Faithful readers will recall that Mapquest said it was 1.64 miles from the Best Western at the south end of Willits to the Purple Thistle. Its all level, and I had a very pleasant walk taking lot of photos (which I'd love to show you but all attempts fail). There is a great deal of public art in Willits - on the side streets you find 4x4 paintings of locals from the past, but even store logo art is often nice. I found a fountain at the hosptal but the sprinkers streaming through shade and sunllight gave me the best pix. There was an exhibit of local photographs at 71 Main St and I photographed the poster. But I could not find 71 main St. There was a music store where it ought to be, but not every building posts a street number.

Fortunately this search took place directly across from the Purple Thistle. When I entered there were two women standing behind a counter with several open bottles of wine on it.
"Is this the wine tasting?" I asked, hopefully. Alas, it was not. It was the restaurant's wine service area. A very friendly waitress offered me indoor or patio seating. The day was cooling, I made for the patio. In a short time I had a glass of Cabernet, and was reading the paper I brought, while munching on some bread and butter (a bad habit for starting dinner, but one I have trouble breaking). The menu offerings were basic (a chicken dish, a steak, a salmon, probably a vegetarian). I got the steak with a second glass of Cabernet - after all I was walking. Wonderful steak with some combo of potatoes and cheese and a hint of green vegetable. I cut off small pieces and ate slowly so that the meal would last because I was enjoying it so much.

The waitress I had was one of those women that radiate health. I really prefer that to emaciation, especially at a restaurant. I mean if the wait staff don't look like they eat anything, how much recommendation is that for the food. She was friendly and helpful, too, but she did lure me into getting a dessert and cuppa decaf. I had been doing well at avoiding those calory adders and stomach filllers at the end of dinner, but she left the dessert menu for me to look at while I finished dinner and it kept looking more enticing.
As Blind Willie Johnson said "Its nobody's fault but my own" because I did get a dessert, with icecream added, and a decaf. About $40 with tip. The end of meal extras probably added $10.

The walk back to the motel was great, but it was too dark for most photographs. I did get one of the "Willits Arch" over 101 because it is illuminated.

So, add the Purple Thistle back onto the list of recommended restaurants.

Perkos is at the south end of Willits, directly across from my room at the Best Western. It is what they call "family dining." A menu of American cuisine, inexpensive and plenty of food. The desserts will add pounds all by themselves. For lunch today I had a 1/2 BLT but the effect on my diet of the 1/2 sandwich was offset by the huge spread of "seasoned fries" which I couldn't resist. Perkos wasn't serving on dishes today, rather the food came on large plastic objects and there was a sea of fries with my 1/2 sandwich looking small and lost at the far end of the sea. It was good in that American way a BLT can be, the fries were seasoned and good alone or with ketchup. They don't have coke, but they have Pepsi, but they were out of all flavors but Cherry Pepsi. I came near to having water, but caffine called and I responded. Actually Cherry Pepsi tastes better than standard Pepsi, I found out. So I had two of them to wash down all those fries. With generous tip: $7.61.

Tonight I'm going to try the Purple Thistle for the first time in quite a long time. I was somewhat of a regular there but I had a dinner one evening that seemed totally ordinary and just put me off on the place. Lonely Planet says of the Purple Thistle (and that is such an unlikely beginning for a true sentence that I hesitate to say it) that the prices are sky-high and the service "neglectful" (is that a word?) but the place fills up every evening. Other on-line reviewers liked the food quite a bit.

Mapquest says its 1.64 miles from the Best Western to the Purple Thistle. I'm going to walk it this evening, and I'll report back on how the meal was. Till then, good reader, adios.

My alarm clock is really quite intelligent. It knows the difference between 7:45 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. This allows you to set it in the afternoon for the next morning. It also allows you to set it in the evening for the next evening when you think you are setting it for the morning. How did I find that out? I awoke at 9:11 a.m. in a motel in Novata for a 9 a.m. court call in San Rafael. I have only dressed and got going faster on one occasion. That was when my sweetie and I had made camp on the banks of the river only to discover that there was a bear in the woods about 30 feet away that was interested in us. I went from bed to car in about 15 minutes and got to court before the case was actually called (I hope - I had Montgomery notify co-counsel and the judge that I was running late).

You'll notice that there's no breakfast in this narrative. I had it all there too, I even got a cup of milk to go at the restaurant last night. So I threw breakfast, sans milk, into the suitcase for another day, and took off for court. Lunch. Well, lunch was another matter. Made it to Schats by 12:30pm for a 1:30 meeting, and had the pastrami special, lots of jalopenas in it. Really good, even if I can't spell it.

I'm back in San Rafael tomorrow morning, so I drove down tonight. Stayed once again at the Novato Days Inn, and this time I wanted to be here early enough to see the first Harry Potter movie on my laptop, so I got here in time to eat at the motel's restaurant, the Garden Court. To my surprise it is a Chinese restaurant. I was going for the mango prawns, but ended up with honey & sour pork, which I recommend. Got a good Cabernet. Had to ask for tea, and was not offered chopsticks. The fortune cookie was individually sealed in plastic. My fortune said someone had said something good about me. Thanks, whoever you are. Dinner with tip $21.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was good on the laptop. I've got a 17" screen and the movie just drew me in on that sized screen. I'm in the midst of a Potterfest, last night saw Chamber of Secrets. Sorcerer's Stone is better. I'm working my way up to Thursday at the Garberville theater when I'll see the latest one. Two to go.

I've got an 8:30 Preliminary Hearing tomorrow, so I need to be awake for it. That means spending the night in Eureka. As usual I'm in the Townhouse Motel. Its not too fancy (but it does have wi-fi) but its really close to the courthouse so I can roll out of my room at 8:15 and be in court at 8:30. Priceless. And the owner-managers are really nice. So I invariably stay at the Townhouse (4th and K, opposite the jail) when in Eureka.

Staying in Eureka often means eating dinner in Eureka, and tonight it was the Ritz. I had Katsu Don (breaded pork cutlet with onions in a large bowl of rice) and an Australian Shiraz which was wonderful (That Sirah to us Americans, altho some say otherwise). The food at the Ritz is quite nice, the wines always good, the service quick and friendly. I'm a fan. Others in the family like it too. They get the sushi, but I like a dinner. Tonight I ate alone, alas.

On the way back to the Townhouse I saw a racoon eating something in a driveway. Nice to think that racoons can thrive in Eureka. Many businesses can not. Lot of vacant lots, vacant storefronts. The economy is shifting from "resource based" (ie fishing and logging) to something else. Maybe marijuana growing is resource based. But of course no one would say that Humboldt County's economy was bolstered largely by marijuana growing. Right?

I have several favorite Eureka restaurants. I almost went to Mazottis tonight, and will someday. The best meal I ever had in my life was one in a Eureka establishment. I leave it to you, dear reader, to guess which one - if I haven't already given it away in an earlier post.