Texas Monthly December 2019

David Courtney, better known as the Texanist, grew up in Temple, was given his first cowboy boots at age three, and now owns five pairs, including some custom-made Camargos with his initials stitched on the sides. Tom Foster, our editor-at-large, was born in Binghamton, New York, and didn’t buy his first pair of boots until he was an undergrad at Trinity University, in San Antonio.­Today, though he owns a nice pair of Luccheses, he’s seen much more often sporting blue-suede Vans. Despite their very different backgrounds, both men have long been fascinated by the mystique of Western footwear. Tom, who conceived and edited this issue’s cover story, “The Power of Boots” (page 72), observes that cowboy boots seem to be more popular than ever. “You’re seeing more of them on hip-hop…

“A NEW BREED OF POLITICIANS IS COMING: BRASH BULLS IN A CHINA SHOP, THRASHING AROUND AND UPENDING EVERYTHING AS THEY UPSET A STATUS QUO THAT HAS OUTLIVED ITS USEFULNESS.” Buzkill I admire Mimi Swartz’s writing and enjoyed her article on Tony Buzbee [“Winner,” October 2019]. Buzbee seems to be a sort of clone of Trump, and Trump is not popular with a lot of people in Houston, but we are fed up with Mayor [Sylvester] Turner. Although Bill King has hardly any money to run a campaign, I hope he is the winner of the Houston mayoral election. I don’t know much about him, but I know too much about Turner and Buzbee to vote for either of them. BARBARA DUVALL WESOLEK, HOUSTON Mimi Swartz writes brilliant pieces about Houston. It seems that the…

I had no idea this existed in Texas.” Almost every first-time visitor to this Central Texas park, myself included, expresses some version of that sentiment. Named for a noteworthy crook in a mighty river, Colorado Bend, located about two hours northwest of Austin, is a big, beautiful landscape remarkable for its variety of geographical features. Though that’s not immediately apparent. County Road 442, the only road into the park, takes you on a winding ride through the tiny town of Bend (last stop for necessities), over lazy Cherokee Creek (which can rage in heavy rains, keeping wannabe park visitors out and actual visitors in), past somnolent black cattle, and into a wilderness that was formerly ranchland and fishing camps (and at one time the home of about three hundred cedar…

Camping(1) at Colorado Bend State Park is relatively primitive, with a combination of drive-in, walk-in, and backcountry hike-in options. Toilets are compost (but clean), and the single shower is but a lone spigot out in the open. The park closes when it reaches capacity, which happens often during high seasons; on weekends and holidays, you’ll definitely want to have a campsite reservation or a Save the Day pass. You’ll also want to stock up beforehand. The closest place to do any serious provisioning is 27 miles away, in Lampasas; the tiny park headquarters, which is 6 miles from the entrance, carries ice and souvenirs and not much else. The Bend General Store(2), about 3 miles from the park entrance, has just about everything you might need (and plenty more) for…

It’s a late September morning and opening day for the northern bobwhite quail is still weeks away, but Ronald Kendall is already on the hunt for the once-ubiquitous game bird, known to its aficionados as Gentleman Bob. With the dew still pearling on the grass, Kendall cruises around his 2,200- acre West Texas ranch in an off - road vehicle, his eyes locked on the ground. Suddenly, he mashes the brakes as two bobwhites scurry across the dirt road in front of him. “There are a lot more than those two,” says his son, Ron Jr., from the back seat. “Look at the grass move.” Bluestem and broom-weed jerk and sway as unseen quail scoot through the knee-high weeds. When Kendall lets o_ the brakes and eases forward, the air…

MAD 4444 Westheimer Rd, Houston 281-888-2770 D Tue–Sat. $$$$ Opened June 19, 2019 Three friends and I stood transfixed at the entrance to MAD, the dark and dreamlike Spanish restaurant in Houston’s posh River Oaks District shopping village, gaping as a dozen tall, skinny mirrors spun maniacally over the bar. We oohed over two miniature golden replicas of the Cassini spacecraft, exhibited like works of art. We aahed at patio chandeliers fashioned from softly glowing orbs that mimicked the phases of the moon. Looking around, we spied a print of a bear wearing a space suit. Then a display of original Picasso-designed dinner plates caught our attention, as did two more chandeliers, magnificent creations by famed glass artist Dale Chihuly that seemed to twist and seethe in the shadowy light. How…