Anniversary Celebration

 

   I was planning a day of laundry and housework when Ellen called. She and Mac planned to have lunch at Sea Salt and wanted to know if C and I would join them. We could eat and then walk in the park. 

   The weather was nice and a walk in the park sounded a lot more fun than housework. I said we would. 

   We needed to take Scamp for some lab work and have a meeting with the siding people. Once those things were done we went to the park.

   Ellen ordered our lunch. She ordered fried fish tacos and pickled herring. I'd never had either one and was interested in how they would taste. Mac and C found a table in the sun where it was nice and warm. We chatted while we waited for our food.

   Ellen and Mac were celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary that day. They wanted to spend the day with us. Ellen wanted to walk the trail down Minnehaha creek to the Mississippi River. 

   Our food came. The fish tacos consisted of two pieces of fried fish in a small tortilla with salsa, onions and cilantro over it. It was pretty good. Mac brought a bottle of hot sauce with him. He likes his food spicy. I used some of his sauce. It gave the fish just the right amount of spice without being too hot.

   Once I finished my tacos, I took a container of herring and opened it. I expected a fishy smell, but there wasn't. I took a piece on a fork and looked at it. It was looked like a normal piece of fish, but more solid. I took a bite. The texture was interesting. It was firm and not flaky. The brine was slightly sweet. I expected it to be salty. I took another piece and ate it. There herring came with saltines. I took a cracker and ate it. Then I had another piece of fish. I thought it would be like the kipper snacks that I had had. It was nothing like kipper. I finished my serving. I was glad that I'd tried it.

   After lunch we walked the trail. The water was running over the rocks in the creek and made a happy splashy sound. There were leaves on the trees. Other groups of people were walking on paths on both sides of the creek.

   We went past the wading area. The water was pretty low. Normally you can sit of the edge of the wading area and your feet would be in the water. I had never walked past the wading area before. This would be new territory for me. We walked and walked. It was a long trail. We walked past rocks and trees that had fallen down. 

   Finally we got to the end of the trail. The Mississippi River was in front of us. There were several people fishing. One guy on the beach  just caught a bass and was showing it to a friend. It was a lovely sight. I like all rivers, the Mississippi especially. I like thinking that the water that is flowing past me right now will eventually empty into the Gulf of Mexico. Mississippi means "Great River" in Ojibway.

   This is one of those moments in life when you just have to be happy. The weather was nice. The scenery around us was beautiful and I was with my husband and two close friends celebrating their anniversary. A perfect day.