimes If You Keep On The Trail, It Lead You To Where You Are Going

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

Car Sickness

lewisotr

It doesn’t seem like kids get car sick as much now as they used to. For nine years, from age 4 until I was 13 we maintained a Friday afternoon family ritual. When school would get out on Friday afternoon we would leave Jollyville and head to Smithwick. The road for some of the way was still unpaved, just a gravel road from Lago Vista to Smithwick. That stretch of road became RM 1431 and was paved, starting in 1958. The road from Whitestone to Smithwick was even more crooked back then than it is now. A way more crooked. … Continue reading Car Sickness

Aging, Funny Happenings, My Friends, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

When A Situation Presents Itself, I Always Say Take Advantage

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Earlier this week I arraigned a lunch date with two high school friends, Sam Hall and Ronald Mayfield, from high school. They were good friends back in Marble Falls, but hadn’t seen each other since, which was about 50 years. We established that 11:30 AM at County Line on the Lake would be the place and time. I was passing near one of our projects where my middle son, Ron Jr was at. I thought it would be nice if he could join us, to get a flavor of what old time friendships are like. He jumped in an we … Continue reading When A Situation Presents Itself, I Always Say Take Advantage

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Nelson Took A Tumble

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We were on a project in the early 70s between 12th and 32nd St, installing new water and wastewater lines all up and down I-35. We were moving water and wastewater lines for an expansion of Interstate 35. It was one of the most difficult projects I have ever been involved in. Nelson Lewis had a very sharp mind and could figure out these difficult jobs and how best to make everything work. Nelson was a great person to study under and learn the business from. I will always be thankful that I got my start working for him. Most … Continue reading Nelson Took A Tumble