We made sushi last night! Wow, was it ever good! We started our dinner with various Japanese soups. My daughter made vegetables in tempura batter, kind of like appetizers. Delicious! Then the girls made sushi. I don't think that the Japanese make sushi at home very often. They buy it ready-made on hot days so as not to have to cook and heat up the house. But my daughter went to the fish market in the afternoon and bought some very nice fresh, sushi-quality shrimp, salmon and tuna. Everyone had a go at filling the nori with rice and putting vegetables and fish on top and then rolling it in a mat to make a nice tight roll. Even our guest joined in the help. I was elected to cut the rolls into even, serving-sized pieces. (I wondered if that was because I am the butcher's wife and know how to use a knife! Just kidding, folks. We made green tea in the new Japanese-style teapot we had bought the day before and drank it in little Japanese teacups, throughout the meal. My favourite sushi is sashimi. I ate a whole plateful by myself!
After dinner we relaxed with a gigantic plate of cut-up fruit and enjoyed a movie. That little guy in the middle is my nephew. He loved being the centre of attention! We all agreed that it was another fantastic evening! We have one more evening to go before the girls go off to camp! But that is another story. I will write about it tomorrow.
We went to visit my cousin's horses last night. They live on a farm, just north of Toronto. Flame is only three years old. Isn't she cute?
The girls had a chance to brush Nip, who stood quietly and let them. Usually she doesn't like to be brushed, but last night she couldn't get enough. She didn't want the girls to stop!
Then my cousin took Flame out into the yard, and rode her around, while the girls watched. Flame is just being trained to accept a rider. She has only had a saddle on her back a few times. The girls' visit made her very excited and she did not really want to be ridden. But she cooperated. We left the farm just as the sun was beginning to set. The few hours spent outdoors, with some beautiful horses, was a real treat!
We picked the girls up at school and took them to the Lone Star restaurant for dinner. We ordered fajitas. The girls had never tried them before, but they all agreed that they were very tasty. Michelle, my daughter's friend joined us for the evening. That's her in the black dress. We did a bit of shopping at Dollarama and then it was off to the Putting Edge for a glow-in-the-dark game of mini golf. Fun! Fun! Fun!
We spent the morning and early evening in the pool. It was nice and hot today, so the pool was a good place to be. In the afternoon we went to a family reunion at my aunt's house.
There was lots of food and talk and people to meet. But the best part was saved for the evening when the girls showed us a tea ceremony. We talked about Japanese customs and traditions. It was very interesting! Then they demonstrated calligraphy - the Japanese painting of letters and symbols with a brush! They showed us what our Canadian names would look like written in Japanese! My name is very beautiful when done in Japanese symbols. It means 'to hold the house in my hands and surround and protect it'! So I am the keeper of the house. Neat, eh? But I think I already knew that. There are three characters that make up my name. Everything looked more like art, than writing! I think I will frame my name and hang it on the wall.
We started our day by having breakfast at my daughter's house. She made pancakes, which we enjoyed with maple syrup and homemade strawberry sauce. Delicious! Then we drove to Sibbald Point Provincial Park on Lake Simcoe. It was crowded when we got there, but we eventually found a picnic table and some shade. Lucky for us my strong son came along. He was able to carry everything we needed from the car. We set up a temporary home base and then everyone went for a swim, except me. I stayed behind to watch our things. We had sandwiches, vegetable sticks and drinks for lunch - with maple cookies for dessert. After lunch the girls went back to the beach and buried themselves in the sand. Yuk! Disgusting! But they seemed to enjoy it. Then they went back into the lake to clean off and go for another swim.
In the late afternoon, we left the park and drove to the nearby town of Sutton, where we were able to find a Giant Tiger store! It was five minutes before closing!!! But we made it! One of the girl's flip flops had broken and we needed to buy some new ones in order to have dinner at the Franklin Club. This is a fishing club which my husband and I belong to. They have a great dining room there! The food is excellent and the staff is friendly.
I took an after-dinner photo of everyone on the outside deck, overlooking the lake. We went for a short walk to look at the club's fish hatchery, just as the sun was beginning to set.
We watched it go down on an absolutely perfect day!
We went to Dimitri's, on the Danforth, for dessert! Huge ice cream sundaes with whipped cream and fresh fruit in gigantic cones. Yummy!
We went to a community party put on by our local councillor. There were free hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones and much, much more! There was music and a petting zoo, face painting and some exotic animals. The girls had a ride on a horse-drawn wagon. As always, they were all smiles!
Music in the Air!
For the past five summers or so, we have been hosting Kamajo students from Japan. This summer was no exception. The girls arrived on Monday. What a great bunch of girls! They arrived here tired and hungry after spending 15 hours travelling, but their beautiful smiles were ever present. If I had any reservations about taking part in the program once again this year, they faded away as I gazed into their bright, eager faces! Two of them are staying at our house and two more are being hosted by my daughter. We have been doing lots of things together. Each morning so far, they have had breakfast at our house. After that I drive them to school. They study English and go on interesting sightseeing excursions. In the afternoons we pick them up. Then the time is all ours. We have planned some fun things for them to do. Yesterday we went shopping - window shopping, that is. They just love to window shop! Today I took them to the post office to buy stamps. They are eager to write to their parents and friends back home. We also stopped at the grocery store to buy some things for tonight's dinner. The girls planned a special dinner for us tonight! They made Japanese pizza, Udon soup with noodles and some rice and salmon rolls. I contributed some Teriyaki chicken. We ate everything with chopsticks. Yes! Even I was able to get the food into my mouth! I have been practicing. I always look forward to these Japanese dinners cooked by the girls! Everything was absolutely delicious! When we were finished there were only a few morsels left. Tomorrow we are going to Kew beach on Lake Ontario. If we are lucky, we might be able to play some beach volleyball! And we can walk along the boardwalk and see the sights! But now it is time for bed.