Saladia, Colorado, Losing Taylor, Mike from Maine, Hot Springs Shenanagins

"Tearing through the room like an F5 tornado of hyperactive joy was Taylor Hawkins, my brother from another mother, my best friend, a man for whom I would take a bullet. Upon first meeting, our bond was immediate, and we grew closer with every day, every song, every note that we ever played together. I am not afraid to say that our chance meeting was a kind of love at first sight, igniting a musical "twin flame" that still burns to this day. Together, we have become an unstoppable duo, onstage and off, in pursuit of any and all adventure we can find. We are absolutely meant to be, and I am grateful that we found each other in this lifetime."
— Dave Grohl 

Good morning, these words are coming to you from the mountain town of Saladia, CO. We pulled in with our friends Nicole and Dave yesterday about 4:30, toured the city, got some drinks and apps before heading back to our hotel. We walked a few miles, met some wonderful people, got home at a reasonable time, and got a great night of sleep.

We will brunch here, then head to Mount Princeton to meet 18 other friends and hang out in the warm hot springs; it's 70 degrees here, we could not have picked a better weekend. Unfortunately, as we were dining last night, we got some news that our favorite drummer in our favorite band had died.

For the last 15 years, my wife and I have been big fans of the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, and company; we have caught them live eight times and had them on our list to see multiple times this year. But Taylor, their long-time drummer, overdosed, and now the greatest band in the land has no drummer. Dave can play drums a little, but we and millions of fans are sad. RIP Taylor, thank you for the memories.

As humans, I think we all have demons, I have demons, but I know where they are and have locked them in a cage. Unfortunately, not everyone can find their demons let alone lock them away. It's sad Taylor could not control his demons, a good lesson for those of us left behind.

My wife is talking to our kid; she's 34 days from having a baby named Bo Anson; I'm excited to welcome this new human into our family. We will head back to Indy for a few days for a baby shower, return to CO, then drive back at the end of April for an Indiana stint in May. If you are in Indiana and want to connect face to face, send me a message, and I will make it happen.

Yesterday, we planned to meet up before heading to Saladia for lunch. I sat next to my friend Adrian. Adrian is from Maine, he shared he had a high school friend that had a high-end thrift shop in Saladia, so when we arrived, I made sure to find Mike. I walked in, looked at the man behind the counter, and asked, "are you from Maine?" He smiled, "I am!" I said, "I just had lunch with Adrian, and he sent me in." He laughed, "how do you know Adrian?" I said, "he's my neighbor." And he said, "God help you!"

Adrian is one of the 18 in our hot springs party, and he can get anyone in the room to laugh. I expect my hidden six-pack to hurt the next two days. We will be at the springs until Monday morning, then head home; Josie is watching Parker Van Halen; it's nice to have multiple dog sitters to stay at our house.  

A peek into my life, my world, and our sadness. I think there are lessons in the death of Taylor; we'll mourne with the rest of the world and await news on if the band will continue or shut it down. The Foo's without Taylor is like Rush without Neil; I can't fathom another man or woman (what is a woman?) taking over for the legend.

We will shower, do what adults do when in a hotel room (again), head to brunch, shop, and meet our gaggle of friends for one of my favorite weekends of the year. So, if you are ever visiting Colorado, make sure you find your way to the hot springs and make sure you have a group of fun-loving, happy shiny individuals.

"Tearing through the room like an F5 tornado of hyperactive joy was Taylor Hawkins, my brother from another mother, my best friend, a man for whom I would take a bullet. Upon first meeting, our bond was immediate, and we grew closer with every day, every song, every note that we ever played together. I am not afraid to say that our chance meeting was a kind of love at first sight, igniting a musical "twin flame" that still burns to this day. Together, we have become an unstoppable duo, onstage and off, in pursuit of any and all adventure we can find. We are absolutely meant to be, and I am grateful that we found each other in this lifetime."
— Dave Grohl