Davis, CA

Watching the performances of three outstanding musicians at Mondavi Center last night was a little bit like choosing dessert -- I may love creme brulee, cherry cheesecake and Haagen Dazs Rocky Road, but I don't necessarily want all three on my plate at one time. Mondavi presented Guitar Blues, an American Heritage Series event.

First up on the playbill was Ruthie Foster, a dynamite blues and gospel singer / guitarist from Texas. Beautiful, soul-searching vocals, touched by an angel and fuel powered by a rocket engine, Ruthie was the cherry cheesecake, every bite delightful, that if left to my own devices would make me want to eat the entire cake. It's no wonder Ruthie won the Austin Music Award for Best Female Vocalist in 2008.

Next, out meandered Jorma Kaukonen, appearing confused. He was interviewed by the Sac Bee last week. When asked about the 1960s -- he was a founding member of Jefferson Airplane -- he appeared reluctant to talk about those years, and instead dismissed that discussion by noting the 1960s was a long time ago. I snorted to my husband when I read that, "Oh, criminy, it was only a few decades ago." My husband replied, "Yeah, I wasn't born yet."

I was blown away by his finger-picking, guitar-singing style and masterful command of his instrument. He was definitely the creme brulee. Jorma wore faded jeans, boots, a black turtleneck and sport coat. He had a neatly trimmed beard, white hair and sported perfectly positioned glasses. He's 68. But hearing him sing tune after tune about "baby come back," seemed a bit silly for such a serious musician at his age. Musicians such as Kris Kristofferson or Willie Nelson can pull off those types of numbers, but when Jorma sang, he may as well been talking about a baby on all fours crawling out of reach instead of a woman. Maybe his great grandchild. It seemed out of character and was lacking the pain, the lust and the passion.

But then the Robben Ford band hit the stage. This was the Haagen Dazs Rocky Road treat that woke up the audience. I could eat the entire container of ice cream and not feel the least bit guilty. One of his numbers was about begging a woman to let him come back. I can bet you that every woman in that Davis audience over the age of 40 thought to themselves, "Hey, if she doesn't want you, come sit over here."

The guy in front of me stuck his fingers in his ears during Robben's tune, Supernatural. A finger in each ear. I thought about kicking the back of his chair but then decided that perhaps this guy just came to the show for the creme brulee. We all have our preferences in music.

Well, I must be off to take a listing in Tahoe Park today. Check out these musicians' web sites, though. I'll bet you'll like each of them.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, coming June 2009.

Photo: Mondavi Performing Arts Center in Davis, CA, Big Stock Photo

I'm updating Discover Davis Homes with 2008 market data and noticed an interesting pattern for single family homes in Davis.

Davis CA Homes Sold in 2008 : 332

• Average List Price for Davis Homes: $583,943
• Average Sold Price for Davis Homes: $ 566,058
• Average Days On The Market: 68

Davis CA Homes Sold in 2007 : 509

• Average List Price for Davis Homes: $583,145
• Average Sold Price for Davis Homes: $ 570,081
• Average Days On The Market: 57

While the number of single family homes sold decreased dramatically last year, the average sold and list price stayed virtually the same. Micro-markets in Davis have seen many fluxuations, however on a broad scale, homes values in Davis have held pretty steady.

Visit my site to search homes for sale in Davis CA

322 Balboa in the Covell Park neighborhood in Davis is available on April 1st. Exceptional four bedroom, two full bath home with updated kitchen and baths, beautiful hardwood floors, and more. Perfect location on quiet street near greenbelt. $2,200 per month with a $2,750 security deposit, or $3,300 security deposit with dog. Contact Toad Hollow Properties today at 530-759-TOAD (8623) for more information on this special rental property. Please do not disturb occupants.

If you are actively looking to buy a home in the city of Davis, we've probably met. I'm out there, holding Open Homes almost every weekend and I get to meet a lot of great people, including First Time Home Buyers. Many of the first time homebuyers I speak with are still unaware of how important your credit score plays in the loan and home buying process. Some comments I hear are that credit is not important if you bring home a big paycheck, credit is less important than earning potential, or that certainly their credit is good because they have so much of it. All of these statements, are flat out wrong. The best thing I can do as a Realtor (read: I am not a credit and loan specialist), is set the record straight where I can, and send them to trusted Mortage and Loan experts. I also like to share good resources when I find them... The Ad Council in cooperation with the Civil Rights Education Fund and others have put together a no-nonsense website explaining how credit works, how to damage it, and how to fix your credit too. It has a clever little name too, Credit Fairy.org. Take a look and send me feedback. But, if you have a specific question, feel free to ASK ME, Carmen Isais. I have answers or know how to get them.

OK, I didn't really fall asleep, I just felt like I was sleeping or perhaps wished I was sleeping, all snug and warm in the comforts of my own multi-cat infested bed instead of sitting at Mondavi Center in Davis to see the Punch Brothers. That's not to say the Punch Brothers are awful, because they have tons of talent, mountains of talent, Grammy-awarded talent bigger than the state of California, but they don't put on a spectacular show.

The musicians are Chris Thile (from Nickel Creek) who plays mandolin; Gabe Witcher, fiddle; Chris Eldridge, guitar; Noam Pikelny, banjo; and Paul Kowert, bass. My husband and I were discussing what kind of person plays the mandolin but not guitar. Sure, you say, a fiddle is a small instrument, too, but it's loaded with more testosterone. That long bow could do double duty as a saber sword. Think Star Wars.

For me, it was like watching Tom Hanks in the movie "Big" chomping down on a miniature ear of corn at the salad bar. It seems out of proportion. Made me wonder how come Rod Stewart went downhill after Maggie May? I'll tell you why, because Do Ya Think I'm Sexy and Hot Legs ruined everything for Rod Stewart.

Punch Brothers played a four-movement chamber suite called "The Blind Leaving the Blind." My husband says it was written during Thile's turbulent divorce. It was agony. Depressing. Punctuated by poly rhythms that made me want to punch somebody. It was also 43-minutes long.

Their first number was most likely the best, followed by Ophelia, by The Band, for second place. Let's just say that Ophelia was never my favorite take on that '70s album by The Band: Northern Lights - Southern Cross. It's mostly loud screaming into the mike. Sort of disrupts the whole tempo of the set.

I might have enjoyed the concert more if I had been sitting closer to the stage instead of the nose-bleed section, or perhaps didn't have a belly full of filet mignon, spring asparagus and scalloped potatoes. We had been planning to go out for dinner on Valentine's Day, but I had been out showing homes in East Sacramento all afternoon and didn't feel like fighting the swarming crowds in downtown Sacramento after the 2009 Amden Tour of California bicycle race. So, we ordered take-out from the Riverside Clubhouse in Land Park and dined by candlelight at home.

Now, if I was listening to the Punch Brothers while I was working out on the elliptical or cleaning house, I would thoroughly enjoy the music -- what's not to like about bluegrass -- but watching them in concert, well, I would have rather been giving my cat a bath.

The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, coming soon to a bookstore near you.

Photo: Mandolin, Big Stock Photo