Road trip Day 3, and Summerfest!

Day 3:  We had a leisurely drive from West Virginia to Johnstown, Pennsylvania.  The anticipation was wonderful, because we were almost at Vegetarian Summerfest!  We completed our registration and headed to our room to see our Laura and Rob beds. (That's what I call the twin beds we sleep in.  As in the characters from the Dick Van Dyke Show, who slept in separate twin beds.) 

But first we grabbed some of the free samples that were laid out for us at registration. 

And then it was time to head to our first Summerfest meal! As you can see here, I forgot to snap a picture until we had already chowed down on part of the meal. 

Here you see the tofu Reuben which was excellent. 

And dessert.

After lunch it was time to get started with the classes.  I attended a session where Julieanna Hever spoke about recipes and having a good vegan pantry/kitchen, and some important things to remember regarding plant foods. 

Next was the topic of the myths and science involved in a plant-based diet, given by Dr. Stephan Esser. Mr. GV learned about wild edibles in a different session. 

Next was dinner, which for me was black bean chili, greens, tabouli salad, and brown rice. 

Plus a salad and a piece of garnet yam cake with caramel icing, which was really yummy. 

After dinner was the plenary, where we all meet together in an auditorium.  Rae Sikora spoke, along with a couple of other well-known people.  But to me, Rae is the most inspiring in her work towards a cruelty-free world.  She shared with us the intelligence and emotions found in chimps, chickens, and many other animals. 

After the plenary, it was time for the get acquainted party.  We hung around for a while, enjoyed our snacks, and then moved outside to do a little sky gazing.  We saw Saturn through a high-powered telescope and it was amazing.  It looked....exactly like it looks in illustrations, just perfectly formed with its rings. 

And after that?  It was time to retreat to our room, drop into our Rob and Laura beds, and pass out!