Last night encompassed everything I was hoping to find along my journey. New friends, hearty laughter, genuine hearts, stunning locations. 

I was invited with Maureen (farm owner) over to the Liberty Rose in Williamsburg to spend time with Mike and Andrea of the post ‘A drink with friends’. They were hosting a wedding for a lovely group that night, so we were all talking in and just outside of the kitchen.

Talking and snacking, we were intermittently catching the periphery of the expert cuisine Mike was producing for the event (my descriptions wont do it justice, so if you read this Mike or Andrea, please so correct me!). 

Strip steak cooked over a fire pit, leg of lamb, Epoisse on crackers. Potatos with capers, baby turnip, kohlrabi. Lion’s mane mushroom and Kale cooked in gin, white wine, and more! I must have once donated money at a market checkout somewhere that turned out to be the last $1.63 a disaster-stricken family needed to get their home built or something, because I’m not aware of what I’ve done in my life to have deserved the friendship of such genuine and giving people.

We talked about everything for hours. The hosted group passed through now and then to chat and thoroughly thank Mike and Andrea for a wonderful event. Even Tracy Herner, manager and executive director of the Williamsburg Farmers Market, dropped by! She heard my story and offered to help connect me to farmers who may have work or a place to tent up all over Virginia. For this, I am endlessly grateful.

It’s done, mission accomplished. Week 2 has only just begun and victory conditions have been met. I knew I needed to undertake this journey, but never did I imagine it would be so wildly successful.

Now to see how many more times it can be done in the remaining year.

• Uncategorized