My sister’s visit, December 2005: at Curra’s Grill

My sister M and her then-boyfriend-now-husband P visited the US in December of 2005, and they spent a few days in Austin. Oddly enough, the primary purpose of their visit wasn’t to visit me, S, and E, but to meet with P’s friend, who he met during his studies in the US a few years prior. At the time of the visit she was a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. So that’s what brought them to Austin.

During those few days we went out with them and their friend to Curra’s Grill to introduce M and P to the “real” Mexican food (as real as it can be in Texas). We also introduced them to such “Keep Austin weird” weirdness as avocado margarita. P actually thought it was very tasty.

On Saturday we went on a Duck Tour. You hear lots of amazing factoids about Austin during a Duck tour. The passengers are given whistles in the shape of a duck bill and the tour guide tells you when to blow it at the passers-by. The whistle produces quacking noises. The tour bus is an amphibious vehicle. At some point it gets into the water and “sails” around the lake for a little while. The tour guide points out various rich and famous people’s houses around Lake Austin.

On Sunday M, P, S and I went for dim sum to a Vietnamese restaurant called Tea House. Then the three of them drove to a Hill Country winery called Fall Creek Vineyard for a tour and wine tasting. Both S’s and my cars were so small it was nearly impossible to fit 4 adults and a baby seat, so I took an easy way out and stayed home with the baby. In the evening, though, the four of us and the baby managed to squeeze into S’s car and drove to Dolce Vita, a little coffeeshop with Italian desserts.

S and E at Curra’s Grill

S and E at Curra’s Grill

At Curra’s E got to sit in a high chair for the first time. She was quite the little adult, sitting there listening politely to the conversation… for about 15 minutes. Then she started acting clingy and climby towards me, so I took her out of the chair and she spent the rest of the evening alternating between my and my sister’s laps.

While the adults were ordering from the menu, E was eating the menu.

In front of a wall painting at Curra’s Grill, clockwise from the left: me, my sister M, P behind her, and S with our little red-eyed vampire E.