My backyard was a dull wasteland when I bought this abandoned house. It was reflective of my impression of Memphis when arriving from Los Angeles to be an 'environmental sculptor' for a zoo. It sucked the life and imagination right out of me. I was miserable. "It's all what you make of it!", I kept hearing from the locals, who saw me suffer. So I decided to get to it, and created a piece of substitute-Hollywood, Cancun and Hawaii (so everybody says), with a koi-pond, cliffs, waterfalls, a hot-tub, gothic walls, arches etc.—going for the old-established look with lots of tropical vegetation. (My pet crocodiles and the rain-forest are 'beyond the walls', on the other side of the Mayan inspired outdoor fireplace.)