Neighborhood fun

The chili cook-off was quite a success, especially given the honestly little effort that went into it. At least fifty people attended (I think more like seventy), and thirteen chilis were entered. My chili received praise from the judges but did not win the grand prize. That honor went to a woman who has lived in the neighborhood a long time (probably longer than I've been alive)....and she deserved to win. You can see pictures here.

What I really liked about how yesterday went was that it gave all of us neighbors a chance to remember why we live here. This neighborhood is special - a soon-to-be-shining example of new urbanism and urban renewal. The first wave of homeowners of the new houses is a pretty neat group of people...mostly young, white, and solidly middle-class. None of my neighbors are rich, and a few are poor, but at yesterday's event, that didn't matter a bit. Hopefully we can keep the momentum and keep having successful events.