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15 June 2002
Oh my, what a trip I've had! I've finally arrived at the home of the
Coles in Lafayette, Colorado, but I was afraid I'd never get here. I
left dear Sylvia on the 10th of June, and it was a full 5 days before
I arrived in Colorado! Imagine my consternation when both of my previous
trips have taken a mere two days! But I suppose that is the trade-off
for such convenient and affordable transportation as the postal service
provides. I understand that I am able to take a great deal more luggage
along with me than normal travelers carry as well.
Luckily, I have found that traveling does not tax me overmuch and I
was quite ready for my first adventure when I arrived this afternoon.
Very soon after Sara rescued me from the confines of my traveling box,
we were off on our first trip. Imagine my delight to be visiting a bookstore,
The Book Worm. Sara and Robert bought a number of strange books that
they kept calling 'science fiction,' whatever that might be. But the
store had many kinds of books and in addition to choosing several children's
stories about dolls, Sara found me my own special section with several
copies of Hitty, Her First Hundred Years and Calico Bush. She bought
Calico Bush for herself and Hitty especially for me! I also got two
special "Book Worm" bookmarks and several beautiful Colorado
postcards. Some of these postcards I will be sending home to the Hitty
Girls and my dear friend Hitty Charlotte. (Who still cannot believe
I have taken this trip! Although I do sometimes wonder if Charlotte
might have been right-I found the experience of watching Sara and Robert
eat "Sushi" for lunch to have been quite beyond what I could
have imagined my wildest dreams.
16 June 2002
After the excitement of Saturday, we have spent a very quiet, restful
Sunday. Sara and I have gone through my box to make sure that everything
is in order, and she promises she will transcribe my journal as well
as taking pictures of all of my beautiful souvenirs to share with my
friends.
I was very disturbed this evening when she announced she was making
Sushi for dinner! But she allowed me to watch as she made it and it
turns out that she doesn't eat fish, so I was very relieved to learn
that "Sushi" doesn't mean fish at all, as most people think.
She explained that the word "sushi" means "vinagered
rice" in Japanese, and that the rice is considered the main part
of the dish. Although Sushi most often contains raw or cooked fish,
it can also be garnished with vegetables, egg, or many other ingredients.
The rice and toppings are wrapped in thin, paper-like sheets of dried
seaweed, and sometimes sprinkled with soy sauce. Sushi is often eaten
with wasabi, a Japanese horseradish that is notoriously hot, as well
as pickled ginger, which is supposed to clear the palate between each
piece. Sara says both pickled ginger and wasabi make her sinuses hurt
so she never eats them. I was quite disturbed when I first saw the finished
product when Robert and Sara had it on Saturday, but this evening I
must admit that I was rather envious when I smelled the fragrant rice,
honey and vinegar as Sara cooked it, and saw her slicing the plump,
ripe avocados for the filling. I don't think I am too sorry to have
missed the dark green and purple sheets of dried seaweed, though.
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