Poolside Sushi on the Fourth of July

The Fourth of July was poolside this year as Kiko had us to her homestead to join friends and family for cold drinks and good food. The highlight of said food was some homemade sushi rolls, courtesy of Kevin, Kathleen and Kiko.

Many fine folk came to partake of the excellent grub at Kiko's and most of all for the camaraderie of hanging with cherished friends. Kids and grandkids splashed in the pool while the adults prepared all manner of excellent grub including traditional burgers and brats and Mike's famous beef and noodles. For me, though, the sushi was the thing, and multiple rolls were created, both vegetarian and not and all were quite delicious. I loved some of the seemingly unorthodox ingredients including sweet potato. I really loved the extra spicy tuna sauce made with mirin, mayo and sambal peppers that Kevin and Kathleen made...I could've drank it straight.

We left the party to head up to Siloam Mountain where our Spa Director and good friend Kevin was preparing for his final fireworks show over the Elms for the Fourth. It was way cool to see how fireworks are prepared behind the scenes. Finally, we moved on to the hotel itself where much of the town was arriving to see the big show. Kevin's wife Christine was soothing her nerves of his dangerous side job with a cool martini.

Kevin certainly went out with a big bang, as it were: the fireworks were spectacular. It was a grand way to go out, to be sure.