I lived in Houston for about three years before moving to the Chicago area in Spring of 1991 and built quite a life there over the next 13 years.

In February of 2004, against my better judgment, I accepted a position and relocated to San Diego, California. 

Finding California 'not my cup of tea', I had two choices:

1.  Go back to Chicago and the Chicago winters.

2.  Go back to Texas and the Texas summers.

I chose the latter, and moved to Austin in the spring of 2006.   Since buying my house in October 2007 I've acquired so much stuff that I am afraid to even think about ever moving.

I'm still young, but not that young.  My idealism has given way to pragmatism and I'm not completely done mourning that loss.

I live the most exciting boring life you'll ever find.

This was on Scott's web page that no longer is online.  Scott passed away Feb. 8, 2010.  I left his page up for a year.  I put my email just in case someone wanted to contact me.  

Scott knew some day one of his parents would not be able to live by themself. So he started on a house hunt.  He shared pictures he took of many places he looked at. He was excited.

I think I went through each step with him.  He envisioned much and started right away with ripping out the hedging and unblocking a beautiful window.

His livelihood was irrigation design but he knew and researched landscaping as well. He started in that line of work  at Sea World of TX in the landscape dept.  

Much of what he learned  started in the 'field' with his hands in the dirt.  Work he was not afraid of.  He did have some 'relaxing' time with us after he got his house set up.

I think only once when we visited him did we have a meal prepared inside.  He loved to grill.  Something his friends tell me he enjoyed in his apartment homes as well.

His sister bought him cookbooks as a house warming gift.  She also  has the memory of him calling from a grocery  looking for an ingreident he was unfamiliar with. Since the menu was to be a surprise he couldn't call mom.

I remember the time I made potato salad to take up and he couldn't remember that I used to make it all the time when they were kids.  He really liked it.  

Another way he 'relaxed'  for awhile was hiking.  This was his favorite picture from McKinney's Rough if I recall correctly.  He took the original and turned it into black and white and framed it.  

It sits along side other pictures as a constant reminder of him.  Among the pictures I inherited is a huge framed nude lady he drew in the 80's. (she was mentioned by pastor during the eulogy, with permission). The lady isn't huge, the picture is.  I don't think he first dated pictures and when he got around to it some of the dates seemed off.

 I wish I had wall space for all the art he left.  

Scott owned a Hummer truck  when he died.  He went through vehicles like some people go through underwear. He wanted to work with the Red Cross  Hummer Chapter.  Bought all the things needed, took their class, and then they couldn't afford the Chapter.  We donated the supplies to the Austin Fire Dept.

When Scott died many donations were given to charities in his memory. One of his favorite places was The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Several plants at his house came from there.  So we also donated for a couple trees to be planted there in his memory.  A very nice lady took a picture of the plaques for me.

To get through the holiday's the first year  without him, his sister and I worked on a memory book.  His little artificial tree she gave him for his office adorned our bay window.  The last time we saw him and heard his laughter  was on Christmas.  

Per his request there is no headstone at his burial space. He asked for a bench with the Storyteller's Creed to be put on it.  That we have done.  

Here I share some pictures  of his 44 yrs. on earth.

	Sea World of TX.
huge picture

Kahinah was his last pet.  He wrote about her name:

KAHINAH  DAHIYAH  BINT  THABITAH  IBN  TIFAN

Jewish princess of a Berber tribe likewise called Kahinah; lived in the second half of the seventh century. According to the Mohammedan historians, the most powerful tribe at the time of the Arab invasion of the Maghreb was the Jewish one named Kahinah (probably from the Hebrew ), which extended its domination over nearly all the Berbers. It occupied Mount Aures (Atlas) and was governed by the princess Kahinah Dahiyah, who covered herself with glory in her fight against the invading army. She defeated the Arabian general Hassan ibn al-Nu'man, and compelled the Arabs to withdraw. When, five years later (694), Hassan received a large reinforcement, and advanced against the Berbers, Kahinah ordered all the Berber cities to be destroyed, hoping that the Arabs would then renounce fighting for the conquest of a waste land. But they persisted in their attack; and Kahinah fell near a well which, in memory of the heroine, is still called "Bir al-Kahinah."

Home