In January, the Gage Hotel, which is one of my all-time favorite romantic destinations in West Texas (well, the rooms in the Los Portales section are, not the ones with the bathrooms down the hall in the historic building–not so romantic running into some unknown dude in his
Current speculation is sooner rather than later. The reason: The longer she stays, the greater the chances that she will have to cast votes on controversial issues. It took Rick Perry about a nanosecond after she voted for the bailout bill to come out against it. The Perry camp has
Friday, December 5, is going to be an important day—the first meeting of the working group on the House rules. This will be the first opportunity for members to learn what Tom Craddick and Terry Keel have cooked up for the next session. Will they attempt to limit parliamentary inquiries,
Referring to the poll from Hill Country Consultants (no one honored the embargo but us because we have things like “ethics” and “I’m kidding”), Burka says that the Republicans in Texas have blown it. (So, apparently, do the voters who said R’s are more arrogant, racist, and corrupt. Is that
I hated to root for Saxby Chambliss in the runoff for the U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. Back in 2002, when Karl Rove partisanized patriotism in a successful effort to regain a Republican majority in the Senate, Chambliss ran one of the all-time scurrilous ads: a photograph of Osama bin
That the Republican brand in Texas is tarnished has become conventional wisdom. Hill Research Consultants, based in The Woodlands, has conducted a poll on how the GOP is viewed. The results are embargoed until December 8, but I don’t think I am giving away any state secrets by quoting the
Things are about to get ugly in the speaker’s race. The Craddick forces, led by several longtime loyalists (I want to run another check on the names), are trying to stir up a coordinated campaign to put pressure on wavering colleagues to vote for Craddick. According to credible reports I
Paul and I talk about whether the D’s are really poised to take the Texas House, possible toss-up seats, and who skunked who. (Paul’s term, not mine.) One reason to watch this video? To check out the weird Star Trek-like outfit I’m wearing. (Personally, I thought it looked like a
A week before Thanksgiving, I arrived home after work to find a coat tree standing in my front yard.
How the Illinois governor got caught with his pants down.
If you decided that 2008 was the year for you to cut yourself off from society, shed all material belongings, live off the land, and grow your own food, then you’ve got a pretty good head start.
With the Big Three teetering on the brink, it’s worth noting that the Toyota plant in San Antonio is still motoring. Oh, what a feeling!
The reason so many Texans testified in favor of strong language supporting evolution in the TEKS is because they’re having to play defense and they’re losing.
The past two administrations have appointed women to the most prestigious position in the cabinet, no longer relegating those of the female persuasion to the thankless roles of First Lady.
In 1982, during Ronald Reagan’s first mid-term election, a Democratic wave swept the state. Republicans had mounted a major challenge to the D’s control of most statewide offices (governor excepted), and U.S. senator Lloyd Bentsen and lieutenant governor Bill Hobby used their muscle to build the best Democratic organization Texas
2 heads of Baby Hydro-Bibb Sherry Vinaigrette (recipe below) Dehydrated Fennel (may substitute finely sliced fennel) Fourme D’ambert (sweet bleu cheese) Onion Strudel (recipe below) Blanched ChivesSherry Vinaigrette2 cups sherry 2 cups red wine Vin 1 shallot, chopped 1 bay leaf 1 cup sherry VinReduce the above to 1/3 original
1/2 cup butter (unsalted) 1 3/4 cups sugar 2 tablespoons vanilla 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 3 eggs 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup pecans, chopped 1 nine-inch unbaked pastry pie crustPreheat oven to 300 degrees.Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, adding sugar gradually. Blend in
I’ve always thought my mother’s pumpkin pie beat all others. It’s light and fluffy, not like the usual boring, flat, brown Thanksgiving pie. The only caveat is that because it’s a custard pie, with eggs and milk, it can puff up and spill in your oven. You will have to
An extended interview with Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis.
An extended interview with Jef Guinn, author of The Christmas Chronichles.
At 735 pages, The Christmas Chronicles might inspire a deeply felt ho-ho-ho-hum from the Santa-averse. But don’t shun these three newly compiled “as told to” Yule novels from the Fort Worth author (The Autobiography of Santa Claus, How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas, and The Great Santa Search). With their
Before his 2003 deployment to Iraq, Army staff sergeant and San Antonio resident Eric Maddox was a military interrogator with virtually no field experience in his area of expertise. Mission: Black List #1, written with Davin Seay, tells the story of his on-the-job training in Tikrit, where
Ghosts, cemetery dogs, and immortals populate The Messenger, a supernatural thriller from mystery writer Jan Burke, a Houston native best known for her award-winning series starring flesh-and-blood reporter Irene Kelly. The Messenger features Tyler Hawthorne, whose 2008 Los Angeles mailing address belies his 1815 service as a
Patricia Sharpe, Oscar Casares, and Adam Wiseman
In 1955 Nesuhi Ertegun joined his brother, Ahmet, and producer Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records to form one of the greatest triumvirates the music business has ever seen. Ahmet and Wexler were already known for their R&B successes; Nesuhi was brought on to give jazz a real foothold at
Let me say a few words about the modern world, the last on the subject—or any subject—that I expect to be writing in this space in the foreseeable future.For nearly 36 years, the editor of Texas Monthly had one job. Our founding editor, Bill Broyles, presided over the publication of
I know it’s easy to get wrapped up in Matthew McConaughey’s dreamy eyes and pearly whites, but another cover story for this guy [“Dude!” October 2008]? What did he do this time, make another bad movie? Look, as a fellow Texan on the West Coast, I appreciate his
Tresca, San Antonio, and Sala, Dallas.
Houston
The Soul of Rock and Roll (Monument/Orbison/Legacy) marks the first comprehensive collection of Roy Orbison’s career, and hearing the Vernon native’s work in sequence over four CDs is eye-opening. His operatic High Plains voice shines through the early bare-bones, amphetamine-paced sessions with Norman Petty and Sam Phillips.
“I always approach it as if I’m going to take the picture and, for whatever reason, that’s it. There won’t be another chance.”
The final chapter of “Twin Wells,” by Elmer Kelton.
Watch your back, Fredericksburg.
Owen Wilson’s new movie is no dog.
Should men get pedicures?
Mack was born and raised in Galveston, where he has been a U.S. Postal Service employee for 28 years. As the local union president, he helped coordinate letter carriers’ efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.To be honest with you, I never believed in my wildest dreams that I’d be
Remember the Alamo Bowl!
Dallas Fed chair Richard Fisher on our lame economy.
The Texas Ballet Theater; Olafur Eliasson; Art Guys in Abilene.
My only son is leaving for college, and I’m weeping through Mamma Mia! Lord help me.
My father was passionate about lawn care. Me? Not so much.
The arson of the Governor’s Mansion in June was as mystifying as it was heartbreaking. Could Austin anarchists have been to blame?
Why November 4 was a good day for everyone.
Wyman Meinzer takes the most amazing pictures of Texas skies you’ve ever seen. Here are seven unforgettable shots from his new book.
Friends and family knew Deborah Murphey as a mild-mannered nurse and a loving wife and mother. Then a U.S. marshal knocked on her door.
Textile, Houston
The Soul of Rock and Roll (Monument/Orbison/Legacy) marks the first comprehensive collection of Roy Orbison’s career, and hearing the Vernon native’s work in sequence over four CDs is eye-opening. His operatic High Plains voice shines through the early bare-bones, amphetamine-paced sessions with Norman Petty and Sam Phillips. Yet
My colleague and friend Patricia Kilday Hart has written an excellent story about the speaker's race that appears in the November 28 issue of the Texas Observer. (We will have competing stories, as I have "written" one that will appear in our January issue. You will see why "written" is
Jack Rains, whom some may remember as a former Secretary of State during the Bill Clements years, sent this commentary by Rush Limbaugh to his (Rains’) e-mail list. It pertains to the county-by-county map of the election (click on image for full map). I will comment following Limbaugh’s
