All he knew then was that he loved the place.

"I fell in love with the town," said the Bay Area native. "I went to (college) in Durango, Colorado, and I thought this was just like Durango without the altitude."

He forgot all about Sisters for more than a decade, while he built successful pool building and maintenance businesses in the Bay Area. Then, by one of the strange coincidences that seem so common in Sisters, he visited some relatives who had moved to the area.

"I came back and said 'sell the house, I'll sell the business and we're moving,'" he recalled.

He and his wife Jane moved here a year and a half ago and he plunged into the landscape business with characteristic gusto. He located at the legendary House of Rocks along Highway 20, completely refurbishing the property.

That work continues as Aitken develops a nursery on the site.

Aitken, who now employs 10 people, offers full landscaping design and construction services. He bought an existing company and has worked to maintain his customer base. Now, SisterScapes is expanding geographically and moving into commercial landscape work.

SisterScapes is also moving into pond building and the creation of water features. He is working on the water feature at Barclay Memorial Park.

He is also planning to create a rock and water landscape for a new sign along the highway. The sign will feature and memorialize the boulder that perched atop a car at the House of Rocks for years -- a tribute to a landmark that many local folks have told Aitken they miss.

Aitken is a big believer in water conservation and natural landscaping. He and his staff continually educate themselves on new technologies that use water more efficiently.

That kind of intensive education has always been a hallmark of Aitken's work, dating back to his pool business in the Bay Area: "Education is a big thing with me," he said.

Aitken has had no problem adjusting to small-town life. In fact, he loves it.

"You run into people you know and end up having a cup of coffee with them," he said "It's a great feeling."

Although his time is limited as he builds his business, Aitken has other interests that are well suited to Central Oregon: He loves to hunt, fish and golf.