Notes from the road, and an upcoming anniversary.

The first leg of the tour is over. We played Sacramento on Thursday and three straight days in San Francisco. I hear marked improvement through the four shows, which is a good sign. Still a lot of work to do, and a sudden technical problem with my keyboard is stressing me out to no end, but the tour definitely won't be disaster.

We saw a leatherdaddy late on Friday night on Folsom St. in San Francisco. Actually, we saw dozens of leatherdaddies (and a few pairs of asscheeks) but this one stood out because he was using a walker. 70 odd years old, bedecked head to toe in wrinkly skin, back crooked, shuffling down the sidewalk one step at a time. The only thing that could have topped it would have been an octogenarian dominatrix cruising on a Jazzy.

(The band is keeping a blog at http://scotlandbarr.blogspot.com, with contributions from all of us, if you are looking for other perspectives.)

I just hopped on the train from Richmond to Davis. I've taken this train a half dozen times now, and I really enjoy it. It's a quick trip (about an hour – not much longer than by car) and convenient, but more than that it's a fascinating look at the backside of the I-80 corridor. You get to see backyards, back fences. It is a car culture, and people present themselves to the roads, whether through homes or business, factories or parks. Meanwhile, the neglected underside of their lives abuts the railroad tracks. If all the world's a stage, then the train provides a backstage pass.

There is a far more interesting and thorough take on it to be found here: BEATING THE BOUNDS - a UC Davis graduate student's project to walk the length of the line from Oakland to Davis. Perhaps I already blogged about it, but it is worth a second mention.

I have a blog post about beating the bounds in Burgundy, France, that I have been meaning to post for almost a year, and when I write it well, you will read it. It will be great.

That reminds me that this blog is almost one year old. And, coincidentally, I just saw my cousin (with whom I stayed in Paris) again, this time in San Francisco. It all comes together sometimes. The last year has been quite wonderful. Full of wonder. Full of interesting things. Full of change. Perhaps it has been a launching pad – I feel something a-comin'. Something's in the wind. It's like right before Mary Poppins shows up. Or one of those other classic musicals in which everything works out for the best...

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