Happy Halloween!

Do you decorate for Halloween?

There are a few touches around the house.

Pumpkins from the pumpkin patch are sitting on my porch,

but gradually our little guy has brought them in the house.

Tonight at the bewitching hour (whatever that is?)

we will have a few goblins knocking at our door.

Candy is in the basket and maybe a surprise or two 

to give them a fright.

This is a time for children

and children at heart.

May your heart shine with delight

and enjoy a little fright.

Happy Halloween!

Worn and Loved

I know it isn't beautiful, but I love it.

It was found many years ago at an estate sale.

My adult children even took it to their house for awhile

and their cat did it in even more.

I put it out this summer for a garage sale, but really hoped

no one would buy it.

It sits in our garage sad and lonely.

I love the shape of it and know it has potential.

It would cost me much more that buying a new chair,

but I love it.

It dances in my head.

I know tea would taste better sitting here.

Dear chair, I am so sorry you have been sent to the garage.

I truly want to rescue you.

I am dreaming of the beautiful chair you could become.

What should I do?

Red is the new Black

Tea Time at Delights of the Heart.

Recently I have been drinking Dian Hong from Yunnan Province of China,

purchased at New Century Tea Gallery in Seattle.

I always considered Dian Hong and it's close relative, Yunnan Gold, to be a black tea.

They are both darker than an oolong or green tea and both a lovely smokiness to them.

Reading several articles recently they say that they are a red tea,

well this tea girl learns something new.

Now I know an orange pekoe is black and most often I don't find it as entertaining.

When I find someone that wants to change from coffee to tea I try to suggest

a hefty black tea for changing and they often like a nice puehr.

So when you select a black tea, what do you drink?

Is it truly black?

Since we have a festival celebration this week in Halloween,

what tea would best fit with the occasion?

Is red the new black?

Life's Road

Along life's road we find surprises around each turn.

Little serendipities that might change the direction we travel.

Maybe even big changes come along and we are suddenly

traveling to a different place.

A place unplanned, which may be full of emotions

such as pure terror or maybe, just maybe, pure delight.

Do you like surprises?

Do they terrify you?

I must say yes to both.

But what is the alternative?

To stay in one place, never to dream, never to be terrified,

never to be delighted;

now for me that would be met with great sadness.

So I dream, I learn, I travel down the road with trepidation

and I am happy sipping my tea along the way.

The photo was taken along the highway to Mt. Hood.

It was taken with my little vintage Brownie box camera.

Loving playing with different photography formats,

though I must say digital is certainly the easiest.

Monday's Quotes

"Death matters, at least sometimes."  Claire

"It's why a warrior doesna fear death so much.

He has the hope--sometimes the certainty--that his death will matter." Jamie

from Diana Gabaldon's book,Written in My Own Heart's Blood.

Just finished this book.
If you haven't read the Outlander series,
I recommend it.  I love losing myself in the 1700's
first in Scotland and later in other parts of the world.
It is like time travel for the mind.

Photo has nothing to do with quote, but for the fact that pickup is dead but beautiful!

A Gift

Would you accept a gift from this smiling face?

Well unintentionally a gift of a virus was given this past week.

I remember when my children were little and suddenly we often had colds.

That seems to be what is happening with round two.

Wiping his nose, washing hands, still we all got sick.

Thus I have not been inspired to write or take pictures much this week.

Hopefully by next week my head will be back to normal.

We are all on the mending side of things, but still the residue remains.

Planning on resting this weekend.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Be well! and stay away from runny noses and drink lots of tea!

The Colors of Autumn

 From the small trees in my neighborhood,

 To the pumpkin farm in the country,

 

Autumn has a glow about it,

Golden, Red, and Orange just shine everywhere I go.

 The light from the sky changes it's tone,

Black clouds threaten,

and

the Orange of the pumpkins just smile at me.

Savor the glow of Autumn delights.

Alishan High Mountain Tea

The photo was taken somewhere in Seattle, but the tea

I want to share is from Floating Leaves.

Alishan High Mountain Black tea was shared in a tea tasting a few months ago

and I loved it.  It took my travels to Seattle and a visit to Shuiwen at Floating Leaves

to finally purchase some of this yummy tea.

Taiwan is known for their beautiful oolong teas, but they are beginning

to come on the market with some wonderful black teas.

I must say this is now on my favorites list.

It is beautiful to look at, sniff, and taste.
A very unique flavor, not as smokey as other black teas but almost a fruitiness to it.
Definitely worth a try, check it out at floatingleaves.com

 The tea fields of Alishan, Taiwan.

 More tea at Alishan, but don't you just love those large clay pots?
We wanted to bring one home with us, but the best I could do was to bring home a photo.

If you love something very special in a black tea for sure check this tea out.
Happy Tuesday!

Monday's Quotes

You know, we're all going in the same direction,

or at least trying to.

So we need to live together,

get along together,

and give each other enough space

to be comfortable on that road.

~Lillian Gideon

Swish, Swish!

Swish, swish said the fish as he raced by.
Where are you going, said I?
But by the time the words were out, he was gone.
Little time for dreaming, little time for playing.
 I meandered on my way soaking in the sunshine at the waters surface.
There were little leaps of JOY as the waves flowed over me.
Feeling the ecstasy of the day I sang a song.
The song made my heart happier than it had been for oh so long.
 Silly you may say, but silly makes me bubble with JOY.
So if you need some JOY just be silly and think of this fish.
Sing and be happy, but most of all just meander and soak in each moment.

Happy weekend, dear friends!
Soak in a little JOY!

Boo!

Halloween is coming to a neighborhood near you.

Have you decorated?

Do you like to play a little with Halloween?

I have been walking with my camera quite a bit lately

and found these delightful ghosts nearby.

Beside the ghosts, what do you see?

I am taking an online photography class right now

and curious.  Do you see the red?

In the class we are told to always photograph red,

as it helps make a picture pop?

What do you think?

Happy searching for the red!

What's in your Cup?

A tea I very much enjoy on a cool, blustery Autumn morning

is Stash Tea Company Fancy Golden Tippy Hao Ya.

It isn't one of their inexpensive teas, but it is worth every sip.

Click on Stash and it will take you to their website.

The full-bodied, smooth, slightly smokey flavor just delights the palate.

Right now I anticipate each morning with this lovely tea,

an apple (yes, an apple a day is a good thing),

and a scrumptious orange marmalade on toast.

Having a book to savor with these delights is just the perfect way to start the morning.

The book I am reading right now is Diana Gabaldon's, Written in My Own Heart's Blood,

the most recent in the Outlander series.

How do you start your morning?

What tea is in your cup?

Celebrations!

 Yesterday a special friend was celebrating her retirement and birthday with an adventure with me.

Mt. Hood was in the distance as we began the journey.

 I was honored to walk here, just the two of us.

 Celebrating in nature.

 Watching for the salmon in the stream.

We didn't find any, but were told they were there.

 Touches of Fall - Autumn were in the air and the trees were beginning to show their colors.

Tea time at the end of the trail and a celebration

with roast beef and caramelized onions sandwiches.

tomatoes from the garden, chocolate cake of course for celebrating,

and oolong tea for a toast to the day.

It was the perfect way to celebrate!

Do you find different ways to celebrate?

Whether big or small each day gives opportunities for celebrating.

Monday's Quotes

Drop the idea of becoming someone, 

because you are already a masterpiece. 

You cannot be improved. 

You have only to come to it, to know it, to realize it.

~Osho

Gratitude

This Day, Right Now!

Look into the faces of those around you.

In this precious moment,

Open your heart and connect with your life.

Smile

Touch

Be Present

Overflow with Gratitude.

Give Thanks!

Happy Friday Friends!
Enjoy the weekend with Gratitude.
Today I was inspired by a video online,
so the words have been translated into mine to share.

As the Sun went Down in Seattle

 While in Seattle there were adventures that involved bridges to tea.

 And a walk along the water front.

 With more water to see.

 But just sitting watching the sun go down touched my heart.

 There is something so awesome in just taking in the beauty of a sunset.

 The lights shine in the evening light.

 A place to just be with someone special, play a little, chat, or sit in quietness on a yellow chair.

Tuck in for the night, savor the colors, and share the quiet side by side or all alone.

All of the colors of the day gather in my heart to savor, delight, and hold close in my memory

of an adventure to another place.  Seattle you provided the memories.

Tea Presentations and Tastings

The NW Tea Festival had many opportunities for sipping and listening to presentations.

I gave a presentation on the difference between Afternoon Tea and High Tea.

It filled up quickly and then there came more, a full room.

This is definitely out of my comfort zone, but I so much wanted to share the stories.

I am told it went well, but as the presenter it is hard to tell.

Babette Donaldson shared Everything about Healthy Tea, which came

from her new book.  I also purchased her Fun with Tea book,

which I will review on another day.

Elyse Peterson of tealet.com shared Tea Growing in the US,

which was very informative.  There are more farmers taking up tea growing

and is a viable product for the future, as it will take a few years for the tea

to become established.  With the high cost of labor in the US, Elyse shared

that they must consider alternative ways to support their tea businesses.

Also there is opportunity then for others with expertise in production to

develop businesses in the development of tea.

I also had opportunity to sit in Elyse's tea tasting for three teas from the US.

The first was a green tea Elyse had picked about an hour north of Seattle in

the Bellingham area and had personally processed.  It was quite good.

The second was an oolong from Salem, Oregon, which I loved.

The third tea was a white tea from Hawaii, which was delicate and fresh.

There were several Japanese Tea Ceremony demonstrations.

Smacha, a tea shop in Bellevue, Washington, served some delicious teas.

The group from Portland was able to sit in their shop before the

festival began and enjoy tasting some wonderful teas.

Meeting tea friends is always a delight.

Babette, the speaker mentioned above, and her mother at their booth.

Mike and Emeric Harney sharing the story of Harney & Sons.

Loved sitting behind the red suspenders of James Norwood Pratt and his lovely wife, Valerie.

Tea tasting were a more intimate time around the table with the tea vendor

or tea expert.  This tea tasting was for fresh, high end teas from the Silk Road Tea Co.

At the end of the festival I am so happy I sat and listened to Shuiwen of Floating Leaves

in Seattle.  She is always a delight with her smile and knowledge of tea.

Shuiwen and my friend, Stephanie Wilson, shared the story of oolong teas from Taiwan

and traveling through Taiwan to visit with the farmers.

It brought back so many memories of my time traveling there with Shuiwen and

sipping tea with the farmers of Taiwan.

I have just touched on the highlights for me at the NW Tea Festival.

If you are intrigued, put the first weekend of October 2015 on your calendar

and plan to be there for your own adventures with tea.

Note:  There are links to each of the people or companies mentioned.
Stop by and visit them.
Click on the photo for a closer look.

Seattle Tea Time

 The weather was a delight this past weekend.

Sitting under the Space Needle was amazing!

Traveling to Seattle to sip tea with many lovers of tea at the NW Tea Festival

there were many opportunities to sit under the sun.

 A large yellow teapot greeted us at the door.

The line was longer than I had ever seen for this festival.

It was pure delight.

 Capturing a moment of sunshine and a visit were these two

tea connoisseurs,  James Norwood Pratt, a story teller and book writer

on tea is on the left.  I always search him out to get my annual hug.

Michael Harney of Harney & Sons is on the right and it was good

to connect with him also and share a story of his dear father, John,

who recently passed away.

 Dewey Meyers, the founder of our WuWo Tea Ceremony group in Portland,

led about 25 people through the ceremony while sitting under the sun.

Attentively listening as we prepared for tea time.

Personally I just was thrilled to sit there under that iconic Space Needle 

and share tea with others; but I must say I was so proud of my friends

from Portland that really shined this year by doing this presentation,

teaching classes, and leading tea tastings.

I will share more this week, so be warned this is just the beginning.

Put the NW Tea Festival on your calendar for the first weekend in October,

if you happen to be traveling or in the area.