It was the worst of times; It was the best of times...

Things have been more than a bit crazy the last couple of weeks. Thanksgiving weekend was very full - a full-on dinner Thanksgiving Wednesday evening for our daughter, a bike ride on Thanksgiving am...

Overlooking Moonstone Beach

...followed by dinner with our friends, the LeBels. The rest of the weekend was spent tucked away at a neighbor's "cabin" in Willow Creek, a 45 minute drive from Arcata, and almost literally a world away. No internet, no cable tv, just a chance for Charlie and me to relax and chill (this would be the "best of times" part of the program) ...

The view from the kitchen

We took our AeroPress and some freshly roasted Kinetic Koffee Holiday Roast Sumatra with us and life was GOOD!

After a very busy week (including roasting both Saturday and Sunday), it was time to drive to Lakeport (3.5 hours south) to get ready for a 10am appointment Monday at the Neurology Center there. I spent over 2 hours being electrocuted while the doctor tried to figure out what was going on with my back and the numbness in my legs. Final diagnosis: "undetermined." (This would be the "worst of times" part). I have some neuropothy in both legs (meaning that the nerves are being damaged by the compression in my back) and I have lost sensation in both feet. Not enough to worry about yet, but rather troubling..

On the plus side, local dungeness crab is back in season and Charlie and I just had our first fresh crab of the season tonight, with a very nice Napa Viognier. Mongo like crab!

Sunset du jour