Car Show in Denison 4/23/2016

By now you are aware that I have a fondness for old cars...especially old cars that have been reconditioned and are even more gorgeous now than when they rolled off the assembly line..
    There was a car show in Denison this past Saturday and my wife and I made it a 'must' stop on the way home from eating out..
    The first to attract my attention was this 1933 Ford 3-window coupe...

      
         This was truly one of the more impressive cars on display.. The flamed paint job was without a flaw and the interior really set off a fine ride.. Hot Rod lore will always pay homage to the 1932 Ford but I have always been partial to the '33 and '34 models.
      

       This is a 1938 Chevrolet Coupe and was also impressive in its overall appearance. Usually its the 1939, 40, and 41 Chevys that get all of the attention, but that is not to disregard the 1937 and '38 Chevys, which were also great looking too.

 
         This is the interior of the '38 coupe.. That dash shows a lot of thought and planning.. Nice looking bucket seats with automatic transmission...

      Here is one you don't see every day... It is a 1938 Pontiac Coupe..and the paint job was suburb..  It was a deep cinnamon bronze color and it was applied expertly with no drips or orange peel...

       The inside of the Pontiac was just as gorgeous as the outside..and check the door panels with Chief Pontiac's profile etched out..

             Previous postings will attest that I had a 1947 Chevrolet coupe in my high school days...Well here is a '47 Chevy coupe and mine was nowhere as outstanding as this one..

      Note the 'frenched' headlights and taillights on this particular coupe... My photo does not do the paint justice as it was more of an orangey-red than what it looks like..  Without handles on the doors or on the trunk, how does one gain entrance??  Solenoids in the proper place allow a quick opening.. Neat huh?

        If racing is your thing,.. how about this 1973 Chevy Nova...It is outfitted with a complete roll-cage inside to comply with the Pro-Stock rules.. The pressurized fuel tank and two-battery electrical system fills out the trunk and a big block V8 is under the hood..

     Look out !!   Here comes a 1967 Buick Rivera...and check that large mouth carburetor sticking out from under the hood...

        This obviously is not a factory color but it sure demands your attention.. The Rivera's were overlooked by a lot of enthusiasts in the 1960's but this is an example of how futuristic they looked..

        Don't let the '32 grille fool you... This is a 1927 Ford Model T with the stock height on the top.. Just to the left of the grille note the disc brakes on all four corners.. About a 3 inch dropped front axle with a custom made hood to cover an up to date V8 engine.

          This is the interior of the '27 Model T... I love the simplicity of the dash, and the use of maroon piping about the seats, windows, and carpeting.. Just a great example of American car enthusiasts following thru on Henry Ford's great product..

       If you said 1939 Cadillac LaSalle... Go to the head of the class! This is a local car and in a lot of area's car shows. It belongs to a woman and features a Chevy 409 cubic inch engine under the hood..

     1939 Chevrolet 2-door sedan... Great sungold paint job that demands you check it out... Really nice all-around rod,..and I like that he left the running boards on the sides of the car..

   1930 Ford Model A 2-door sedan.. Really a nice looking street rod and clean as a pin... I am not one who likes the color yellow but it does jump out at you and stands out from the crowd..

      1950 Cadillac Convertible... Really a well preserved car... It had the same owner for 50 years before being purchased by a member of the Corvette Club and brought to Texas from back east..  Love those gangster whitewall tires...

      1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air 2-door sedan...  The owner went for a two-tone look of silver and bronze...and it looks like a million bucks..

        See what I mean??  He left the car basically stock,..but when it looks this good right from the factory,..what are you gonna do to improve it?  Dynamite looking Chevy !

       1940 Ford Deluxe convertible... When I was a younger this is the car that every guy in high school wanted,...and that was 50 years ago..  Like a beautiful woman, a great looking car never goes out of style.. The 1939 and '40 Fords look very similar, but when you move up to the Deluxe model..they really are impressive..

       I'll close with this one... A 1963 Austin Healey 3000 made in England.. This one still has the Austin 6-cylinder engine in it and is in great shape.. They are getting hard to come by and sellers are getting about two or three times what they sold for originally.. Because of the difficulty in securing parts for these cars a lot of guys just installed small block Chevy V8s in them.

      I couldn't get a shot of every car in the show but I do appreciate everyone coming out today.. The weather cooperated nicely and the parking lot of the middle school is a lot better facility than the muddy park where the shows are usually held.. Thanks again for giving the public a chance to see some really great cars !!

Dallas Cowboys 2016 Schedule

                    

                                2016 Dallas Cowboys Schedule


Pre-Season Games:

              August 13th- Dallas 24 Los Angeles Rams 28
                   
              August 19th- Miami Dolphins 14  Dallas 41

              August 25th- Dallas 17  Seattle Seahawks 27
                   
              Sept 1st-  Houston Texans 28      Dallas 17
             

Regular Season:

  Sept 11th-   N.Y. Giants 20   Dallas Cowboys 19  (0-1)

  Sept 18th-  Dallas Cowboys 27 Washington Redskins 23 (1-1)

  Sept 25th-  Chicago Bears 17  Dallas Cowboys 31  (2-1)

  Oct 2nd-   Dallas Cowboys 24  San Francisco 49'ers 17 (3-1)

  Oct 9th-  Cincinnati Bengals 14  Dallas Cowboys 28  (4-1)

  Oct 16th- Dallas Cowboys 30   Green Bay Packers 16  (5-1)

  Oct 30th- Philadelphia Eagles 23 Dallas Cowboys 29 OT  (6-1)

  Nov 6th-  Dallas Cowboys 35  Cleveland Browns 10  (7-1)

  Nov 13th- Dallas Cowboys 35  Pittsburgh Steelers 30  (8-1)

  Nov 20th- Baltimore Ravens 17  Dallas Cowboys 27  (9-1)

  Nov 24th- Washington Redskins 26  Dallas Cowboys 31 (10-1)

  Dec 1st-  Dallas Cowboys 17  Minnesota Vikings 15  (11-1)

  Dec 11th- Dallas Cowboys 7    N.Y. Giants 10      (11-2)

  Dec 18th- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 Dallas Cowboys 26  (12-2)

  Dec 26th- Detroit Lions 21     Dallas Cowboys 42  (13-2)

  Jan 1st-  Dallas Cowboys 13   Philadelphia Eagles 27  (13-3)


                                    2016 NFL Playoffs
  
Jan 15  NFC Semi-Final: 
Green Bay 34      Dallas 31

                            End of Season

Doc Holliday and Denison, Texas

                                                          Doctor John Henry Holliday 

Denison was founded in 1872 in conjunction with the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (MKT) or "Katy" depot. It was named after the wealthy Katy vice president George Denison. Because the town was established at the intersection of the MKT and the Red River (both important conduits of transportation in the industrial era), it came to be an important commercial center in the 19th century American West. In 1875, Doc Holliday, the notorious gunfighter, had his dental offices on Main Street  in Denison. When approached about a killing in Dallas, Holliday suddenly relocated to Colorado.

During the phylloxera epidemic of the mid-19th century, which destroyed the vast majority of wine grapes in Europe, Denison horticulturalist T.V. Munson pioneered methods in creating phylloxera resistant vines, and earned induction into the French Legion of Honor, as well as sister city status for Denison with Cognac, France.

In 1901 the first electric "Interurban" railway in Texas, the Denison and Sherman Railway, was completed between Denison and Sherman, Texas. 

In 1915, the Kentucky-based evangelist Mordecai Ham held a revival meeting in Denison, which resulted in 1,100 professions of faith in Jesus Christ.

Denison played host to 20th century notables such as the Marx Brothers and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born on October 14, 1890, in Denison.

1929 Ford Model A

        By now you may have noticed that I am an old car fanatic... I grew up in the garage of my older brother and he was always in some stage of restoring or remodeling an old car..
     As I was driving down Main Street in Denison yesterday I spotted something different in one of the store fronts.. There was a gorgeous Ford Model A right in the front window..  Naturally, I had to investigate..

      It is a coupe with a cabriolet top, and in my estimation, in perfect condition. Most autos from this era came in black, but for a little extra ($) you could have it painted any color you desired. This one is a light tan color with black fenders. My first question was: How did they get it in the store since the front door was rather inadequate. 

      The saleslady said she didn't know for sure, but thought they brought it in through the back door and rolled it to the front on rollers. Check out the oogah horn below the left headlight. I also noted the gravel screen over the radiator. My dad use to tell me about being broke down because of some rock being thrown through the radiator.
    

       The interior of the car is exceptionally clean and, despite the 'No Touch' sign, I opened the passenger side door to get this shot. All of the pedals and controls are in their original position and the dash is exactly as Henry Ford planned 87 years ago. That white button on the steering column is the horn,...and I feel safe in telling you the red knob on the gear shift lever is NOT original.

      The rear of the coupe shows off a lot of items that were not standard for the day. I am pretty sure the Model A's only came with one tail light, where this one has two. Those original wire wheels are a costly item if purchased alone, and here you have five of them. They are getting harder and harder to find if you are looking to restore one of your own. Another accessory is the steps on the right side bumper and at the top of the right fender...

      The steps allow for easy access to the rumble seat. I have spent many an evening riding in a rumble seat while my older brother had a date up front. This one is in great shape and has obviously been reupholstered. Usually you can find chips and flaws around the edges of the trunk and doors, but this one shows the owner took a lot of pride in finishing a great looking coupe.

      They tried to give off a Bonnie and Clyde impression as the mannequin standing next to the coupe held a rifle in her hands. Actually, Bonnie and Clyde went on their bank robbing spree in the mid 1930's.
     Despite the inspection sticker showing 1997 as the last time the coupe was registered and inspected, the saleslady said it does run. The owner has driven it in numerous parades in the local area. The car has an engine (4 cylinder) and transmission in it and everything looks pristine.... so naturally I asked if the car was For Sale. She said it was and they have a asking price of eleven thousand and five hundred dollars ($11,500). I thought it was a great price for a Model A of this condition, but I am long past the age of acquiring another hot rod.
     I thought there might be another car crazy nut in the market for a super Model A. If you are that nut,.. the car is located at Main Street Mall, 500 West Main Street in Denison, Texas 75020. They have an email address of: mainstreetmalldenison@Yahoo.com.
Their phone number is (903) 463-1230... ask for Jay Connelly or Cindy Sheehan. 
    Who knows... This could be your Model A Coupe very soon.

1950 Chevrolet Deluxe

         I have a friend that has one of the 'cleanest' 1950 Chevrolets I have seen in a long time. He enters it in local car shows and it never fails to attract a crowd of car lovers,... and all this despite the car being absolutely stock. It is just like the day it rolled off the assembly line...

     This is the way it looked in 2010 in the Octoberfest parade of older cars. In 1950 probably over 90% of the entire line of Chevrolets were available in black, but for a little extra you could order one in a different color. This is a nice shade of green and the only thing I see that did not come from the factory is the chrome extension on the exhaust pipe and the license plate bracket.

       Under the hood we find 216 cubic inches of Chevy Blue Flame power.... An inline 6-cylinder engine. As you can see, the owner has replaced the original carburetor and installed an oil filter. In 1950 this choice Chevy did not come with an oil filter. I find that totally unbelievable in this day and age.

       I too had a '50 Chevrolet back in my high school days, but where this one is a 2-door sedan, my old Chevy was a business coupe.

      The business coupe was also called 'a salesmans car' because it came from the factory without a back seat. This allowed the salesman to carry his sample cases and display items in the car's interior. I found a back seat in a wrecking yard and installed it just before having the entire interior redone in black Naugahyde. 

    

 
        My brother helped me install a 283 cubic inch Chevy V8 engine in my '50 and I used the 3-speed transmission from the donor car in my coupe. The steering wheel came from a 1958 Chevy.

          My friends interior shows how this car came from the factory. I thought he had the horsehair seats and door panels replaced, but he maintains this is the original interior. Needless to say, the car has never spent a night outside of his garage. Looking at the above photo, I am reminded of a 1947 Chevy that I owned, and it had the foot starter on the floor. It was located just to the right of the accelerator pedal. Many a time on date nights my girlfriend would accidentally step on that starter pedal and sparks would fly under the car.

      The 1949 and 1950 Chevys shared a similar look and both have always been favorites of mine. They presented a very clean and distinct look.. and maybe that is why they have been so popular with car enthusiasts. 

Dallas Cowboys All-Time Best Quarterback ?

          This is a subject that definitely will have fans voicing opposition no matter what order the QB's are placed. It was Abraham Lincoln who once said, "You can't please all the people all the time." Today's topic surely comes under that catagory.
      The Dallas Morning News had this as one of their stories today and all of the following photos come from their website. My thanks go out to them for inspiring this posting..
     Let me say from the beginning for those that have not been exposed to my blog page previously,..I am a die-hard Dallas Cowboy fan dating back to 1959 when they first acquired a franchise from the National Football League..

        The Cowboys have had an abundance of players manning the quarterback spot over the years, but this posting will deal with the starting QB's and the players most associated with being the man at the controls for Dallas through the years.. In the photo above are five who fit that definition.. From the left: Don Meredith, Craig Morton, Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, and Danny White.
       It's hard to find a place to start when you do story such as this...so why don't we just start at the beginning?

      
      In 1960 both Dallas and Minnesota were awarded franchises in the NFL and both had the option of playing the 1960 season, OR waiting for 1961 and going through the college draft. The Vikings decided to wait for 1961, but Dallas chose to play immediately. Their first roster was made up of castoffs from the other teams. A trade with the Washington Redskins brought quarterback Eddie LeBaron (above) to Dallas. He led the Cowboys from 1960 until 1963 when he retired. Dallas did not win a single game in 1960, going 0-11-1,..only a late season tie with the New York Giants brought the Cowboys their only non-loss.

        In the above photo #17 Don Meredith confers with Head Coach Tom Landry on the sidelines. Meredith actually was signed by Dallas before they even had a team, agreeing to a personal service contract with owner Clint Murchison. Meredith was with the Cowboys from 1960 to 1968, leading Dallas to the NFL Championship game with Green Bay in 1966 and 1967. He went to the Pro Bowl on 3 occasions and was the NFL's Player of the Year in 1966. Retiring from football early, Meredith went into movies and later became a fixture on Monday Night Football telecasts. Meredith's departure suddenly dropped the QB mantle on Craig Morton.

       Morton was a better QB for Dallas than most fans will remember. He was not as charismatic as Meredith but had a quick wit and a strong arm. Morton was a Cowboy from 1965 to 1974 when he was traded to the New York Giants. He led Dallas to their first ever Super Bowl game, a last second loss to the Baltimore Colts. You see his successor just over his shoulder in the above photo.... A player still revered in Dallas,...Captain Comeback!

        Following the sudden retirement of Meredith and the trade of Craig Morton, Roger Staubach was the Dallas quarterback from 1969 until 1979. He led the Cowboys to four Super Bowls (winning twice), played in 6 Pro Bowl Games, and was named to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In the above photo, Roger prepares to throw the famous 'Hail Mary' pass to Drew Pearson to eliminate the Vikings from the 1975 NFL Playoffs.
     

        Danny White followed Staubach as the QB of America's Team, a title put on the team by ABC Sport's Roone Arledge. Whenever there was a question of which game to show on Monday Night Football, he piped up with 'show the Cowboys...everyone in America loves them.'
       Danny White played for Dallas from 1976 to 1988.. Leading the team to the NFC Championship Game in 1980, 1981, and 1982. His overall record with the Cowboys ended with 62 wins and 32 losses.

      Troy Aikman was the number one pick in the 1989 college draft out of U.C.L.A. The Cowboys had the number one pick based on their lousy season in 1988....but Aikman would be joined by Emmit Smith, Michael Irving, and other great players to dominate the 1990's. Aikman was instrumental in leading Dallas to three Super Bowl victories, and he was voted to 6 Pro Bowls. He is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame along with Smith and Irvin.
     Aikman was forced to retire due to a series of concussions and that left Dallas to go through a series of QBs like Steve Pelluer, Vinny Testaverde, Quincy Carter, and Drew Bledsoe.
     Bledsoe was beat out at quarterback in New England by Tom Brady and was sent to Dallas in a trade. He was the starter for the 2005 and 2006 season, but a lackluster performance by Bledsoe brings us to the next QB.

     Tony Romo came to the Cowboys as a free agent that no other team in the NFL wanted in the college draft. He joined the Cowboys in 2004 after an invitation by then Head Coach Bill Parcels. Romo has been named to the Pro Bowl 4 times and is currently the franchise leader in passing yardage, and also touchdowns thrown. The knock on Romo is 'he can't win the big games.' He also has suffered an injury at the most inopportune times, leaving the team with a poor backup to take his place.
    Thanks to a 4-12 season in 2015, the Dallas Cowboys have the fourth selection in April's college draft. Three quality quarterbacks are expected to go in the first round of the draft and one of these could be headed for Dallas. With Romo expected to have one or two good seasons left in him, it might be time for Dallas to look to the future for their next quarterback.

        All photos from the Dallas Morning News.....

U.I.L. Realignment for District 5 AAAAA in Texas

The University Inter-Scholastic League (UIL),..that august body that oversees all extra-curricular activities in the state of Texas,.. has shaken up its current make-up of school schedules for the school years of 2016 and 2017. Sherman and Denison are both members of District 5 in the 5A level of competition. This is the way the new district will look for the next couple of years.

              District 5 AAAAA
1. Denison
2. Denton
3. Denton Braswell
4. Denton Ryan
5. Sherman
6. Wichita Falls
7. Wichita Falls Rider

       This realignment covers all sports and not just football on Friday nights. It is over 100 miles from Denison to Wichita Falls, and that means student-athletes will be traveling on school nights to basketball, volleyball, and baseball games. I foresee them getting home somewhere between 1 and 2 in the morning on a school day.
Now coaches are scrambling to find non-district games to fill out the ten game schedule around those new district members.