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 slightand grateful too for corners and stretches still untouched.
John Graves
John Graves was born in Fort Worth in 1920 where he explored the Trinity River bottom before it became littered with beer cans. He graduated from Rice University, received a master’s degree from Columbia, and served in the Pacific as a firm lieutenant where he lost the sight in one eye. He taught at the University of Texas and Texas Christian University before writing four notable Texas books, Goodbye to a River, Hard Scrabble, From a Limestone Ledge, and Myself and Strangers. Over the years, Graves has also contributed to Texas Monthly and written for the Sierra Club, the Atlantic, Esquire, and the New Yorker.
Articles by John Graves
Jan 20, 2013 — By John Graves
Photographer Keith Carter’s latest pet project reminds me of big Texas dogs I’ve owned—some clownish, some serious, but every one of them great.

Sep 30, 2006 — By John Graves
In my 86 years I’ve come into the possession of an assortment of firearms: a Colt .32-caliber semiautomatic pistol that my grandfather bought at a hardware store in Cuero; a Remington Model 870 pump, 20-gauge shotgun that my Aggie uncle-by-marriage used to shoot birds; the Winchester Model 06 pump .22 rifle I got on my tenth birthday; and many others. And each one has a story.
Apr 30, 1989 — By Kinky Friedman, Prudence Mackintosh, Beverly Lowry, John Graves, Elmer Kelton, Bud Shrake, Molly Ivins and Tommy Lee Jones
What do the city of Lubbock, a defunct restaurant, and a submerged neighborhood have in common? They’re all places in somebody’s heart.
Sep 30, 1984 — By John Graves
Texas’ beloved live oaks are falling victim to a creeping fungus, and no one knows how to stop it.

May 31, 1982 — By John Graves
A photographic tour of the timeless Rio Grande, from its origins in the mountains of Colorado to the Padre Island dunes at the tip of Texas.

Mar 1, 1982 — By John Graves
Saint Paul said that a little wine is a fine thing. He must have known something.
Aug 31, 1981 — By John Graves
Fly-fishing is a particularly fastidious way of trying to fool a fish, but it’s also a particularly pleasant one.
Mar 1, 1981 — By John Graves
For a man and his daughter out for a pleasant day’s fishing, the first sign of danger was a man’s hat floating silently down the stream.
Aug 31, 1980 — By John Graves
This one has been a humdinger, but every Texas summer is broiling hot—and that’s nothing to get all steamed up about.
May 31, 1980 — By John Graves
As more and more city dwellers tread on the landscape, farmers and ranchers are less inclined to forgive those who trespass against them.
Nov 1, 1979 — By John Graves
Don’t both with séances or clairvoyants. There is a much better way to contact the shades of the past.
Feb 1, 1979 — By John Graves
The best thing about the weather is complaining about it.
Dec 1, 1978 — By John Graves
Cows are dumb, they eat a lot, and they cost more to raise than they’re worth. Still, you can’t help loving ’em.

Nov 1, 1978 — By John Graves
Perhaps, after all, girls should go with boys who chew.
Jul 31, 1978 — By John Graves
When another farmer goes broke his neighbors thank God it wasn’t them; then they wonder when their turn is coming.
Apr 1, 1978 — By John Graves
Varmints: we can’t live with ‘em and we can’t live without ‘em.
Jan 1, 1978 — By John Graves
There are two ways to raise chickens: the right way and this way.

Dec 1, 1977 — By John Graves
A good country dog is loyal, obedient, and knows the difference between a chicken and a possum.

May 31, 1977 — By John Graves
Once you let a goat in your life, you can never get it out.
Apr 1, 1977 — By John Graves
For most treasure hunters, the hunt is more important than the treasure.
Feb 1, 1977 — By John Graves
Living in the country is all you ever wanted—and probably more than you bargained for.
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