Author’s Note T he story of the little landscaper is the story of my childhood.
When I was growing up, I worked for my father, who ran his own landscape and construction com- pany in Southern California. My father’s parents had come from Chihuahua, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, where my dad was born. When he was nine years old, his family moved to California’s hot Central Valley. There, he labored throughout his youth (ages nine to about seventeen) alongside his siblings as a migrant farm worker. As he got older, he began working at a nursery in Bakersfield caring for plants. After serving in the United States Army he settled in Santa Barbara to begin learning the landscape business. It didn’t take long for him to receive his contractor’s license. Over time his business grew, and within a few years he became president of the regional tri-county chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Association. Often my father’s employees were migrants from Mexico who rented rooms in our own home and became part of our extended family. My parents encouraged them to take English classes, and many did. My father sponsored his laborers for citizenship. Eventually, a number of them went on to buy homes, begin families, and start successful businesses of their own. I began accompanying my father to work when I was seven, at first helping with small tasks. By the time I was thirteen it was my part-time job. As a young artist, I loved to work on my father’s landscape blueprints. For twelve years I learned from my father and even considered studying landscape architecture and design when I got older. Ultimately, I found my path studying illustration and fine art at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Landscape work was not easy. It was a physically demanding job done outdoors in all kinds of weather. I had to balance school, friends, life, art, and helping my dad. But working with him was rewarding. It was a creative outlet that nurtured my imagination, and my dad’s eye for design and beauty inspired me as a young artist. It provided me with a strong work ethic and taught me responsibility and business. I am grateful for those days spent with my dad and proud that I could contribute to my family’s business. John Parra with his papi, Del
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