September 21st, 2025. My oh my that was a BIG Amygdala!

It’s hard to read, but the pole says “I am ashamed”.

Heather took us all out to an all-you-can-eat sushi place and in all honesty I ate far more than I should’ve. I feel like I learned a lot about my body this day.

I should feel more guilty about not having a Journal entry specifically about Reno, NV because we had a good time there. AND we had TIME there. As the turn-around point with a friend with a spare room, it was the closest thing we’ve had to “downtime” for the whole trip. But I spent that time doing other stuff, not writing.

Sunday during the day, September 21st, we popped over the border to California. We made very sure we didn’t have to buy GAS in California.

We’re Eastbound. Yesterday we drove to California, turned around at the Donner Memorial – perhaps an inauspicious place to make our furthest point, but also an important cautionary tale for road-trippers – played an immense show at Reno, NV, and today we begin our true homeward journey.

We’re less circuitous on the way home until we jag south for Alabama, completing our lower-48, but we’ll cross a quarter-million miles on the Hyundai tomorrow and I regret heading back to the East Coast so soon.

As we cross the Nevada desert listening to Led Zeppelin, I think we’re all lost in our own thoughts. I’m certainly scattered across the images and feelings of the past several weeks, amplified by fatigue and music. The land around has just shifted from tan, broken earth to bone-white flats. Though I Love the landscape and the sense of openness, it does amaze me that people overcome so much to Live out here. Another tiny town climbs off the horizon, nestled in the shadow of rounded mountain tops, and it’s all there is to see till it fades again into the west.

(Below, Sunday September 21st we visited the Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee, CA)

The evening of Sunday the 21st we played our “biggest” show at Reno Public Market with Big Amygdala. I should have more to say about it. Great audience, mostly gathered there for Heather’s CD release and Big Amygdala, clearly blown away by our performance. And I’ve got to admit, we’re pretty awesome. B.A.s harmonies were spectacular, their arrangements always very cool. Really fabulous musicianship. But I’ll never forget the compliment I got from Joel’s dad…. and I ain’t gonna tell you what it was!

As much as I hate to admit it, it’s absolutely true that this month has been ill-planned. I’d been prepared to lose money on a tour for almost the first time (I think the only other time was when touring with Rowan and the gas prices LEAPT without warning in 2008). It’s only through the grace of some spectacular donations through Live from the Lair and the support that was provided at THIS GIG that I’m not coming back poorer than I’d left. I’m a little ashamed by that, but incredible grateful… and the shame is something I recognize as stupid. People will do what they want with their money and time – and since my entire artistic Livelihood is based in the hope that they’ll spend their money and time (and belief and faith) in me and my art, there should never be a time when I’m ashamed by that. Flattered, floored and THANKFUL, yes. But “ashamed” is dangerously close to thinking I don’t deserve that support – which in addition to being useless – is an insult to the people that support us.

So what I MEANT was thank you.