Wearing white

Please feel free to salivate over this barbecued chicken grilled by our friend, K.

It's amazing how many people say "Happy Memorial Day." I know it's a three-day weekend and whatnot, but the day is designated to honor those who gave their lives in military service.

Every year, I hear radio DJs wishing me a "Happy Good Friday." There must be a more appropriate word than "happy" to use as a casual greeting on a somber day.

All that aside, Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer - a time for barbecues and icy cocktails and polluted-river dips and white sundresses.

This weekend, my husband and I were happy to join some friends for an impromptu dinner. My in-laws offered to watch L. and H. for the night, so we could celebrate our upcoming anniversary.

We took them up on it!

Six months had passed since Pete & Abbie called to invite us to their favorite sushi restaurant. I accidentally erased the message and, consequently, their phone number. In this miraculous modern age of communication, we had the brilliant idea to just look up their number.

Lucky for us, they were free!

Sakura Japan Sushi & Grill is tucked into a strip mall on US-13 South, with a Giant Food store and a liquor store the size of Minnesota. Could Salisbury, Maryland possibly have good sushi, as Pete and Abbie had promised?

We were in for a treat.

The sushi may have been the freshest I've ever had. The wait staff was very helpful, and the chef sent a couple of gratis appetizers. (The snow crab salad was amazing.)

The hubby and I arrived before Pete and Abbie. We ordered calamari (a safe bet for a guy who had never tried sushi) and Shrimp Shumai (dumplings).

The dumplings melted in our mouths.

Rainbow Cake Roll was the special I ordered. Spicy tuna, jalapeno, avocado inside; on top were tuna, salmon, yellow tail, and white tuna. The "special sauce" was served in the center in a martini glass. SPICY and DELICIOUS!

Abbie and Pete ordered this appetizer of seared white tuna and asparagus.

Pete and his Chirashi, a salad of raw fish and rice. He ordered hot sake for the table, which is why I forgot to save many of the photos on my phone.

Black Dragon roll. Deep fried shrimp, asparagus, cream cheese; topped with eel & black tobiko.
Abbie ordered this special roll. I don't remember what was in it, except the kiwi. Isn't the butterfly pretty? The presentation here made us smile.

Pat (the hubby) with his Sapporo. He surprised me by ordering sushi as his entree and enjoying it.

Sunday, we accepted an invitation for a kid-friendly cook-out at our friends' house. Beer, barbecued chicken, hot dogs, chips. Good friends; good times.

Weekends spent with friends and family are most satisfying. Calories were not counted, and muscles were not exercised; but, healthy is the spirit.