This picture is a Thanksgiving with friends. I am in the red on the left; Raymond is behind the camera.

Raymond and I met in architecture school at Rice University in Houston. He was born in Thailand to Chinese parents and I am just a good ol' Texas girl from the Gulf Coast. We moved to Austin after college and a few adventures on the side in the early 1970's. We moved to the Riverside house in 1985 after spending eight years rescuing the original 1917 house from dilapidation and the City's demolition list. The house was originally the homestead of Captain Frank Haimer, the Texas Ranger that captured Bonnie and Clyde. In the last 29 years here at Riverside we have raised two sons, hosted eight foreign high school exchange students and a Chinese teacher. Our family travels around the country and abroad have taught us the importance of receiving and offering kindness to strangers.

We spend our time socializing with our friends and our grown children over good food and wine. Lucky for us, they are all good cooks and company. Raymond just finished building a forno that we bake pizzas, bread and lasagne.

We like to row singles on Ladybird Lake, walk our dog Mati (Matiise), camp out west in Big Bend, Fort Davis or the Guadalupe Mountains. We keep honey bees (not at this property) and enjoy sharing our bounty with friends. Raymond loves to prune trees, build things and bake bread. I love growing herbs and cooking, but most of all, I like to watercolor.

We look forward to helping you enjoy yourself in Austin. Having lived here over forty years, we know some good places to hang out. We have two bikes, a canoe and some fishing poles for your use.

Large cedar elms and crepe myrtles shade the courtyards to create inviting settings for spending time outside. There is a propane grill, outdoor chairs and tables for your use and a great porch for you to sit on and contemplate the world.

The studio is filled with an eclectic library of travel, art, architecture, cooking and fiction for you to read and take it easy for a quiet afternoon with a good cup of tea or glass of wine. With the eight windows looking north into the treetops, there is definitely a good opportunity to relax and take a nap.