Cruising the Mission for Hookers with the Buddha and Billy by Hunter Austin

The late Hunter Austin was a wonderful guy and a warm, welcoming host at his eaterie in Calistoga, northern California, when I met him in 1995 (writes Joe Sinclair).

I had met his mother Barbra in London one year earlier, when we were considering a joint marketing activity.  Subsequently when I went to California to continue our business negotiations which - alas - did not materialise, she took me for lunch at her son's restaurant.

We recently made contact again - after nine years - thanks to the positive benefits of a social networking website and it was sad to learn that Hunter had died.  It is always a greater tragedy when someone is pre-deceased by an offspring.  Barbra herself had suffered a serious illness from which she had happily made a full recovery.

In the course of our ensuing correspondence she mentioned that Hunter had written a considerable amount of poetry.  I asked her for an example that I might publish in Nurturing Potential. 

And here it is.

The photograph was taken by me at his restaurant in 1995.