We are a multicultural family living in the Texas Hill Country. Tom is an engineer, originally from Germany. Aurélie is a designer, originally French-Indonesian.
“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” <br>- ''Confucius''
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=== Where we were: Fast-paced lives in global cities ===
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For 15 years, we pursued prestigious professional goals in prestigious places. We worked in academia, management consulting, tech, corporations, and military organizations across the United States and Western Europe. Before the pandemic, we had homes in Paris (France) and Austin, and were working across continents.
[[File:Tom and Aurelie portrait land.jpg|frameless|thumb|link=|none]]
However, the more we progressed on this path, the less happy we became. We realized we were not going to find true fulfillment and meaning in life with what we were doing. The heart of the problem was a mismatch between our values and the values of the systems where we lived and worked and many people in them.
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We have a house in San Antonio that we renovated ourselves in a modern European style, with a contemplative nature garden and water feature.
On the other hand, we had passions we pursued since we were children and still dedicated much time, effort, and money to as adults. These are nature and animals, creating living spaces, the intelligent use of technology at home, adventure travel, and fine culture.
=== Where we are going: Fine rural living in the Texas Hill Country ===
We also have a 21-acre land near Bandera where we are working to restore a native ecosystem and create a sanctuary for wild birds and pollinators, and where we plan to live.
The pandemic made us pause and reflect, leading us to question our focus in life. We decided to let go of our old aspirations and instead resolved to dedicate ourselves to our passions and new family mission. Our goal in life is to achieve harmony with nature and with ourselves, nurture meaningful bonds with others, and help restore and preserve biodiversity.
The pursuit of these new life goals entailed a drastic change in lifestyle, for which the pandemic was a catalyst as we stopped moving around. We cooked a lot more and changed our diet. We observed and helped the wildlife coming to our suburban garden in Austin. We tried and enjoyed new activities in real-estate and living spaces. We realized that we are creative people at heart, driven by character, with a scientific and analytical mindset.
As the pandemic ended, we started to look for a new place to live. We wanted to be closer to nature, as well as have more space, less pollution, and more freedom to do things our way, differently and better. In 2018, we had discovered the Texas Hill Country during a horse-riding vacation and found it was a very special region, among the many places we had lived in and traveled to in the world. We love its gentle rolling hills, prairies with wildflowers, sunny dry weather, and rich multicultural heritage. It has an irresistible wild rugged beauty.
[Insert 2 photos from land: Tom's desktop background]
We found and bought our dream land in 2022. It is 21 acres of nature, near Bandera, with a landmark hill called "Fivemile Hill". This land and its wildlife have been a continued source of joy and inspiration, and we are working on making it possible to live there.
To be closer to our land and learn the necessary skills to build a fine rural life, we moved to San Antonio and bought a 50-year-old house that we extensively renovated ourselves and where we created a garden for birds and butterflies.
[Insert the butterfly and hummingbird photos]
We have learned many valuable insights on this ongoing journey that we share through this website. We are building a meaningful life full of nature, beauty, and taste. Fine rural living is the crossover between wild nature and fine human culture.
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Revision as of 11:10, 8 October 2025
Our story
We are a multicultural family living in the Texas Hill Country. Tom is an engineer, originally from Germany. Aurélie is a designer, originally French-Indonesian.
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We have a house in San Antonio that we renovated ourselves in a modern European style, with a contemplative nature garden and water feature.
We also have a 21-acre land near Bandera where we are working to restore a native ecosystem and create a sanctuary for wild birds and pollinators, and where we plan to live.
Aurélie
I am a designer. I create new ways of living in harmony with nature, including our own human nature, in order to help restore biodiversity.
Tom
I am an engineer. I use technology to create healthy and resilient living spaces shared by humans and wildlife.
Why a hummingbird as logo?
Hummingbirds are common in the Texas Hill Country. Every year from spring to fall, we see ruby-throated hummingbirds daily, in our garden in San Antonio and our land in Bandera. They look like beautiful miniature animal jewels. But far from fragile, hummingbirds have extraordinary endurance. Did you know that the rufous hummingbird flies 3,900 miles (6,300 km) when migrating every year from Alaska to Mexico and has the longest migration of all birds measured in body size? In addition, hummingbirds enter a state of torpor and drop their body temperature every night to save energy, from about 40-41°C (about 104-105°F) to 10-15°C (50-60°F) on average, with the lowest ever recorded at 3°C (37°F) which is close to freezing! And despite their small size, it is impossible to keep hummingbirds in captivity. With their beauty, resilience, and fierce love of freedom, hummingbirds are a source of inspiration to us.
The hummingbird symbolizes our love for nature and wildlife. It is our guiding star on our quest to live in harmony with nature and help restore biodiversity.
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Why the name Fivemile Hill?
Fivemile Hill is the name of the geological landmark hill located on our land in Bandera, Texas. It is the only hill in a five-mile radius, with a height of about 400 meters (1,300 feet) from sea level. We are stewards of 21 acres where we are working to restore a native ecosystem and create a sanctuary for wild birds and pollinators.
