Greenbelt , Personal

Freshly Toasted: an Unofficial Greenbelt Community

The pace is hotting up now, so it was good to take one last weekend off from Greenbelt matters before the festival.

My friends Sue and Andrew married in York, and the reception was an endless stream of people I only ever see at Greenbelt. "It's strange seeing you out of context," summed it up perfectly; "last time I saw you, you were wearing fewer clothes" was a reasonable but failed attempt to compare wedding attire with the compulsory shorts and t-shirts of the festival.

On the way north on Friday, and on the way south yesterday I stopped by good friends I'd not have met had it not been for Greenbelt. Wonderful times, working ourselves up about the next four weeks.

GB's always a good source of friends. The group I camp with (pictured here in '91; I'm second from left in the front; Sue's the leftmost person) has grown as we invited new friends to join us, and spawned new communities when we've got a little too big.

And this year? Who knows who we'll all meet. I think that's the most exiting part for me -- looking over old photos like this, wondering who'll be smiling back in the next one.

(This entry was originally posted on the Greenbelt Blog.)