Sweet Sweet Silence

I grew up in Houston, Texas.  I spent the first 30 years of my life there.  Plus 4 when I returned 1994-1998, when I spent time working with my best friend at a law firm at the top of the tallest building downtown.  We carpooled from our houses, 3 miles away.  She helped me get my first aussie, JessieJane, during that time.  When I first left, in 1986, there were 3.2 million people living in Houston.  Last I heard, there were 6 million strong.

71st floor of the 72-story grey building in the middle.

I started dreaming about getting out while in high school.  I finally up and left - rather suddenly - shortly after turning 30.  I had visited my childhood friend, Lisa, in Santa Cruz.  She had moved here years before.  She grew up in a house on the block behind mine.  We both got into plenty of trouble in those days.  But I digress ...

I spent 4 days out here with Lisa, among the technicolor beauty and crisp, clear climate ... walking among the redwoods in the mountains, roller skating along West Cliff Drive. That's another, rather comical story in itself.

She offered me a spare bedroom and a spare car - a VW square back - and 2 weeks after returning home, I loaded my belongings up in my old, lightning fast, yellow Buick and headed out here, got a job, and the rest is history.  It's been adventure, to say the least.

And now I work one mile from the lighthouse on West Cliff

The first time I returned to Houston after living here for awhile, I noticed something I hadn't before - the hiss of the freeways.  No matter where I was, it was audible.  Whether it was the 610 loop or I-10 or I-45 or I-59 ... I heard it.  I mentioned it to a friend while standing in a parking lot one evening, and she listened and said she had never noticed it before.  Right.

I hear the sweet silence in this town.  I heard it yesterday on a break - in the streets of downtown Santa Cruz.  No hiss.  I hear the silence at my house, with the exception of the singing of the creek down below.  I'll take it.

I live one mile from downtown Boulder Creek

You can even hear it in this video at Heart Dog (which is 15 minutes away from my house).  Between the shark barks, of course.  And the chirping of the birds.  And the distant comments of Jemima, cheering us on from the truck.  More pudding proof:  we have contacts in practice.  :)

Life is good.