June 2001

Table of Contents

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Features

On the Water Front

Summer’s blast furnace is firing up. Luckily, Texas is a paradise of spring-fed pools, sparkling beaches, and more. Here are our picks for the best places to chill out, get wet, and go off the deep end. Plus extra web-only information!

To Hell and Back

After he was shot by a Mexico City cab driver—and told that he might be paralyzed—Jan Reid was flown to Houston, where Dr. Red Duke and a team of therapists literally got him back on his feet. In an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir, The Bullet Meant for Me, Reid reconstructs the grueling nine weeks of recovery before he and his wife, Dorothy, finally headed home to Austin.

The Killing of Alydar

In 1990 the legendary Thoroughbred was put to sleep after his leg was broken—an accident, it seemed, until a tenacious prosecutor linked his death to a Houston bank scandal.

Good-bye to All That

Austinites thought the high-tech boom wouldn't change them, but it turned their city into something that more closely resembled Houston or Dallas in the golden eighties. Now they're paying the price.

Tex Education, Part 2

In 1883, being caught with what everyday object could have gotten you killed? Find out the answer, along with 24 other equally fascinating tidbits, in the second installment of my Texas-literacy test.

The Assassination in Me

This month my second novel about JFK's murder will be published. Why do I keep returning to Dealey Plaza and the events of that fateful day? Because I can't help myself.

Columns

Behind the Lines

You've Got Mail

Free advice for Tony Sanchez.

Sports

The Cash Machine

Texas Tech didn't hire Bobby Knight to win games—it hired him to make money. He should score big as long as he doesn't choke.

Law

The Supremes

Judging the three Texan candidates for the nation's highest court.

Texana

Independence Day

How Juneteenth, a nationwide celebration of the end of slavery, got its start in Texas.

Health

Killer Bugs

I learned a shocking lesson when I visited San Antonio's "hot lab," where some of the world's deadliest microbes are studied. The germs are winning.

Food and Drink

Mercury Rising

What's it like to be the chef at one of the state's top restaurants? The words "pressure cooker" come to mind

Books

West Meets East

In Sarah Bird's finest novel to date, she goes halfway around the world for down-home inspiration.

Music

The Collector

Being a corporate lawyer pays Dean Blackwood's bills, but running an obscure record label keeps him in tune with his true passion.

Reporter

Reporter

Back to Jasper

Looking in on Jasper.

Reporter

Skeleton Crew?

Chasing ghosts in Corpus Christi.

Reporter

Out of Range

Tracking down antelope in Marfa.

First Person

Extra! Extra!

Sizing up Chuck Norris.

Previews+Reviews

Books

The best new books from Texas.

Previews+Reviews

Music

The best new music from Texas.

The Filter

Miscellaneous

Around the State

Dame Edna dresses up Houston; three new travel guides throw the book at Texas; a Flock of Seagulls (and other eighties acts you thought were lost at sea) return to Houston; and regional theater takes a bow in Austin, Fort Worth, and Waco.

Books That Cook

Texas Old-Time Restaurants and Cafes

Texas Old-Time Restaurants and Cafes

The Last Roundup

The Navigator

My dad at war—and peace.

Recipe

Boursin-Cheese-and-Snail Ravioli on Wilted Spinach in Anchovy Cream Sauce

There is more to do with escargots than serve them in garlic butter, as this delicious recipe proves. Incidentally, one of these large pasta packets is plenty for an appetizer portion. If you wish, you can substitute portobello or other mushrooms, briefly sautéed in butter, for the snails.

CD Reviews

Presumed Innocent

Rolling with Marcia Ball.

Texas Tidbits

Do you know where your water comes from?

Book Reviews

Paradise

Larry McMurty's latest.

Texas History 101

How some hogs turned things into a mess between the Republic of Texas and France.

Happy Trails

Head to Del Rio—and south to Ciudad Acuña—for a fun summer jaunt and a taste of the border.

Web Extra

Water Log

Senior editor Joe Nick Patoski, writer-at-large Suzy Banks, and others tell the story behind this month's cover story, "On the Water Front."

Web Extra

Shooting Stars

For nearly thirty years, photographer Burton Wilson has never found himself without a camera when he needed one. A new book captures his view of the Austin music scene.

Web Extra

Testing, Testing

More Texas-trivia questions, ranging from musical and military to historical and hysterical.

Web Extra

Spong, Texas Writer

My fifteen minutes of fame.

Web Extra

A Q&A With Dame Edna

Dame Edna Everage (who some claim is actually Australian character actor Barry Humphries) appears in Houston June 5-10 and in Dallas July 24-29.

Web Extra

Down Under

You don't have to travel far to see treasures in the sea. They're right here.

Web Extra

Dive Into Summer

Will van Overbeek, who has been taking photos of Barton Springs for more than ten years, talks about the best pool in Texas.