A JOLLY IRISH LADY
The Mother of Billy the Kid
Originally published by Southern New Mexico Online Magazine
by Gordon Fikes
Catherine McCarty gave birth to a legend. This legend grew up to become New Mexico's most celebrated outlaw who made history with his daring exploits during the infamous Lincoln County War in New Mexico. This is her story of raising two young sons in the old west.

THE FOUR LADIES OF MISSISSIPPI
Power and Beauty of the USS Mississippi
by Penny Sanford
Most Mississippians are not aware the U.S. Navy has named four battleships after the sate of Mississippi. This groundbreaking exhibit in Jackson covers the stellar records of these four precedent-setting battleships with surprising insight into how the U.S.S. Mississippi helped shaped history.

A MILLER'S CRAFT
Photos and Story by Penny Sanford
Originally published in the The Winona Times
Cornbread, that southern standard by which many a Southern cook is judged, becomes a work of art when one Montgomery County, Mississippi man applies the secrets passed down to him by his father and grandfather. This is one instance where "new and improved" make way for "the old ways".

LISTENING TO THE STARS IN NEW MEXICO
The Very Large Array
by Gordon Fikes
Originally published by Southern New Mexico Online Magazine
Pulsars, quasars, black holes, and perhaps one day, a signal from another civilization. No, this isn't about Roswell and what may or may not have happened in 1947. Since 1981, The Very Large Array near Magdalena, NM, has been monitoring signals from distant celestial objects. In 1997, "Contact" starring Jodie Foster was filmed on location here.

MISS SOPHRONIA'S PRALINES
A Natchez Icon
by Penny Fikes
Thousands of tourists to Natchez have been charmed by Miss Sophronia and seduced by her sweet confections. Thirty years and thousands of pounds of sugar and pecans have made her an Icon of Natchez, Mississippi.

UPDATE: This article was recently published in the April 2005 issue of Country Roads Magazine.