Making Tortillas with the Shonan Ladies

Today we're taking a Green Car to Tokyo then riding a bullet train to Mito to experience the Plum Blossom Festival at Kairakuen, one of the top three landscape gardens in Japan. Since I'm up at the crack of dawn with ten minutes to kill before Artistic and Weather pull up at the curb, I'm sharing a few pictures from Shonan's "Cinco de Mayo in February" party.

The Ancient Mariner will be doing the Mexican Hat Dance when he hears that Lydia taught us how to make tortillas. Lydia was born in Texas; her father is from Venezuela and her mother is from Mexico. Home-made tortillas are delicious and amazingly simple. I hope I don't forget the recipe before my favorite sailor gets back to Japan . . .

Shonan thanks and flanks Lydia (in red)

The cooking lesson was just part of the fun. The Shonan senoritas made paper flowers to wear in our hair and danced the Macarena. My paper flower was a total bust but I was a good sport about doing the Macarena (for what I pray is the last time in my life).

The Japanese ladies took turns batting pinatas but I was too busy positioning myself to dive for the chocolates to take pictures of that.