Salmon Sandwiches

Rain poured from the sky.  Mom, my sisters and I sat in a cozy nook with windows on three sides of our table. We had been hoping to go for a walk or a driving tour --  then it began to rain. We changed our plans. A fancy tea inside a warm, dry place sounded better than being drenched in a thunder storm. Tea was served in a chubby teapot. Next, fancy sandwiches on platters  arrived. Slices of cucumber and cold salmon were sandwiched  between two pieces of bread. These were held together with skewers. I don't remember what kind of bread. This was before the sourdough fad.

 We were celebrating Maria's 40th birthday at Niagara on the Lake in Ontario Canada.

The year was 2006. Doug had reserved a bed and breakfast as a surprise for Maria. Ladina, Trenda and I flew to Toronto where we were picked up by Dad and Doug. Dad and Mom had driven to Ontario earlier that week. Dad was helping  Doug work on some renovations on the house. 

There was the huge satisfaction of pulling off the surprise without Maria suspecting anything. The next morning we drove to Niagara on the Lake.

Each morning, after a lovely breakfast, we went on little outings in this quaint town. There were  picnic lunches in the park, hikes on walking paths with glimpses of the lake showing through  the trees and history lessons learned when we toured historic buildings. 

Now as we sat at the table with rain streaming down the windows, chatting about our weekend we attempted to eat our very expensive sandwiches. The salmon was a shocking pink color and icy cold. Each of us ate half a sandwich. Bravely, Trenda picked up the second half and lifted it to take a bite. I was feeling quite squeamish and thought to myself, "I don't  think I want any more of this." Suddenly, Trenda put the sandwich down and said, "I cannot eat another bite."  All of us drew a sigh of relief as we put our sandwiches back on our plates.

The desserts were delicious. We downed another pot of tea when it appeared. When the rain stopped  we asked for a box to put the sandwiches in. 

The next adventure began. We had a ride in a carriage pulled by beautiful horses. The  horses wore diapers to keep the streets clean. The drive took us past old homes and our tour guide had more stories to tell about long ago days. 

When it was time to drive back to Toronto to catch our flight we passed an old fashioned carousel and stopped for a ride. Then Maria dropped us off at the airport. As we were flying home to Minnesota Trenda said, "I hope Maria takes those toothpicks out of the sandwiches before she feeds them to her dog!"

Since that memorable day I  have eaten salmon once. I know .. it's good for me. I should  be buying it and preparing it and fixing it for my family so we can all benefit from this healthy food. 

In Norway, Lisbeth fixed salmon for our last meal together. It was served hot with baked potatoes. There was a delicious sauce to smother each bite. And Olaf translated the recipe into English for me so now there is no excuse. I should be fixing salmon on a regular schedule. I'll let you know how that goes.

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The other day I found the salmon sandwich memory scribbled on a piece of paper. My cousins are writing 20 minutes each day and posting their stories. They inspired me to write again. I am finally learning to talk into a microphone and see my words being typed in front of my eyes. (Ellis has been using that feature on his phone for texting for years). Many times I scribble the first draft of a story on paper anyway. Now I can read it and my words are typed.  Amazing technology. I am spoiled. I am grateful to family and friends who help me catch up when I lag far behind.

This was an experiment to try the 

*new for me* method.