April 2003 Issue

Features


The Old Country

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.

Feature

Heaven & Earth

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.

Profile

The Whistle-Blower

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.

Feature

The Ghosts of Mount Carmel

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.

Around the State


Atsbox

Get Out

EASY RIDERS Bulletin: Lance Armstrong’s Ride for the Roses has been moved from April to October (the Sports Illustrated 2002 sportsman of the year wanted more time to train for the Tour de France). But don’t think that means you have a license to lounge around for a little while

Atsbox

Straight Talk

ALL THE WAY WITH LBJ Author Robert Caro, whose tome on Lyndon Johnson’s legislative years, Master of the Senate, won the 2002 National Book Award, will be speaking at Arts and Letters Live, in Dallas, on April 4. Rumor has it that you and your wife will be moving to

Atsbox

Nature

CALL OF THE WILD You might like to think of yourself as the rugged outdoorsy type, more interested in a challenging hike than in remaining incredibly still for long periods of time just to catch a glimpse of a flickering feathered mass—but just wait. This could happen to you: While

Atsbox

A Great Museum Weekend In Houston

TOUR OF DUTY With two must-see blockbuster touring shows and several one-artist exhibitions in Houston this month, going museum-hopping could prove as tiring as barhopping. Rather than tackle at the outset the dauntingly huge three-hundred-plus-piece “Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes” show at the Houston Museum

Columns


Cartwright's Texas

30

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

Mold Age

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

Great Outdoors

Ride On

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

Art

The Minimalist

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

Lost and Found

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

Web


Pat's Pick

Best Fests

BERRY BLISS Sweet on strawberries? Join the club. Legend has it that an eighteenth-century French socialite was so fond of the luscious fruit that she would have twenty pounds of berries crushed just to bathe in their fragrant juices. (Do you suppose she rinsed off with cream?) In the Bavarian

Pat's Pick

Primary Flavors

GREEN WITH ENVY Thanks to a memorable movie, just about everyone has heard of fried green tomatoes. But how many people have ever tasted one? Supposedly, green tomatoes are tart—not sweet, like red ones. So why would anyone want to eat the fruit when it isn’t ripe yet? “For starters,

Pat's Pick

Oceanaire Seafood Room

MAKING WAVESWhen the Oceanaire Seafood Room steamed into port in Dallas last November, I felt like standing on the dock and waving hello—the only things missing were a sea breeze, paper streamers, and a brass band. Although the place is the third national location of a high-end Minneapolis chain, Texas

Recipe

Fried Green Tomatoes With Marinara

Marinara1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 cup shallots, chopped 1 1/2 cups garlic purée 3 cups white wine 4 pounds whole tomatoes, peeled salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup fresh thyme, chopped 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, choppedHeat a medium stainless steel pot and add olive oil, shallots, and

Recipe

Nance Fried Green Tomatoes

Texas Monthly staffer Brandi Nance tested the recipe from Hoover’s Cooking. She likes fried green tomatoes so much that she wanted to share her family’s own recipe.Marinade2 cups vinegar (we recommend red-wine vinegar)Breading1 cup cornmeal 1 cup flour salt and pepper to tasteCut 5 green tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Marinade

Recipe

Juliette Tomato Soup With Fried Green Tomatoes

Roasted Oakhill Farms Juliette Tomato Soup With Fried Green Tomatoes, Lemon Basil, Cumin, and EpazoteJuliette Tomato Soup1/2 pound butter 1 small onion, diced 2 small leeks, diced (washed, whites only) 4 small stalks celery, diced 2 small carrots, diced salt and pepper to taste 30 small very ripe juliette tomatoes,

Texas Tidbits

Texas Tidbits

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.

Texas History 101

Texas History 101

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.

Walking Among Ghosts

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.

Happy Trails

Happy Trails

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.

Web Exclusive

Underneath It All

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.

Miscellany


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