SIXTH TO FIFTH ON THE WAY TO FOURTH

Dallas, TX - We could not have picked a better week to be in the Dallas/Ft.Worth Metroplex, because last weekend the Texas/Oklahoma football game was played at the Cotton Bowl. We cheered a great game from the comfort of son Ken’s living room, and the locals were very excited with the upset victory by the Longhorns and their new #1 National Ranking.

The DFW Metroplex is an exciting place that is not experiencing the economic slowdown to the degree we have seen in the Midwest rustbelt. Downtown Dallas is full of huge cranes for construction of major new high-rise buildings, parks, an art complex, and highways. There are so many huge cranes that I would not want to be downtown during a thunderstorm for fear of lightning being attracted.

If you’re interested in eating places, the Metroplex is the place to be because there are an unbelievable array of different restaurants where you can get anything your palate could ever desire. So far we’ve enjoyed great Mexican, delicious seafood, and Italian fare. The latter was last Saturday evening following the Cotton Bowl game at the renowned Campisi’s Egyptian Room. We were surrounded by hundreds of excited Texas and sad Oklahoma fans. Campisi’s was often frequented by the legendary Jack Ruby who shot JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

We saw a throng of people visiting the Texas Book Depository building where Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Jack Kennedy. Locals and visitors alike visit the Book Depository daily, take pictures of the grassy knoll, and visit the building and 6th Floor Museum some 45 years after that fateful day. Sad event memories last for a long, long time.

Yes, there are lots of home for sale signs, but certainly not like we have in the Midwest. Dallas is continuing to grow, and prosper. While there is concern about the national economy, there is a true positive spirit in the Texans we have encountered. Home prices are quite low, and the selection varied.

Your Commander compliments the Dallas Morning News, KXAS-TV, and WFAA-TV for the objective position they have taken on the Adam “PacMan” Jones well publicized incident. His suspension from the Cowboys was suggested long before the NFL Commissioner took action. I find it deplorable that Jones was under 24 hour body guard protection paid for by the Cowboy organization in hopes of keeping “Pacman” out of trouble. Sad example for our youth, but it shows to what ends Jerry Jones will go to get a football game victory.

We saw the new Cowboys stadium being built in Arlington next to the Texas Rangers ball park. It is so big that you see it miles before you even get to it. As they say, everything is big in Texas, and this one is mega-huge stadium which will seat 100,000 fans.

As you can tell, we are having a ball. Texas and the DFW area have a lot to offer…especially the wonderful weather.

A special thanks to daughter-in-law Alice and her co-worker Tracy at Fox4Dallas for getting the counter inserted onto this Blog. They have a great website worth your investigation, and I must note their invaluable assistance was done off the company clock. (www.myfoxdfw.com)

If you’re wondering about the title to this essay here it is. The Dallas/Ft.Worth area has grown from the sixth ranked metropolitan area to America’s fifth place passing San Francisco. The way the area is growing, and the way people are moving out of the northeastern corridor, the DFW area is expected to surpass Philadelphia to fourth place in the near future. Exciting things are happening here in Texas, and the future looks to be unlimited.

COMMANDER GRANGER