A Trip to Phillie

After hosting everyone for Japanese-y family dinner, I emptied my refrigerator and packed my bags for Philadelphia.  The Community Food Security Coalition was holding their annual conference there on the topic of access to healthy foods - a theme of policy work for me at Denver Urban Gardens.  The trip was great, exhausting, and overwhelming with great works happening around the country.  I was especially pleased to arrive early enough to participate in a couple field trips to see some wonderful gardens and projects in Phillie.    I also snuck in a visit with Ron and Megan and their daughter Elena.  Ron and Megan were roommates of mine in Jersey City years and years ago.  They recently moved to Phillie to be closer to Megan's family.  I wasn't sure if we could meet up because I had one window of free time on Saturday afternoon.  There was lots to do, but it just so happened they were a dozen blocks from where I was staying on Satuday afternoon.  They came into town to see Bruce Springsteen and Amos Lee perform in front of the art museum in an Obama rally.  Lo and behold, Jessica, my coworker, and Zev, her cousin/my host, were planning to walk down there, too.  It was great to see the three of them, and we visited until they had to catch the train home.  What a treat!