We have so many reasons to love Austin.

For the rest of you it might be music or SXSW or maybe you love the bat colony. For John and me Austin is fun with friends and family.
Here are my beautiful nieces Jessica and Rachel. Rachel is the one in red.

Jessie is leaving soon, to go to New Orleans to work with Batou and Alice and Toby, and then to teach English in Taipei.Her sister  Rachel and Pio Alvarez are having a baby! Rachel is the oldest of the Renzi grandchildren and their baby will be the first Renzi great-grandchild.
Meet Pio with John on the deck Pio just finished building on his house.

He's a pearl and we're so lucky to have this new (THESE new) additions to our family. And Lizzie too! Here is our dear friend, Location Casting Director on so many of our films since LONESTAR, with her three fabulous kids.

From the left that's Cosmo, Paloma, and our goddaughter Nasrine. If I hadn't gotten busy stuffing myself with crawdads we brought from Lake Arthur, I might have remembered to take a picture of Hawkeye too. Instead, I washed my hands, grabbed the load of wash from the dryer (left my suitcase) and dashed out the door to get to BookPeople. This party way way too short.

It's a nice full crowd, filling the chairs and the couches (what a comfortable store!). Standing Room Only included Sarah and Cari Beauchamp's son Teo and our pal Louis Black. (SXSW/Austin Chronicle Louis, not the comedian, thank you.) John read "the Cloud City" which is set in Leadville, a town where we did some filming for SILVER CITY. Good questions from smart people in a comfortable place. What if all America was like this?

Our dear friend Ita's brother Bill with his wife Teen. Incredibly since I have known Ita since 1971, I have never met Bill. He lived in the Philippines for years, working for Kodak. I know he will enjoy A MOMENT IN THE SUN.

Louis, surrounded by pulchritude.

And Don Car with Sandy. He would tell you, "Don't ever sit down for dinner on South Congress where why you really traveled from Wimberly is to hear John Sayles read." Don is our friend since he worked with Phil Schneider in Props in LONESTAR. We were so happy to see each other. His Momma Kathy Carr passed away this year at a very old age. John and I lived in the same little condo building under shady live oaks in Eagle Pass. I'd be dashing in or out and Kathy Carr would take me by her cool, old lady hand and say, "You are doing such a good job." She was my guardian angel and Don is another good son, along with Will Oldham. Don't we know a lot of good people?