Just a short blog to mention my lunch break. I met my mother at the end of the morning, just after interviewing Dr. Ed Ayers, president of University of Richmond and author of "In the Presence of Mine Enemies: War in the Heart of America, 1859-1863" (more on that later).
I'd been interested in the little restaurant right next door to the James Gettys Hotel, where we stayed, which shares a lovely courtyard with the James Gettys, so we went there for lunch. It's the Blue Parrot Bistro, and we sat outside in the courtyard, which was a little sunny until we moved to a shadier table. Other conference-goers had found the restaurant as well. The landscaping in this little narrow place has turned it into an unexpected urban garden, the brick walk lined with blossoms and green leaves.
The staff was friendly and the food good – I had a mushroom curry soup and a half a tuna melt with lemonade, and Mom ordered the hummus, which gave us both a laugh:
