I had a pre-preliminary hearing today in Crescent City. That's a hearing in which you announce whether you are prepared to go ahead with another hearing. I was hesitant. There was a CD I needed. We agreed to come back in the afternoon and see if I got it in the meanwhile. It had been misfiled in the DA's office, and I got it. So tomorrow we do the hearing that today's 2 hearings concerned.



Meanwhile I had lunch at my fave, the Coffee Corner. I had granola with blueberry yoghurt and a small chai for $5. Whenever posssible I have lunch here - its on 101 going south (101 splits in CC just like in Eureka, with the n-bound traffic on a one-way street a block from the s-bound one-way traffic. So if you're heading north you'll have to turn left on a side street most of the way up the slight hill to get on 101 southbound and find the joint. Well worth it.



Later I stopped by the Thai House to pick up a couple of vietnamese barbeque beef buns ($5).



While awaiting the buns, I met an artist named Britany there, who showed me her recent work "House and Christmas Tree" but she appeared to be presently working on a series called "Teddy Bears colored with Magic Markers" on some pre-cut patterns. Next year she will be in 1st grade, she said.



I also took a walk to get a shot of a wall mural of lighthouses, and found several wonderful flowers.



Walked from the Anchor Inn to the Thai House for dinner. I've been coughing a little, like a cold coming on, so I had asian comfort food - sweet and sour pork with steamed rice, and a couple of Syrah 1/10s in little plastic bottles. Britanny was there again, and showed me a trick involving some coins under two halves of a plastic egg. She's not up to the Chicago street scene with it yet, but she's got talent. Will she be an artist, will she be a street magician? Tune in about 15 years from now.

Well, it wasn't much of a 4th of July. I have a camera now with a "fireworks" setting and was getting ready to take some dramatic shots, but there are forest fires all around and the major fireworks never showed up. So, no fireworks pix. We always have people over to watch whatever fireworks do happen and someone brought this flag:



I went down to the bridge to see what all the lights and traffic were about. It turns out Alderpoint now has a volunter fire department with two yellow trucks, lots of young vigorous volunteers who are trained and ready to go, and a few equipment shortages.

A few of the AVFD people fought on the Paradise Fire, I was told. Our ex-chief John Earp was there as was Frannie, who hit me up for a donation the minute she saw me - which helps explain their excellent fund-raising. But I was a jump ahead of her. I reached into my back pocket and bought out not only my donation, but donations from a couple of folks up at my house, too.

I saw a couple other of the old timers from the volunteers of the 80s, when we had no trucks and no equipment except some Nomex suits, now providing elder wisdom to the young people who get to haul the hoses up the steep slopes trying to get ahead of the fire. I was quite impressed. The more so that they have done all this with donations and grants - no taxes even though we have a fire district now. They still have some needs: a defibulator (spelling?), straps for the strecher for carrying seriously injured people and undoubtedly more.

The range is Larrabee outside of Bridgeville up to Harris, where the Palo Verde volunteers take over.



I hope the Alderpillians reading this will support the volunteers. That goes for Bridgevillians, and folks in the Larrabee too. They are our only hope of keeping our homes if there are any local fires, summer or winter.

I stayed in Ukiah Wednesday night July 3rd, and the motels were full of firefighters. Here's the scene in the morning looking at the Best Western Parking lot. There were more parked in the neighboring business's area, but I'll bet there were no complaints about it.

I became really nervious about going to Patronas this evening, even though I was arriving in Ukiah about 7pm, hungry. I thought I had better stop in Willits and eat at the Purple Thistle, but I had to pick something up about 1/2 mile past it, and you know how guys are about backtracking.

But in Ukiah, why not Walters, or the Thai place? A little sweet and sour could go a long way towards satiation. But, you know, the wine I had at Walters, last time, tasted like it had been open a bit too long. Not bad enough to send back, but too oxidized to enjoy. Wouldn't want to do that again. And I wasn't feeling the sweet & sour desire strongly enough.

But, here's the thing. Patronas has 2 strikes against it. Twice I've gone in there and seen lots of empty tables, but been told I had to sit at the bar. The first time I was with my sweetie, to whom I had been bragging about this great restaurant I had found - and found it in Ukiah to boot. We didn't have time to mess with bar seats, so we ate elsewhere and had a great time. But I was embarassed.

The second time was recently, (see my blog entry). I did try the bar, bar service was poor, and I concluded that the third strike would put Patronas out. That's why I was nervious about going there. The food is so great that having to rule it out because of inexplicable rudeness on the part of the matre'd causes great conflict in my soul. I really want this place to be worthy of patronage because the food is so good.

Anyway in the end I went there tonight. No problems at all. Got a table right away, told the waitress that I wanted a syrah when the glass of sparkling wine was empty, and as I took the last sip of the sparkle, a glass of syrah appeared on the table. First class service.

I ordered the burger. Its the 2nd time I've had the burger, and the 2nd one reinforced my opinion of the 1st, which is that Patrona served the best burger on earth. Thick, juicy, seasoned perfectly, and good to the last bite. As I ate it I felt so sorry for people getting McBurgers or other fast-food facsimiles of a real burger. "All the world was one sad cry of pity" as the poet said. Taste a Patrona burger and you will never eat a fast-food burger again. You've been warned.

I had thought that the guy who seems to have screwed me twice was the owner, but tonight I met another guy who seemed more owner-like and he's never messed with me when I came in to eat. So, what to do? Eat as if there had never been a problem with seating, review as if service were an issue - something like that. (Its a parallel to the Israeli position on negotiations, but they express it better). Maybe my position is "trust but verify". I think it may be more like "every dog gets one bite" or "three strikes and you're out". My sweetie, who as noted above never ate there, thinks two bites or strikes is enough. Anyone out there with an opinion?

Saw an interesting neon sign as I walked back to the Best Western after dinner.

I have spoken on my cell phone while driving for the last time, until I get bluetooth. But who's got the time?

I've been running around a lot since getting back from Alaska. Santa Rosa, got my case dismissed. Yreka, got 1 of two cases settled. Ah, but Ukiah. Nothing is moving at all in Ukiah. The DA in charge of green cases is in no hurry. Settled a DUI in Willits, but I expect to be in Ukiah often in coming months. I'm back in the Best Western, however, after a disasterous attempt to book a room at the Super 8 collapsed entirely (their desk clerk seems to have forgotten to write the reservation down - or was it a bird in the hand walking up to the counter who got my room?) They got me a room in the Valu Inn or Value Inn - "an easy walk to the airport" but not so easy a walk to the courthouse. If only the Economy Inn would get ethernet internet. Anyway, I'm back in the Best Western tomorrow night and glad of it. Only a few more stays and the 3rd night during our Ashland Shakespeare trip this October will be paid for in "points" instead of dollars.

But what about eating? The Feds raids in Sohum have kept me away from home till all hours, so I was glad to get a chance to have dinner with my sweetheart at the Mateel Cafe in Redway recently. Its summer, the patio is open and a wonderful site for dinner. She had strogonoff, I flirted with bacon salid but ended up with steak. A nice bottle of Syrah, an unhurried dinner as she had people to meet when the bus arrived (late, of course, which gave us an extra half hour to enjoy the good food, nice ambience, and each other). I'm afraid I had the blackberry pie, warmed, with ice cream. Fortunately my sweetie agreed to help me with it.

And tonight? Tonight I'm in Eureka. Just as well. Our weedwhacker sliced through the internet cable to the law office and we are off the web.

So as I walked westward on F street I flipped a coin as I approached 3rd street, to see whether I would eat at the southwest corner (the Ritz) or the north east corner (Mazotti's). Heads was Italian, and that's what I got. Service indifferent, food delicious. I haven't eaten Italian food for a while and I was missing the sheer caloric value of it all. Start with a nice small loaf of oven-warm bread to be slathered with butter and dipped into oil and vinegar, and while awaiting the wine, lo the bread is all gone. Burp.

Another glass of wine and Lasanga al Forno - a half-order- was really good. No dessert. I am on a diet, after all. I got that lone table at the corner of the building. Waved to some girls going by and they waved back, so passers-by, who are very close to you and a little embarassed to be caught looking at you in the restaurant can be friendly - but it is a dangerous table for service since it is totally out of the flow of waiter traffic. Service was slow. It picked up once we got going with dinner - the water glass remained filled - but at the end I was alone at the table with my newspaper waiting for the waiter to notice and bring the bill. Very few Volvo ads in the Chronicle classified. Definitely a 15% night, but the food was delicious.

As I gazed through the windows at the street scene, while waiting for my release from the table - i.e. the check - I realized that there was a photo op across the street, at least if you believe in earthquakes. That structure at the top of the building seems to have no functional use at all, but if it fell down.....



And at G street, Avalon. Why don't I ever eat there? I attended a Gallegoes fund-raiser there way back when he was running or rerunning for office. It was nice. But perhaps the menu prices are a bit higher than everyone elses? Perhaps I just get carried by it with my feet on automatic because my assistant (who is not with me except for trials) is a Ritz fan? I mean to try it out some night.

Reflecting on routing, I realise that i cut cross the parking lots between 4th and 3rd opposite the Avalon door, and so I never actually walk by the restaurant itself, and so I never gaze fleetingly at the menu, and so my attention is never grabbed by some great sounding dish, and so I never eat there. I do walk by on the way back to the Townhouse, but then it's too late. Shall I alter my path deliberately so I can accidently see the Avalon menu while I'm hungry? Seems like cheating fate, but I may do it.

Natural disaster or not the law keeps going, and so I must go over the mountain and off to court. Here's what the Paradise Fire looked like on the 26th from a viewpoint on the west face of Pratt Mountain.



This is what it looked like the next day from a Pratt Mountain viewpoint a couple of miles closer to the fire. See anything? Me neither, the smoke really filled the air. Reminds me of China.



Nothing occurs without bringing its own beauties, I suppose. Here's the sun on 6/26. I have a similar picture taken earlier in the day (but on a a different day) of the sun over X'ian, China. The kinds of air conditions we are experencing here, now, are typical there and occasion no comment from residents.