September Blog!
You can see I haven't blogged in quite a while and you may be wondering why I haven't sent very many emails in the past month or so. There's a logical reason, of course: On August 14, Katie came home from Japan!! She has been staying with us since then (except for a week in Miami), until she decides where her next adventure will take her. Here you can see Katie, Anna, and me on the afternoon that I picked her up from the Charlotte airport.

And now I'll share with you the highlights of this past month.

September 2nd was a busy day for us. First, Weldon's granddaughter Ashley turned 7 years old!! Weldon's mom (Edith) and his sister Pat had a little birthday party for her at their house. After eating lots of good food and the cake made by Pat, Ashley had to get down to the barn to see the kittens and the new calves. This year's calves have generally been being born early and are smaller than usual. Maybe due to the hot weather?? Anyway, the little calf in the picture is named Goliath. He was born at least 5 weeks early and only weighed 33.5 pounds. (Calves usually weigh between 90 and 100 pounds at birth.)
We no sooner wrapped up the birthday party activities than it was time to go to Steve & Beth's place (Weldon's younger sister) for a party welcoming his nephew Wesley home from Iraq. Here he is with his fiancee Ashley. We arrived early so we would have a little time to visit with him before the other guests arrived. We couldn't stay for the barbecue and other goodies because we had to get home to milk the cows. Such is life on a dairy farm. Here's a link to a story in the Winston Salem Journal http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352691667

After an incredibly dry spring and summer, thinking that he might not have enough corn in his own fields, Weldon bought some standing corn from a neighbor and chopped it for silage. Then, on September 3, (at least 2 weeks earlier than usual) he and 2 friends started chopping the corn here on the farm. Weldon and I normally eat a late breakfast after morning chores and an early supper before evening chores. When the corn is being chopped, however, the guys come in for noon lunch and Weldon's mom and I take turns preparing the meals. I didn't take any pictures of the wonderful food we prepared, so we'll go straight to a few pics of the men doing their thing. Weldon does the chopping
John Leap drove the wagons back and forth from the field
and Les Collins blew the silage into the silos. Okay, so he really ran the machine that did the blowing. Picky picky.... A good time was had by all. The last field of corn, which was planted later, will be ready to chop in about 10 days. I guess I'd better start thinking about menus again.

Katie hadn't seen her one-and-only nephew since her return from Japan, so she and I decided to meet Anna and Marshall at the Dan Nicholas Park in Salisbury on Sunday, the 16th. Weldon and I had been there once while we were dating, but I guess I was more interested in Weldon than the park at that time. This is really a great place to spend a day and, after a week of rather cool weather, the day was absolutely perfect for some outdoor fun. Our first stop had to be the paddle boats, of course! Katie and Marshall kept bashing into us, but we didn't mind at all. We visited the wildlife center or whatever it was called. We road the train and were silly. Marshall dragged Katie to the playground a few times, but he couldn't convince any of us to play miniature golf. We had a wonderful picnic together, most of the "wonderful" stuff being supplied by Anna and Marshall :-)
Read all about the park: http://www.dannicholas.net/

This past Sunday, the 23rd, we drove about an hour north and west of here to Stone Mountain State Park, located on more than 13,500 acres near the Blue Ridge Parkway. The mountain itself is a 600-foot granite dome, and the park includes waterfalls, hiking trails, and a historic mountain homestead. The Loop Trail is a "strenuous" loop that climbs .75 miles to the summit of the mountain, then continues 1.25 miles to the top of Stone Mountain Falls. From the falls, the trail leads 2 miles to the meadow at the base of Stone Mountain and back to the trailhead. That sounded like too much work for a Sunday afternoon, so our goal was to make it to the top of Stone Mountain and come on back down. We hadn't been on the trail too long before Katie and I lost Weldon. He had gone ahead and we took a "wrong" turn. No problem! After a little backtracking, we got back to the main trail and continued the ascent with Weldon. Katie took the lead as I huffed and puffed bringing up the rear. Or maybe I just like taking pictures of people's butts!! Can you see the little dot that is Katie in this picture? And here is one of the fabulous views from the summit:
Don't ask me how, but as we debated how to descend the mountain, Weldon went ahead while Katie and I looked at the map for a minute. We then started down the mountain, following the way that Weldon went. The only problem: we never saw him ahead of us! But once we had started, all we could do was continue and hope that he would be waiting for us somewhere along the path. When we reached Stone Mountain Falls, we knew for sure that we were on the Mountain Loop Trail. The pictures aren't great, but they prove we walked all the way around! We knew, in spite of our tired feet and thirsty throats (Weldon had the water bottle), that we would have to continue until we got back to the base of the mountain. This sign became my favorite part of the path. It meant that we were nearing "civilization." But, when we got to the parking lot, would Weldon be there? Would the car be there? Would he have started back up the mountain or called out the National Guard?? Well, there he was, sitting on a bench next to the car. Ahh, the happy reunion and the joy of sitting on a bench and sharing a little snack and drinking some cold water. Once we were all safely together again, I was glad Katie and I had walked the loop :-) Here's their website: http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/stmo/home.html

And now it's today, September 25, 2007 - Weldon's and my third anniversary!

We are blessed!!

***OSAKA***

Our second day exploring Japan (March 23) was spent in Osaka. We took the train from Nisshin to Nagoya to Osaka. We wandered the streets, including the famous Dotonbori shopping district, for what seemed to be hours, snapping pictures and acting like tourists. People and bicycles everywhere! Restaurants with huge signs and neon lights enticing you in. (Remember, you can click on a photo to see it bigger, but you won't see any additional info.) Everyone was taking pictures of this sign: I thought surely he must be a famous Japanese Olympian or something. Turns out Glico is a Japanese food company and we still don't know who the guy is. And what famous artist or actress could this be? It's Katie! YEAH!!! And then ... a Ferris Wheel!! Can we ride? Can we?? We can! :-) The Dotonbori River from street level and from the top of the ferris wheel. And here's Osaka from way up high.
Now it was time to head to the day's main event - the Grand Sumo Tournament! There are six Grand Tournaments a year (each lasting for 15 days), one of them being in Osaka while we were there!!! We walked to the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium where crowds were waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite wrestler. Katie had got tickets for us so we went right in to enjoy the festivities.

Sumo is an ancient sport dating back some 1500 years and, according to Japanese legend, the very origin of the Japanese race depended on the outcome of a sumo match. The first sumo matches were a form of ritual dedicated to the gods with prayers for a bountiful harvest and were performed together with sacred dancing and dramas within the precincts of the shrines.
There are no weight limits in sumo, so a wrestler may find himself pitted against an opponent twice his own weight. A bout is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner circle or throwing him down in the ring. A wrestler who touches the ground with any part of his body (his knee, or even the tip of his finger or his top-knot) loses the match. Hitting with the fist, hair pulling, eye gouging, choking, and kicking in the stomach or chest are prohibited. (Is kicking in the shins or head okay?) It is also against the rules to seize the part of the band covering the vital organs.
The correct name for the sumo diaper :-) is mawashi. Made of heavy silk approximately 10 yards long by 2 feet wide, it is folded in six and then wrapped around the waist from 4 to 7 times, depending on the girth of the wrestler. There are 70 winning tricks, most of which are achieved by maneuvering the opponent with a grip on the mawashi.
There is much ritual and traditional etiquette that accompanies the sumo ceremony. The wrestlers clap their hands, slap their thighs, raise their legs in the air, and stomp their feet; they throw salt onto the ring to purify it; they rinse their mouths with water and wipe their bodies with towels. Then they squat and face each other in the center of the ring, glaring fiercely at each other. They don't begin the match at once. They go back to their corners to throw more salt, wipe down their bodies, and return to glare. They can do this again and again, for the full four minutes allowed by the rules. Theoretically, they are waiting for the psychological moment when they both feel ready. The referee is attired in kimono patterned after the style worn by the samurai. Sitting around the four sides of the "dohyo" are five judges in black formal kimono.
This picture shows the "entering the ring" ceremony with the wrestlers wearing their ceremonial aprons made of silk, richly embroidered and hemmed with gold fringe.
The bout is usually over in less time than it takes to go through the "warm-up" rituals.

We laughed and clapped and cheered for nearly 3 hours and took hundreds of pictures, so let me know if you want to see more :-) Note: Anything written above that sounds like I know anything at all about Sumo Wrestling was taken from the brochure we were given upon entering the gymnasium. See the official website: http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/index.html

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNA!!
Anna and Marshall came to the farm June 7-10 to celebrate her 33rd birthday. We had a relaxing weekend and the photos below will confirm the fact that everything pretty much revolved around food.
First, there were wild black raspberries that needed picking. But just wait till next year! Weldon planted both black and red raspberries this spring, so next year we will have an abundance of the delicious berries. Weldon favors the black and I prefer the red, but we're both piggish about them in general.
We had to have pancakes for breakfast one morning and Marshall wanted to make the last "shape." He wasn't sure if he wanted to make an "M" or a snake, so this is what he ended up with. With both of us using a spatula at the same time, we got that sucker flipped without breaking :-) Yummy!!
I made Anna a birthday pie (with Marshall's help, of course). These were the last of the fresh strawberries from the berry farm down the road - and they were a gift to Anna from Edith, Weldon's mom.

On Saturday, Pat had us over for supper and birthday cake. It was a surprise of sorts because her birthday wasn't until Sunday. I'm not sure if she was surprised or not.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Anna, Happy Birthday to You!!

So! Enough about food!
We also spent time with kittens and cows and dogs. We played Frisbee and Yahtzee. I helped Marshall shop for a present for his mom and then we had to wrap our presents. We went to a movie and Marshall read to Anna and me while we washed dishes. During most of the above, Weldon was out planting corn. He always joined us for the food, though :-)
On her birthday, Anna made blueberry waffles for breakfast and before church she opened her presents. Marshall gave her a notepad in the shape of an "A" and a picture frame that held this picture: So cute! I gave Anna a hippo rug that I brought back from Japan for her. I think she liked it! And now my big girl is officially 33. Time flies, huh?!
P.S. There are more Japan posts to come, so check back in the near future.

Ahh, The FOOD We Ate!

Our first Japanese snack was "dango" - rice dumplings covered with some kind of sauce on a stick. They were really good ... and we learned that the rice balls we could buy in convenience stores were super tasty and an excellent snack while we were on-the-go. (We also learned that it is rude to eat and walk at the same time!)

Katie had to work one day while we were there, so Ma and I did a little exploring on our own. When it was time to head back to the apartment, we picked up a few things from a convenience store to take home for lunch. What we thought was rice balls on a stick turned out to be quail eggs and chunks of hot dogs on a stick ... and it was good!

Our first Japanese meal was at Katie's favorite eating spot in Nishin. Nishin is the town she has lived in while in Japan and the restaurant is Enya. We cooked slices of beef at our table and I ate a slice of raw salmon (quite the adventuress, huh?). We had salad, french fries, and soy beans roasted in the pod. You pop them out of the pod and into your mouth - really good! My mom and I tried our best with the chopsticks, but it was pretty hopeless.

Breakfast usually consisted of a can of hot coffee from a vending machine and pastries left over from the night before. These nifty vending machines were everywhere and you could get hot or cold coffee, water, beer, and I don't know what all. I was only interested in the hot coffee :-)

Our one "real" breakfast was in Kyoto in a little cafe called "Cafe." How's that for creative?! I don't know if it was because we were starving after exploring Fushimi Inari Shrine, but the breakfast was fantastic!! We had a traditional soft-boiled egg , a salad, big fat toast (like Texas toast), and a cup of fresh coffee. Doesn't get much better than that!

Speaking of pastries: we shopped at a German bakery, a French bakery, and bakeries in train stations and grocery stores, but they each carried the exact same kinds of things. I guess the name had nothing to do with the type of goodies made and sold. And, no, we didn't eat all of these at one sitting. We stood up for a while, walked around the room, and came back for more a few minutes later!

One of my absolute favorite treats was green tea ice cream in a waffle cone.

My least favorite "treat" was "nattoo" - fermented soy beans. Katie's roommate has started eating this, uh, stuff for breakfast a few times a week and she thought we might like to give it a try. After pulling the cellophane cover off the container, you stir in a special sauce. Stir stir stir until it is very slimy. Stir stir stir a little more!! Okay, now try to get it in your mouth. Katie took a hilarious video of us trying to eat this stuff. It didn't really taste bad, but it was WAY slimy!!!! I don't know why anyone would want to ruin a perfectly good meal by including this.

One night we bought "bentoo" boxes in the Kyoto train station and took them back to our hotel room. Bentoo boxes are pre-made boxed lunches and can include cooked meat or fish or sushi, rice (with or without beans), and veggies. Very tasty. We had to buy some bread to round out the meal of course.

In Uchinda (on the coast of the Sea of Japan), we had a fun experience at a restaurant called "A Shooby-Doobie Garlic Dining." Really! That was its name! We usually tried to find restaurants that had pictures on their menus :-) but we didn't have much choice in this part of Uchinda. The menus were in Japanese , the waitress spoke Japanese, and we looked to Katie for help! Ma and I got a lovely bowl of spaghetti with shrimp in a creamy garlic sauce . Katie didn't want shrimp, so she ordered hers plain, or so she thought. She was pleasantly surprised to find that hers came with crab. Well, something was missing. We needed bread! With a few Japanese and English words repeated many times, lots of hand motions, and many laughs, we finally got some delicious chunks of bread. Ahh, the simple pleasures!

Another truly unique dining experience was at To-Fu Cafe in Kyoto. Along with some Japanese veggies and rice, we had tofu soup, tofu squares, tofu ?? Help, Katie! I don't know what we were eating!! But it was different and good!

One of my favorite meals wasn't very Japanese, but it sure was delicious and elegant. We were in one of the two Nagoya Towers. We had gone up as high as we could go (51st floor), but the restaurant up there looked pretty snooty and busy, so we went back to the 11th floor to Portager. I ordered a Bacon & Cheese & Burdock Salad Sandwich on waffles. Well, I thought it would be one sandwich, but it was 2 sandwiches (one bacon & cheese, the other burdock salad)! Talk about scrumptious!! And to drink, iced raspberry coffee; and for dessert, strawberry trifle cake. I don't know how we managed to push ourselves away from the table and get back to our sightseeing/shopping, but we did!

After returning home, my contribution to Easter Sunday dinner at Weldon's mom's was a tray of Japanese sweets. The pretty little candies (middle & lower left and lower right) are from Kanazawa, an area known for making beautifully decorated sweets. Also included in the lower left corner are some green tea chocolates. Mmmm! The yatsuhashi (center below the purple stuff) are made of raw cookie dough (made with rice flour) and filled with various fillings. The 4 types shown are banana w/chocolate, black sesame, green tea w/red beans, and strawberry. They are a treat exclusive to Kyoto. On the right you can see what looks like the face of a fox - rice crackers from Fushimi Inari (the Fox Shrine in Kyoto). The purple papers in the center are wrapping individual soft candies that had a nutty, almost peanut buttery taste. I think they were my favorite. I got them and the pretty "serving papers" (top right) at the Local Products Shop in Kanazawa. Just to the left of the serving papers is a pouch of multi-vitamin gel. To get your daily requirement of vitamins, you are supposed to drink the whole thing. Katie had been sick and a friend brought her two of these. Katie didn't dare drink them, so she gave one to Ma and one to me. Believe it or not, we passed the pouch around and everyone tried it. It really didn't taste bad! Weldon drank what was left and has not been the same since! The paper napkins on the right came from the Nishijin Textile Museum in Kyoto and I found My Nuts in Frante Grocery in Nishin :-)