Shoveling out from under, so don't expect much here for a while. Gabe Gudding has pictures from pretty much the whole tour, minus the all-too-brief detour Ali and I took to meet Jose Valentin's kids at Busch Stadium. (Jonathan! next time I'm in StL I promise I'll give you advance notice.)

Great to meet Gabe finally (eleven years later) and Wayne -- they killed. Thanks due also to Gina, without whom the Illinois tour wouldn't have happened, and who put together a remarkable venue and audience at Knox. Who knew Jasper would be so much like Michael Lally. Good to catch up with Karl Parker, and to get to know Karen Leona Anderson. And finally, if you ever get to Normal, be sure to go with the Gbabe, Joe Amato, Kass Fleischer, and Bill Morgan to Lucca's for the pizza a la Baldini.

While I'm in the second person let me say that if you ever have a talk show, you'd be luckier than you can imagine to have the crowdpleaser Franklin Bruno on stage with you. Esoteric but never recondite. Plus, he kicks. And as for Ali. I've never thought much of the concept of the touring family band (poor Sara Evans), but like the Christine McVie song says, you make it sound fun.

Let's do this.