First Crab

This has been a week of treats. My Fairy Godson arrived for a nice, long visit and we had a lot of fun. We went for a hike in the Oakland hills, swam together in the Plunge, and saw a fun movie with him, Moonrise Kingdom, destined to become a cult classic. He also showed us the first several episodes of the new season of Downton Abbey on his computer during a rainy afternoon - like all the youth, he doesn't have to wait for it to be shown on TV - he knows how to download it from the interwebs. We poked through the shops in Mill Valley.  And we had our first Dungeness crab of the season.

When we spread out the newspapers for a crab feast, the menu is very simple: sour dough baguette with unsalted butter, green beans, cracked and cleaned crab - that's it. No need to fancy it up with sauces or napkins or even plates. We just pull a few paper towels off the roll, put the claw crackers and picks out, and we are good to go.

We had prosecco this time to add to the fun. We toasted My Beloved's health (the best treat of all this week was that My Beloved's recent diagnosis of early stage prostate cancer turned out not to need immediate treatment), clinked glasses, and dug in.  Within minutes, we were up to our elbows in crabby juice.  We eat the green beans with our fingers, too - the champagne flutes and the lighted candles were the only concession to civilization.  Dinner at Downton Abbey it is not.

As Thanksgiving approaches, let me take a minute to wish you a great Thanksgiving, good health, and your first crab of the season.