April 2003 Cover

Photograph by Laurence Parent.

April 2003

Table of Contents

Features

Ten years after eighty Davidians died in a government-led siege, a few surviving members of the sect have returned to the plains east of Waco, looking for something. And, in some cases, waiting for David Koresh to return.

I've become a sort of pessimistic accepter of the changes that have beset the Hill Country in recent years, unacceptable though many of them may be. But I'm grateful for having experienced the hills earlier, when change was slight—and grateful too for corners and stretches still untouched.

A friendly bar in Johnson City, a grand old opry in Mason, a cabin with a view of the Sabinal Canyon, and 22 other things I love about the Hill Country.

What has Sherron Watkins' life been like since she exposed the financial shenanigans of her colleagues at Enron? Well, she may be one of Time's "Persons of the Year," but she's not necessarily one of Houston's.

The break-up of the space shuttle Columbia was a chilling reminder that the astronauts who dare to dream and risk their lives for the benefit of all mankind are, at the end of the day, mere mortals.

Columns

Behind the Lines

My solution for the school-finance mess.

Cartwright's Texas

Blackie Sherrod probably hates the word "retired," but that's what he is now—and newspaper readers across Texas are the poorer for it.

Health

Are the toxic fungi that launched a thousand lawsuits really as dangerous as everyone says? Don't believe the hype.

Great Outdoors

To the long list of reasons to visit Fort Worth these days, add this: outstanding bike trails.

Art

The real revelation of Donald Judd's early work is how far ahead of its time it looks—not simply its own time, but our time as well.

Reporter

Reporter

When the space shuttle Columbia plunged to earth, it fell to some of us in East Texas to pick up the pieces.

Reporter

A tale of greed and lawlessness in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Reporter

The Austin American-Statesman versus Barton Springs.

The Filter

Pat’s Pick

Pat’s Pick

Miscellany

The Last Roundup

Free the Hill Country!

Web Exclusives

Writer-at-large Suzy Banks talks about her feature story, "Head for the Hills."

Misty Keasler talks about her young photography career and the intense images she captures, including this month's photos of the present-day Branch Davidian compound.

Photographer O. Rufus Lovett discusses the three days he spent documenting the haunting wreckage of Columbia in East Texas.

Senior editor Michael Hall revisits Waco's Branch Davidians and describes the challenges and nuances of writing about the remaining followers and the controversies of their tragic history.

Not sure where to stay when you go to the Hill Country? Don't worry. I've found the best places, from a historic hotel to a caboose.

Fresh: Healthy Cooking and Living From Lake Austin Spa Resort

The little Hill Country town of Luckenbach is more than a tourist stop; it's a place to make new friends and hear some music.

People like to call Waco "Wacko" because it just goes with the name. But we think we may have found some truth to "Wacko" after all.

Most of Mason's history is as quiet and agreeable as the modern-day town, but the late nineteenth—century Hoodoo War was the exception to the rule.

Recipes

Two delicious strawberry-shortcake recipes from The Best from Helen Corbitt’s Kitchens and Cooking Texas Style: A Heritage of Traditional Recipes.

Five great fried-green tomato recipes from Ocotillo Restaurant, Lajitas; Suze, Dallas; La Mansión del Rio Hotel, San Antonio; Hoover’s Cooking, Austin; and Texas Monthly staffer Brandi Nance.

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