Green thumbs

This grainy image is the first photo I saw of Sierra Phantom. Months after we had started our weekly phone conversations, he unexpectedly mailed me a card and this newspaper clipping. Right away I thought, dang, this dude is a bad ass. Really, who gardens in cowboy boots, aviator glasses and a bolo tie? ... This was a big day for Sierra Phantom, and he was excited to get a bit of recognition for it. He and his neighbors had transformed a drab apartment courtyard into a community garden – a garden went on to produce county fair award-winning veggies.