This is a semi-spontaneous creation in the studio. I took a general musical theme to work on and improvised lyrics to tell a story about leaving Santa Clara County to work in Tulare County and then returning to San Jose. There's an old Californian saying "out in the tules" that is our version of "the back of the beyond." The Central Valley wetlands -- "Las tulares" to the Spanish -- are nearly all gone and this region is now famous for its dangerous fogs and throat-filling dust.
When I mentioned where I lived in 2009 to people, I often got the comment "There's nothing there." I don't know what they mean. There are acres of oranges, beautiful oak and grass covered hills, steep canyons with clear-flowing rivers, and a dark night filled with stars. Yeah... "nothing."
