Hmm.

Three years ago our neighbor two doors up went for a drunken joy ride on his motorcycle up and down our street. He only stopped because he hit our mailbox, then a sturdy cedar tree which propelled him off his bike and into our front yard. His body broken, he was life-flighted to a hospital and unexpected to live. He did live, I see him get on his motorcycle every morning while I'm out running. Last night we had a lot of excitement here at The Honey Hut, and not of the romantic variety. While making dinner I heard a scream and looked out the front window witnessing a truck plow through our driveway, take out our mailbox and come to a stop in our manzanita bushes.

I ran outside to see a woman (a neighbor Gail) and her dog trembling in the bushes. I called out to the driver who responded by trying to restart his truck over and over. After the initial shock, Gail and I realized the driver was not going to come out. I called 911 and we waited with other neighbors 20 minutes for a first responder, a CHP. When the highway patrol came on the scene, the truck driver stumbled out of the vehicle and started trudging down the road. He could barely stand. The CHP ran down the road after the driver and brought him back to the patrol car. I heard the officer repeat the same questions several times, each time saying "Sir, I know you've been drinking. I can smell it on you." What happened next was a report was taken, an arrest made and neighbors dispersed. The tow truck came and Tim got home, he went to talk to the tow driver and officer. The officer told Tim this was the drunk driver's third arrest so he's going to jail for 30 days and the man's physical address: 7 doors down. When Tim told me which neighbor it was, I cringed. I know this guy. I wave or talk to him regularly on my morning runs. I didn't recognize him last night, he was so drunk. This morning there was a knock on the door. A woman stood there teary-eyed. I knew immediately who she was. She introduced herself and told me it was her husband who crashed into our yard. She was sweet and sad and it just got me thinking about the people who are left in the wake, to pick up the pieces after a family member's addiction. Her visit took courage and strength, it spun a new light on our disturbed evening.