Friday, March 24, 2017

A Special Hat for Tea

 Yesterday I headed to the Japanese Gardens
at Portland's Washington Park.
I had a plan for tea and wouldn't miss it for anything.
 As you can see there is a lot of new construction.
 The construction crew were diligently working.
Even in the 2 hours we were there we could see results.
With a peek through the bamboo I could see the new teahouse.
I was excited to have tea on their first day, a soft opening.
Officially they don't open until April 2nd.
 Hard hats were the attire of the day, plus a shiny vest too.
With me is Chloe, the manager of the teahouse.

Stepping inside my "live-in gardener" and I were greeted
by a wonderful staff and serene surroundings.
 Below is my friend, Dana.
If you visit the teahouse, tell Dana hello.
Both Dana and Chloe are members of the
WuWo Tea Ceremony group I belong to.
Our waitress was Melanie and she did a great job!
 First I ordered Sencha green tea, which came with cake.
Not being a green tea fan, I found the Sencha to be a bit
grassy for my liking.
 Then there were these delicious Chikara bars with nuts and fruit.
Chikara means strength in Japanese.
The seaweed wrapped rice was Onigiri with Hijiki seaweed.
 A second tea, Hojicha, was a delicious roasted Japanese green tea.
I did enjoy this tea quite a lot.
And along came another treat with bean paste in the middle.

Just sitting in the teahouse in beautiful surroundings brought
back memories of a time long ago when my grandmother
took me to the Japanese Gardens in San Francisco for tea.
I was about 12 or 13 years old and it made me feel so very grown up.
Of course, there was a walk through the
gardens once tea was finished.
What a perfect mini-vacation adventure in the middle
of the week.
Do you sometimes enjoy a couple hours "mini-vacation"?
I love it when that happens, especially in a
lovely place like the Japanese Gardens.
If you come for a visit to Portland
plan on tea at the Japanese Gardens,
a vacation for sure and you won't have to
wear a hard hat and vest.

Linking to Bernideen at http://blog.bernideens.com/

11 comments:

La Tea Dah said...

Oh, how lovely! What a great experience. And extra special because you were already friends with some of those involved. Happy day!

Rosemary said...

Such a perfectly delightful experience! And your tea time attire, hat and vest, was just the right touch! What an exciting addition to the Japanese gardens.

Jeanie said...

That is just SO COOL! Oh Marilyn, you had to be in seventh heaven -- a beautiful tea in the loveliest of surroundings and most exquisite of ensembles! It looks like a perfect afternoon with friends. That's such a treasure for your gardens.

Steph said...

Congratulations!! I wish I could have gone today. Work gets in the way too often! I'll be there on Tuesday, tho.

Linda P said...

Hello Marilyn. What a wonderful experience to be invited to the opening of the Japanese tea room! This personal visit because of connections to the group you belong to and the memories of past times being taken to a Japanese Garden by your grandmother made it a special occasion.

Mary said...

That looks like another wonderful place for tea and beautiful surroundings - please take us back when the grounds are completed! You are lucky to have these delightful places in Portland.

You look good in a hard hat Marilyn - I'd look a complete dork!

I LOVE the new header - have you really set up the greenhouse for dining? It looks incredibly inviting - has J completed all the renovations?

Happy weekend - Mary x

Margie said...

Wished that I lived closer so that I can visit this lovely teahouse.

Bernideen said...

Marilyn:
Thank you for sharing this exciting project. I know a lot of work is going into this! Thanks for linking.

Steph said...

I love the idea of a mini vacation!

Steph said...

I love the idea of a mini vacation! What a wonderful sharing of the new cafe at the Japanese Garden. Let's go there together!

Adrienne said...

It seems I'm always catching up. So glad I took a few minutes to sit and do that today! I love your 'new' hat! It's been a long time since I visited the Japanese Gardens. It's time for my sweetheart and I to head that way sometime this summer. There are so many things close to home we need to explore - or re-explore!
~Adrienne~