Walker always asks to be in the top photo, showing us that he can still do what he does best – relax on the couch. He hasn’t changed a bit since we last saw him in 2021 and first met him in 2016. And he still loves us.
It took 10 years, and our friends Hope and Carlos have come full circle. We first met them at a Blues Guitar Unleashed (BGU) meetup in Gardiner, ME in 2014. We had driven over from VT and they had travelled up from their home in Beaufort, NC to play with the gang. Hope is a drummer and Carlos plays bass (mostly) and guitar. I will remind you that I, too, am a drummer and that Doug plays guitar (mostly) and bass. The four of us hit it off immediately.
In 2015, Hope and Carlos hosted a BGU meetup of their own which we attended in NC as a part of our first long trip in the motorhome. And we’ve seen them on a few of our trips up and down the eastern seaboard to visit my mom. Two years ago, they realized a dream of moving back to New England. They acquired a plot of land on which to build as well as a smaller house that’s on the road to Andover, ME, which is where they’re living until the new place is ready. And they’re an hour away from Gardiner, ME.
Of course, we always need to spend some time just catching up when we get together. And that we did. Then, we always find time for music. If there’s music around, Hope and Carlos will find it! They brought us to a fine outdoor concert by The Acoustipalians at the bandstand on the Town Common just up the road in Andover. Also, we always find time to jam. While Hope was at work on Saturday at the dog and cat shelter, we did a little sightseeing and then we jammed with Carlos until Hope came home.
And timing is everything. Hope and Carlos are the rhythm section of a band that rehearses every Sunday afternoon. They had kindly vouched for us, bandmates Steve and Butch were ok with the idea, and the band invited us to sit in with them the following day. Cool! Doug got to test his guitar chops as we played through the band’s set lists, which included a whole ton of songs that were new for us. I brought out my suitcase kit and Hope and I had a blast as we figured out how to work together as dual drummers – just like Jaimoe and Butch (Allman Brothers), Mickey and Bill (Grateful Dead), or Tyler and JJ (Tedeschi Trucks).
Thanks Hope and Carlos! Looking forward to our next meetup.
