An incomplete life story:
Born in California to beautiful teenagers. They did what they could. When that slim union fell through and my Mom and I moved to Bakersfield, then L.A. where she met Tom Waits. He was good to her. I liked him a lot, he came back from a tour once with a Pittsburgh Pirates t-shirt and called me Lil' Scudder. She was young though, and not sure she was on the right track. She met a handsome fruit-picker named Mr. Tealeaf and, running on her fear that my Father might get custody, they took me to England and then Wales. Portmeirion Village. Twice. Spent four years the only kid living in the heavily landscaped Italian replica town where the Prisoner series was shot, in utter confusion, starring in my own imagined movie. It seemed like it was always the off-season.
Survived this memorable childhood.
Barely made it through young adulthood. Was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma at 21, worked in a bar, joined a band, got professional help, started gardening.
Now raising strong, kind, articulate kids with their great, big, handsome hard-working home-building Dad, Dave (who has thankfully recovered from his own second awfully close tussle with cancer).
All is forgiven.
Update:
These days, though Dave and I didn't make it, I'm doing well trying to make a living working with people with a range of challenges in gardening, dance, theatre, and photography, intermittently staying in touch with my transcontinental family and still documenting people around me who shine quietly.
P.S.
P.P.S.
Photographs by Heather B. Watts are licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.
heatherbeewatts' favorite photos from other Flickr members (1,882)
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Groups (50)
- Party As A Verb 16 photos, 23 members
- Portmeirion 2123 photos, 181 members
- 12 Flickr Superstars 310 photos, 864 members
- Make Something Cool Every Day 12973 photos, 1821 members
- Stop.Draw.Run 338 photos, 370 members
- 52 Stunning Self Portraits 247 photos, 153 members
- Nikon D40/x/50/60/5000/3000 and Friends Club 242428 photos, 18453 members
- Inauguration 2009 14222 photos, 3145 members
- be Poladroid ! 61741 photos, 14707 members
- latest craze 409 photos, 99 members
- how to wreck a journal 6004 photos, 1614 members
- Nikon Digital Learning Center 288204 photos, 46370 members
- IWK Health Centre Foundation 17 photos, 11 members
- An Art Opening 7 photos, 391 members
- Flickrspace 49 photos, 111 members
- Me, Right Now 1384 photos, 1015 members
- big wallpaper - 1024 x 768 minimum 6451 photos, 489 members
- first post to flickr 9 photos, 18 members
- House of Illustration 4858 photos, 1480 members
- Save Polaroid 676 photos, 5628 members
- Anti climax? 1 photo, 12 members
- Secrets Of Explore 482 photos, 1171 members
- Floor 137 photos, 77 members
- Are We There Yet? Families on vacation: 1945-1970s 768 photos, 176 members
- LET'S HAVE FUN!!! 253 photos, 114 members
- RIGHT NOW!! 31 photos, 26 members
- YOKOHAMA MEET UP 74 photos, 174 members
- 写真個展を開催します。（My first photo exhibition wi 15 photos, 191 members
- 90-Second Stories 35 photos, 490 members
- Portraits of Pretty People 3434 photos, 465 members
- * The Long Photo * 692 photos, 248 members
- 10,000 Hugs 139 photos, 244 members
- into geography 84 photos, 76 members
- BOYCOTT POLAROID! 2503 photos, 1242 members
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- Flickr Turns 4 2778 photos, 5592 members
- Describbles 45 photos, 441 members
- Flowers For Lori: a memorial project 72 photos, 63 members
- The EEE Project 0 photos, 65 members
- vintage birthday parties 48 photos, 84 members
- Rebelados de Almeria 1190 photos, 444 members
- Moleskine Alchemists 12681 photos, 1183 members
- plane television 4 photos, 59 members
- DAVID BYRNE 1474 photos, 280 members
- Diana Photography 19996 photos, 3865 members
- wardrobe_remix 83878 photos, 14849 members
- Banksy 13504 photos, 14681 members
- League of the Empty Chair 9254 photos, 7490 members
- Google Trends Battles 26 photos, 39 members
Testimonials (5)
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JacLou says:
"i love headur's smile! but more than that her heart is a huge one as it can envelope a community on a worldly scale. the sincerity and strength that rises from her is contagious as heck. but, even more than that she is sooooo cool and one hellofa mama!!! oh, and i like her photos too."
19th April, 2008
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alight says:
"headur is a garden...
humorist, musician, mamacita, wife, artist, organic gardening queen, photographer, teacher, volunteer, survivor, healer, wit, friend..
she was my first flickr friend (i loved her vintage apron curtains and she reached out to shy me).
i think about the words on her profile.. people 'who shine quietly'.. almost every day...
headur will always be a friend whom i would want to know forever."3rd April, 2006
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Catskills Grrl says:
"I come back to headur's photos again and again. She has the rare gift of taking beautiful, but personal photos with no artifice in between. They communicate something about her and her family and her life that is natural and direct and pure.
It also reminds me why we can all care about someone we don't really know. Because you are me and I am you, and on some unexplainable level we are all One, and this part of the One wishes only the best for headur and her beloved family."8th April, 2005
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hummanna says:
"I am pretty positive that this is one of the most amazing women in this world. She keeps me inspired and always knows the right words to keep me working."
18th March, 2005
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Eva Marieville says:
"Your pictures are deeply inspiring and incredibly wonderful.
For someone who has been interested in cancer research for almost her whole life, I truly admire you, your beautiful family, and the world that you capture through your camera lens.
I'm happy to have come across such a wonderfilled person as yourself. :)"23rd February, 2005
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