Entry date: 2-12-2023 - It Takes A Village - Letters to My Friends

Dear Friends,

Last night was a lot of fun and, really, the entire day was great. I am very lucky to be able to have Saturdays like that. Let me tell you a little bit about it before I wax philosophical.

Often, Saturdays begin with a nice walk with my friends. We had a good jaunt on the usual path, but we also add a an extra leg on Saturdays since time is not a factor. The boys were in fine form and we laughed our way through the four miles. It's a great way to start a weekend.

After dropping Teresa off at work and lazing around a bit, I met Jim for lunch and we got a chance to catch up. I appreciate my friendship with Jim very much and it was fun to hear about his plans for No Volcano, which if you're a fan, you should be very excited about. That's not my story to tell, but I'm certainly ready to listen and celebrate what they do next. He also was kind enough to treat me to a tasty lunch at a little Italian place near his house and the special pasta of the day was killer.

After lunch, I baked a cake (seriously). Many of you know that I love to bake and yesterday I felt like making something to take to Michael and Tracey's house. They hosted a little feast in honor of Tracey's brother, Chris, and it was good to hang with our extended family of friends. Good company, conversation, and food was such a nice way to start the evening and we even got a little pre-show concert from Chris, Liam, and Quentin.

After collecting ourselves a bit, Liam and I headed for Chopper John's and got the festivities going by seeing more friends and checking out the opener, Eatcrow. It is really fun to watch Mark play drums and Todd is also a hoot when he gets into the show. They had a bit of a rough start, but more than made up for it with a strong finish. I'm glad they are rocking again.

Scorpion Vs. Tarantula were up next and they killed it. I know I wrote a little bit about them about ten days ago, but I don't think I will ever get tired of playing shows with them. They bring such a positive energy to a show and it's fun to watch Laura and Jay's amazing synergy on stage. The crowd was eating them up and getting to watch my two youngest kids rocking out to them was a treat. Liam and Teresa love SVT, as they should.

I was excited for our set, but not nervous at all. Doing the first two shows of this triumvirate had us well-oiled and ready. The crowd was a good one and people seemed to just want to have fun. This was a nice change from some of the crowds last year that I saw at Chopper's. Maybe people are getting over their post-Covid craziness... I don't know. The energy was palpable, though, and it was easy to play for everyone.

Here is where I have to get a little deep on ya, dear reader.

I am touched. Moved. Overwhelmed. Grateful.

The outpouring of love for a band I poured my heart and soul into years ago is like a tonic to me. Thanks to covid and things slowing down for a few years, I had kind of lost that spark for playing music, but I remember why I love it so much now.

Certainly adding Liam to the mix is adding a lot to this joy, and the camaraderie that Shane and Trent and I have is fantastic, but they way you all have embraced these last three shows does a soul good. I am so honored and proud to be able to show Liam such a great example of what this world can be like for him.

Sure, all of the shows he plays won't always be so fun or get the same kind of response, but they may also get better and better for him as he charts his own musical journey. I appreciate the love and support my friends have shown him the last two shows. It really does send a strong message to him and Teresa that there are great people out there who will celebrate with you if you allow them to do so.

I just feel lucky to have so many wonderful friends. Thank you all for making the last two weeks pretty darn amazing.

See you tomorrow.

Another good Dolly shot! Thanks my friend!