It turned out to be a perfect afternoon, with nary a cloud in the sky by the time we got to Lodi. We saw THOUSANDS of Sandhill Cranes come in at sunset, probably the best birdwatching experience I've ever had.

And the concert was wonderful. Deb and Brooks complement each other very well. Brooks does amazing things with guitar harmonics - he's a real master. Deb has an amazing voice, rich with a terrific range. Her interpretations of songs are always interesting and often unusual. I really like her choice of songs - from "Alcohol" (by the Kinks), to "Time to Remember the Poor," to a bluesy version of "Darling Corey," to "Lili Marlene Walks Away," a Bill Caddick song that sounds like it came from a Berlin cabaret.

I'm not sure Deb realized that we were in Lodi, the last stronghold of the John Birch Society in California, where until recently the bus stop benches all said "Get US Out of the United Nations." Well, Deb got a little political in her stage patter, and said how happy she was that Obama was elected. Then she added a verse to "Oh, Freedom" that said we needed universal health care. Now the concert was in a very friendly Episcopalian church, but I worried a bit that those nice Episcopalians would turn into an angry lynch mob - and Deb had mentioned my name from the stage more then once, so I figured the mob would get me, too.

But the Episcopalians stayed nice, and we all oohed and aahed after the concert when she demonstrated how she could fold her Voyageair guitar and stow it in a hatbox-sized case. Oh, and the Episcopalians also proudly gave me a tour of the inside of their 1908, mechanical-action, 10-rank pipe organ.

The concert was in a modern, simple, but very beautiful Episcopalian church. It has very live acoustics that were a bit of a challenge, but Deb handled the acoustics very well.

So, it was a wonderful "date night" for Christina and me. Absolutely spectacular birdwatching, and then a terrific concert in an extremely beautiful and friendly venue.

Happy trails, Deb. Thanks for coming.

-Joe-