
November 2014 Issue

Features


Against the Canon
What are the best Texas books ever written? Here’s my list—now let the sparks fly.
They Spoke Volumes
We asked writers around the state a series of bookish questions. Here are a few of their answers.

Harvester Good
For the past 26 years, the Pampa High Fighting Harvesters have counted on their equipment manager not only to fold their uniforms but also to keep their spirits high. Because in Pampa, there is no Friday night without Trent Loter.

A Shooting on Spring Grove Avenue
Olivia Lord told Dallas police officers that her boyfriend put a gun to his head after a drunken argument. Detective Dwayne Thompson couldn’t see how the evidence—or motive—made any sense. How did Michael Burnside die on May 9, 2010?

Bottle Rocket
Lone Star was just a brew for dads and cowboys, until Jerry Retzloff helped turn it into the coolest beer in the country.
Columns

Small in the Saddle
Larry McMurtry, Bill Wittliff, and Jeff Guinn turn to familiar turf—the Old West—to challenge old-school readers.


Wild in the Streets
The year we gave thanks—at least at first—for the turkeys in our town.

On the Road Again
I thought being a landman in the Eagle Ford Shale would help replenish my bank account. I quickly got more than I bargained for.


The Texanist: When Did We Start Calling the Chicken’s “Second Joint” the Thigh?
Our estimable advice columnist on poultry politesse, I-35 road rage, and a bedeviling place name.
Reporter

Get Bucky
How the merger of two South Texas universities has stirred some complicated feelings about a fuzzy bronco.



Number Nine’s Revolution
Mike Modano on being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame—and embracing golf.

Meanwhile, in Texas . . .
Some crazy stuff went down in Texas in the past thirty days. Here are a handful of headlines you may have missed.

Old News: An Illustrated Look at Curious Headlines From a Bygone Era
“At Bonham, recently, Miss Jessie Bryant, while sleeping, was robbed of her beautiful golden tresses by some unknown party. Six years ago the little lady met with the same misfortune.”—Shiner Gazette, November 1, 1894

Five Reasons Why Texas Won’t Turn Blue This Year (or Anytime Soon)
Why Texas stays red.

It’s the New Three R’s: Readin’, Ritin’, and Riot Control
Advocacy groups revealed that at least ten Texas school districts received surplus material from the U.S. Department of Defense, including armored vehicles, tactical vests, assault rifles, and several thousand rounds of ammunition.
The Checklist
What to hear, read, watch, and look at this month to achieve maximum Texas cultural literacy.
Touts

License to Chill
Bag that buck—or quail, or oryx—and then put your feet up at one of these luxury hunting lodges.


Peace Out
Despite its name, Pax Americana is not exactly a tranquil space. But after one taste of chef Adam Dorris’s menu, who could stay calm?

