I lived in a little town some 30 miles SE of Dallas from 1953 until 1959, leaving for Kentucky when I was 13 years old. I returned to Dallas in 1974 and have lived in the city continuously for the past 41 years.
In 1953 the tallest building in town, the Mercantile Bank Building, was perhaps 12 or 13 stories tall. There were no shopping malls, hardly any chain restaurants and no Major League athletic team of any kind.
I was thrilled when the Cleveland Indians came to town to play an exhibition game against our Double A team. Bob Feller signed a ball for me.
One of my brothers made off with that prize and a fortune of Topps football and baseball cards. Neither of them will admit to it even now.
I was also fortunate enough to watch the Chicago Bears play a preseason game at the Cotton Bowl in August of 1958. My father took me, my middle brother and three of our friends to the game. We talked about the experience, especially how huge the players were up close, for months.
When word of my father's transfer arrived I was both excited and saddened. I was about to enter High School and had wanted to do so with my classmates from the past 6 years; still, I was excited by moving to a place that actually had 4 seasons, replete with snow and trees that turned colors in the fall.
The events that later occurred and took me back to Dallas would take a long time to recount, but 15 years later I found myself back again, this time to stay.
I have thought about relocating many times. I would still like to see the leaves turn in October rather then January. I would like to experience winter for more than a few days. It would be great to have wooded mountains, green hills, or a beach and an ocean. I would not mind leaving temperatures of 90 degrees to 113 degrees behind forever more.
I certainly would not miss the traffic. It takes me 45 minutes at a minimum to drive the 9 miles from my home to my evening classes on Monday and Wednesday.
I could do without the crowded conditions and the sheer press of people living in one of the fastest growing and largest cities in the USA. Skyscrapers abound. Huge enterprises of technology and industry dot the landscape from 35 miles south of the city limit to 45 miles north and west. One can no longer tell where Dallas ends and Ft. Worth begins even though they are reportedly more than 30 miles apart.
I liked Dallas better when it wasn't so big. I liked the old Double Rangers better than the Major League team. Going to the game was much more affordable even adjusting for the inevitable inflation compounded by all the years.
I enjoyed the Minor League hockey team that once played at Fair Park. I've never been to a Stars game.
As for basketball - I could watch the NBA on the Dish package and keep up with the Celtics. They have always been my favorite team, and I could stick to College football and give up on ever being able to get a ticket to Jerry Jones' new Death Star Stadium.
Not to mention that it is Texas and High School football can be entertaining.
I could still leave Dallas.
I've thought about buying a house on a lake in NW Arkansas. That area has 4 seasons. The largest city is Fayetteville, which is a very nice town. The University of Arkansas is in Fayetteville. I could teach part time and get into watching the Razorbacks and all the excitement of the SEC. My youngest daughter lives in Fayetteville and has no plans to relocate.
I've considered Sacramento. The weather is generally pleasant and the mountains are close by. It is the Capitol City of California and is in proximity to San Francisco and the Bay Area. Sacramento is not nearly as populace or congested as Dallas. Both my son and eldest daughter live in the area.
Then, there is Florida. My wife has a joint interest in a family home a quarter mile from the beach outside Stuart, Florida. The area is nice in the winter, but the Senior Citizens tend to go home in the summer. I don't blame them The summers are almost as hot as Texas and the humidity is higher than anyplace I Have ever been with the exception of SE Asia. Vietnam's National Bird and the State Bird of Florida are the same. (The Mosquito)
Selling, buying, and moving would take a good deal of energy, involve a degree of stress, require patience, and cost more money than I think it would when day dreaming about a perfect home in some perfect place.
Our home here in Dallas isn't perfect, but we have, and continue to, enjoy it. Our cat and dog like it and my children like to come home to it. As I write this blog and look around my kitchen and living room I feel comfortable and content.
I may never see a game in Jerry's Death Star, but I can watch it on my DISH NFL package. They might not have that in Arkansas, or Sacramento or. . .
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