Busy day

* Got up at 7, had breakfast, went to the hospital, got lots of hugs. I’m missed.

* Picked up coffee for Karen, came back to the hotel, mobilized the family. Went out for more coffee for Karen.

* Took Jake to Stout Grove & Smith River. We took tons of photos but I don’t have the adapter for the computer, so you’ll have to wait a bit for our own photos. Here’s one I pinched from the net.

Mother Nature was good to us today. At Smith River alone, we saw a crayfish, dozens if not hundreds of tadpoles, and a similar number of tiny frogs. We found some ripe blackberries which were absolutely die and go to heaven. And the weather, though overcast, was perfect.

* Next we went to Harris Beach and did some rock-climbing and tide-pooling. I wasn’t feeling very well balanced so I didn’t follow Jake out onto the rocks. He, on the other hand, had his usual immortal fearlessness and went further and further out, snapping picture after picture. He knew full well that the tide was coming in but he had to shoot those pictures.

By the time he’d decided to come in, his return path was by no means obvious. With water so shallow, he could have returned in a few minutes if he’d been willing to get his feet wet.

“Don’t worry about it,” I called out to him. “If your feet get wet, we’ll pick up some shoes at Fred Meyer.”

He took this as a challenge. He would NOT let the ocean defeat him! And, indeed, my stubborn son (he gets that from his mother) made it back with dry feet.

* We returned to the hotel, dropped off some blackberries with Karen, and then drove down to Trees of Mystery to buy a redwood burl.

* And then back to the hotel to see if Karen had shaken her headache well enough to come with us to dinner. Sadly no. So Jake and I went out with my former receptionist to Thai House, one of two really great restaurants in Crescent City (the other is Sea West).

* After that, Jake and I drove back to Oregon to meet with Peter, the fellow who is taking care of our house. We had a big discussion over what to do with the place and came up with a plan of attack. And Jake had a long discussion with someone who is roughly his age (Peter’s daughter).

Long day. And now we’re winding down.

D.

So far, so good

No major disasters my last weekend on call. We escaped with our luggage, spent a four-hour holdover at SFO, then took a little 90 min jump to Crescent City. One of my old patients was on the plane, and he even remembered me by name.

Karen hung out at the hotel room while Jake and I had scampi at Beachcomber at the south end of town. First time we had seen the Pacific in two years. Not much has changed here; a little (very little) new construction along Hwy 101, but all in all, not much has changed. It’s overcast and the temp’s in the 60s. Just like the good ol’ days.

Tomorrow: the power Crescent City visit, complete with redwoods and the Smith River and tide pools and a visit to the hospital (hopefully) and dinner with our ex-employees and a trip to our house in Oregon to make sure it’s still standing.

UPDATE: It’s Tuesday morning . . . just got back from the hospital. They want to know when I’m coming back. Sad thing about my current employment situation is that I couldn’t moonlight even if I wanted to — I’m forbidden by contract. So this town (the two counties, really — Del Norte and Curry) will have to keep sending out their ENT patients, at least until the hospital can recruit another doc.

Got lots of hugs this morning. They love me, they really love me! Yes, I’m missed. And I miss them all, too.

D.