2008 offers me the opportunity to share some of the stories from my latest book. Check the schedule below to see if I am coming to your town. It would be my delight to see you there. If your organization might be interested in hosting a lecture presentation, please feel free to contact me. Current lecture schedule

I am also discovering new places, visiting with the people and places in my book while I am traveling. I will be posting what I find out there on this page. Read more below, and keep checking back for new additions.

I am also busy with landscape conservation projects. I will be posting some new information about the Pease Park project I am working on with the Austin Parks Foundation here very soon. Also, take a look at my new web site about landscaping services and land restoration.

Evolving Places

After the hardships and losses that have afflicted so many of the gardens profiled in my book, I am glad to find that some, if not most, of the places from my book continue to exist, and some of them even continue to evolve. On my recent trip to El Paso to promote the book I was able to stop by and visit Mr. Loya, and it was delightful and heartening to see Mr. Loya thoroughly immersed in the continuing decoration of his yard. Take a look for yourself.

New Discoveries

It’s not uncommon for people to ask me during my book tour lectures why I didn’t include such-and-such place in my book, and sometimes people even insist upon taking me to meet someone with a special yard and garden. In this way, the fun part of my book project continues: learning more about new places and the people who live there. From time to time I will report on what I find out there, and I welcome news of things I may have overlooked. Please take a look at Erma Lee's garden

In May, I was invited by the Garden Conservancy to give a presentation on my book in San Francisco. Once again I was reminded how gardens can be powerful gestures of hospitality and social connection, because Cevan Forrist invited Jack and me to have dinner in his garden in San Jose. I invite you to take a peek at his garden.

Fragile Places

In the relatively short period of time between turning in the manuscript for my book, and when it finally was published, several of the places I had written about had been changed, damaged, or erased altogether. It's tough, but not altogether unexpected. All of these updates are just reminders that we need to visit and cherish these special places - while they last.

It's the personal changes that are hard to take. Sam Mirelez never did get to see his story in print, for he died just a few weeks before the book came out, and Sam's property has been dismantled.

Charlie Stagg suspects that arson was the source of the fire that completely destroyed his original studio and much of the "bottle room" last year, but he's building something new to replace it - see what Charlie is up to now!

Paul Schleising decided to move. Most of the details of Paul's moving are none of our business. Despite his declaration of attachment and special feelings about his old remnant creek side property, he took advantage of a real estate boom in his neighborhood to sold it to buy a more suitable home somewhere else. Read more about Paul's property becoming the new Austin.