April 2006
Table of Contents
Features
75 Things We Love About TexasIncluding: the sopa azteca at El Mirador, in San Antonio; the spring-fed pool at Balmorhea State Park; the humidity; elbow room; free advice at White Rock Lake, in Dallas; county courthouses; boots-and- jeans-clad Academy Award–winner Larry McMurtry; and—seriously— quail hunting. Gone in 15 MinutesHow the fire to end all fires obliterated Ringgold—and how residents of the tiny North Texas town are putting their lives back together. Tree Ring CircusWhy did the feds spend seventeen years pursuing a baseless billion-dollar lawsuit against Houston financier Charles Hurwitz? To help environmentalists take away his old-growth California redwoods. Your tax dollars at work. |
“Beldades” Of the BallEvery February, on the weekend of Presidents’ Day, the daughters of Laredo’s most prominent families are presented to society in dresses that cost $20,000 or more at a colonial pageant that is the party of the year. Liftoff!In this exclusive excerpt from Stephen Harrigan’s new novel, Challenger Park, a female astronaut confronts mommy-track issues on the way to outer space. |
Columns
Behind the LinesMaybe NotMy ambivalence about George W. Bush continues. And grows more pronounced. Gary CartwrightThe Beat Goes OnCoronary artery disease is an old and much-hated enemy of mine. The beast attacked me without warning in 1988 as I strolled with my Airedales along Austin’s Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail. Last November—sacre bleu!—it got me again. |
Michael EnnisNorth Toward HomeAs surprising as our immigrant-friendliness may be to many, it speaks to who we are. To be a Texan is to inhabit a vast bicultural frontera, one that extends far beyond the Rio Grande. Sarah BirdBuy, Buy, BirdieLadies’ fashion is nothing if not a fantasy inside an illusion wrapped in a thong. Every season, there is a new “look,” a new “trend,” a new “paranoid schizophrenic thought disorder.” And then there are returns. |
Reporter
The Horse’s MouthPitching in The MajorsEverything I could ever tell you about Huston Street on pitching in the bigs. |
A Soldier’s StoryThe Day Started Like Any Other.Dispatches from the front. Jonathan Moss salutes five fallen heroes. |
The Filter
Pat’s PickPat’s Pick: Dolce Vita |
Miscellany
Roar of the CrowdGame On |
Editor’s LetterDesign of The Times |
Web Exclusives
Into the FireSenior editor Katy Vine, who wrote this month’s story about the blaze that destroyed the North Texas town of Ringgold, talks about fire analysis, devastation, and rebuilding. Texas, Our TexasEditorial director Christopher Keyes on developing this month’s cover story. In the ClearExecutive editor S.C. Gwynne on talking to Houston businessman Charles Hurwitz. By GeorgeSenior editor Pamela Colloff on writing about Laredo debutantes. Star WriterContributing editor Stephen Harrigan talks about his new book, Challenger Park, which was excerpted in this month’s issue. |
My Friend WillieWriter Larry L. King talks about his new book, In Search of Willie Morris. Texas TidbitsWashington’s Birthday Celebration has become a Laredo institution, its traditions embedded in the fabric of the community. Happy TrailsA few miles into Junction, we hit our destination: South Llano River State Park, a true embodiment of the great outdoors. Texas History 101Under the Bracero Program (1942–1964), farm hands were taken from poor rural communities in Mexico and brought to fields in the U.S., where they picked fruit and cotton until their contracts expired and they were forced back across the border. |
Recipes
Pizza with Arugula and PearsDolce Vita, Houston |
Books That CookA Perfect Setting: The Junior League of Lubbock (Favorite Recipes Press, 2005) |
