After 25 years of city life, musician Tom Caufield and his wife Rebecca Hill are leaving Los Angeles to live and work in a small North Carolina town.

The porch door is swung open to let a cool breeze in, and the sound of various bird calls and squirrels rustling punctuate the kitchen air. This morning, Tom is looking back on over thirty years of his life in music – the first twenty as a singer-songwriter and the last ten as a composer of instrumental, contemplative music. His wife Rebecca is out shopping for shower curtains and a day bed for the new apartment, making sure to be safe, as the pandemic precautions are still in place. For years, she’s also been pursuing arts and entertainment in various ways.

Tom and Rebecca are recent returns to the south after spending over twenty-five years living and working in Los Angeles. He’s originally from Michigan and lived in North Carolina for a few years in both the late 70s and early 90s. Rebecca is originally from the Florida-Georgia border. Though they loved California, they often yearned for a quieter life. In the late summer of 2020, with the pandemic lockdown grinding on, the time seemed right. With some help from Tom’s sister, a graphic designer who lives nearby, they found the two-bedroom apartment that Rebecca calls ‘Little Creek’ for the small stream that runs through the woods behind it. They both consider the quiet, simpler surroundings a welcome change after years in the big city.