Eye Witness Report From Quincy

Mike and I took the van and Leo and Maeve, who both needed naps, and went to Quincy. Left Sophia to play with friends and scooter around the campsites. Quincy was 5 miles south and 5 miles east and across a bridge over the flooding Mississippi. We get there, and guess what, the thunderstorm that destroyed the girls' tent also hit Quincy. Trees are down all over the roads. There's only intermittent power. We are rerouted and detoured. Finally find a Walgreens, where the duct tape and aftersun lotion is found. The clerk directs me to a grocery store and Mike finds the tortillas. Then the auto parts store for the hose clips. Things look good, even though the half hour expected time turns out to be almost an hour.

So we're on the bridge back over the river and we see it. More storm clouds. We are at least ten minutes from the campsite. I go as fast as I think is advisable. As we get over the bridge to Missouri, there's a flea market on the right hand side of the road. The wind whips up and picks up tables and junk and plastic tubs. And throws them at us. We are attacked by a flea market. But no damage--and we drive on. The rain hits about 5 minutes before we get back, and I'm totally stressing out because Sophia is there alone. Not really alone, because there are neighbors, but I'm having one of those moments when I have a flash of death approaching and poor Sophia. Her parents impaled on a highway exit sign. That sort of thing. The wind was that strong.

But we make it. God watches over drunks and fools. Sophia's sitting in Mary's car and is fine. Our tent is fine. Dinner is even fine--they had warning from Eric on the highway that it was coming and Steven put all the fajita stuff in a big pot. So dinner, you know, is the BEST MEAL I'VE EVER TASTED.

And we clean up again. And Steven goes to get ice.