An outsider family view of Quincy

MY TWO SISTERS and niece visited Quincy this weekend. Now I need to sleep until Wednesday.

Charys is from Denver. She's been here a few times, including the epic 60th birthday party last November. Kathy is from Raleigh, N.C. Her daughter, Brooke, lives in the same state in Wilmington. Kathy and Brooke have wanted to see me play in one of the million bands I'm in, and we finally figured out a good weekend.

Make that an amazing weekend!

They arrived Friday night and went to Tiramisu for dinner while I finished up at work. On Saturday we went on a long cemetery walk, had the usual over-the-top breakfast at Thyme Square, and they went to the Maker's Market while I napped.  

Allison McElroy and I played Saturday late afternoon at the Maker's Market, which is a massive (for Quincy) vendor bender. The Sixth Street Promenade looks amazing and the place was packed Friday night and all day Saturday. 

We were right across the street from Seoul 2 Seoul. The vibe was righteous - tons of people milling around, quite a few people hanging out to listen to the music, and good weather. The Hart girls soaked it all up and were quite amused with the constant banter between Allison and I, and the many people walking by.

Look. When you live in a place for almost 30 years, and you are out and about in public most of those years, you meet a few people. That's really all it is.

Oh yes. The weather. It was good. Until the end.

The wind started blowing and poor Allison had to grab onto the small tent we were under. Then the rains came, blowing in sidewalks. soaking everything. Fortunately we were almost done.

After dumping everything off at the house to dry out, we headed to the one and only Monica Scholz's house for a garage jam session. Chris, Nick and Ben Scholz, Joe Desmond and I made the noises. Monica, Allison and the entourage sang along. Glorious! The Hart sisters and Brooke were again amazed at the vibes created by music and laughter.

 Sunday afternoon we went to the Quincy Pride event at Clat Adams Park. It was again an honor to play at Pride, this time with Allison singing her heart out as usual.Then we got to see a bit of the drag show entertainment and the Hart girls and Brooke again loved it. 

This is the part where I could say something about ignorant and angry aldermen and other people who would rather stunt themselves with hate. But I won't. Let's just say I really appreciated our mayor, Linda Moore, for being there and making sure everybody was welcomed and felt valued.

Charys, Kathy and Brooke headed back to the St. Louis and eventually to home. After a good cigar session at Lux and running errands, I spent the rest of the day in a football coma and grateful for family and friends.

The Colorado and North Carolina impressions? They love Quincy. They loved the food, the music, the people. They like the small-town charm and the history. They think most everybody here is friendly and glad to see them. Maybe it's because they were basically around my environment - of course it's not always like that here. Of course we have challenges. 

But this is home, and it's good.

We don't hang out that much. So family time is treasured. And I hope we get to do it again in The Q!