In Austin, the eco-capital of Texas, residents tend to favor native plants and wildflowers to the sculpted lawns of the Palm Springs variety.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I grew up just outside of Austin, and my upbringing was fairly rural.
I grew up in a town outside of Waco, Texas, and we had 30 acres.
Think of all the mesquite in Texas, the pinyon pines, the acorns in Appalachia, every place has the possibility of mass production. It's an infrastructural system so nestled in ecology, it's a more beautiful ecology.
I like the fact that Austin's the first place I've ever lived where there's a real sense of community. People care about their neighbors.
I knew more about Texas than the Texans and when they told me I would find summer here I smiled knowingly.
I don't like formal gardens. I like wild nature. It's just the wilderness instinct in me, I guess.
I do think Austin is a great town for writers; we have a lot of them here. But I grew up in Austin, and so I didn't move here because it was a creative mecca; I was just lucky to live here.
I've been surprised by Austin. I had a cowboy image of the place. It's a pretty sophisticated city - in some ways, more sophisticated than Boston. And there's a lighter feel to the place. It's very good for my spirits.
I cannot live without flowers everywhere. I grew up having a big garden, the size of a city block, in Rombas.
Wild flowers grow where they will.