What Can I Say, Let's start at the End!

 What can I say!

When traveling there is always time for tea.

Sometimes they are not planned and

sometimes the occasion just arises and I can't resist.

 This was such an occasion that on the last day

I found we could get reservations at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel,

on the 23rd floor, in Las Vegas.

I was so excited, as I had seen pictures of other

tea bloggers having tea here.

So on the last day of our southwest adventure we had tea.

Now isn't that a perfect way to end the trip?

 Everything was so fresh and tasty, just a delight!
Smoked salmon and tartar cream on brioche bun
Curry chicken, trumpet mushroom and
Asian persimmon on sesame cone
Egg salad and chives on croissant bread
Black forest ham sandwich

 I did leave the blueberry scone

and just enjoyed the cream scone

with Devonshire cream and cherry jam on one side

and cranberry marmalade on the other.

  And the desserts were a sigh of fullness and satisfying deliciousness.
The green was a matcha puff pastry
Mango tart
Layered berry pastry
Blueberry tart

In my cup was the hotels signature tea,
a flavored orange black tea.

The view was spectacular.
The service impeccable.
The afternoon time for tea just the perfect
ending to an adventure in the sun.

"One hopes to live to an old age and to live
a life guided by beauty, the Beauty Way."
~Navajo healer

Mesa Verde National Park

45 years ago my family and I tried to visit Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado

and got caught in a snow storm.  Needless to say, we did make it there.

Many years later a dream came true, when today there was a visit there.

 It was truly amazing to see how the American Indians lived over a thousand years ago.

Once I return home, more will be shared.

Hope you are enjoying just a touch of the delight seen through my camera

of our National Parks.

Grand Canyon and Sunshine!

Breathe in the dawn four times.

Breathe out a prayer to yourself,

To the dawn, the universe.

It is holy, all holy once more.

~Navajo prayer

Our visit to the Grand Canyon was a prayer answered,

a dream come true.

 Happy Weekend, dear friends!

 

Wild Sanctuary

There will be more posts when I return home,

but here is a taste of my day today.

Zion National Park was described by many as a "wild sanctuary".

Indeed it is walking through God cathedral.

Magnificent!

It rained the full time we visited there today,

but we couldn't resist getting out and hiking a bit.

God definitely shared his exuberance and delight

when creating the Colorado Plateau.

Happy week, dear friends!

Gardenhouse Tea Time

With the rebuilding of our garden house

I had waited a couple years to once again have tea time

in the garden house.

Finally the time came to honor the women friends

that gather each month over a meal and to share family

stories as we grow old together.

I wanted flowers to be shared with

teaware and bouquets.

Also on the table I had garden quotes to read.

It was a celebration of friendship,

the first of many in the garden house this year.

In the spoons was shrimp salad and radish.

The savories were all gluten free, including the bread.

Coronation Chicken Sandwich

Cucumber Sandwich with cream cheese and dill weed

Rice crackers with goat cheese, olive tapenade, and sweet pepper

Endive with smoked salmon, radish sprouts, and cream mixture

Dessert was not gluten free, but still enjoyed

Lemon tarts

Vanilla cookies with lemon icing and flowers

Strawberries dipped in chocolate

The tea served was Dong Ding Oolong from Taiwan.

A perfect roasty tea for a rainy day.

The conversation was a delight

and friendship enjoyed sitting at the tea table 

in the garden house,

listening to the pitter patter of rain on the roof.

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

May you find moments to sit and enjoy a cup of tea with friends.
PS - I will be traveling the next 2 weeks; so my posts may be more erratic.
Hoping to post from the road.
If I am missing, I hope you are out enjoying Spring time.
If you leave a comment, I may be a little slow at moderation;
but just know I love your messages and treasure them each day.
Thanks to my son, who will be house sitting!

Blow'n in the Wind

Blow'n in the wind

My heart will upward soar

In the end Love wins

~a haiku for you, m.miller

Oh how I delight in seeing my laundry drying in the

sunshine and breezes.

A quote by the Dalai Lama that has touched my heart this week:

"Practice warm heartedness."

For only love and "warm heartedness" will save the day

and we will come out the other end

better people

better friends

and better parents

better citizens of the world

No Tooting at Tea

Recently my special little guy and I visited the book store.

He came home with a book about superheros

and I came home with this.

What a fun way to teach children about manners at tea time.

Definitely worth checking out for the children of your heart.

No Tooting at Tea, by Alastair Heim.

The illustrations by Sara Not are so delightful too.

Tea Time on a Sunny Morning

Lately on sunny mornings you can find me here.

There is nothing like just sitting to listen to the early morning sounds

of the birds and watch the squirrels scampering about while sipping my tea and nibbling a bit.
This is a typical breakfast for me, toast and fruit, plus a good pot of tea.
In my pot this morning was Midnight Sun from J-Tea in Eugene, Oregon.
A recent purchase which is almost gone.
Yes, it was a good black tea.
I asked Josh what black tea he would recommend and this
was what he recommended.
The fragrance definitely was distinct right from the bag
and again from the cup.
Sometimes it is hard to describe, but it wasn't astringent
and had a bit of sweetness to it.
You know how when you walk through a spongy, mossy
forest floor and the clean sweetness of nature
invades your scents.  That would be it!
Quite delicious too!

So for me I was drinking Midnight Sun in the early morning hour.
Happy Sipping, dear friends!

Walk with Me - 23rd Avenue

Saturday was a lovely day and I was on a mission.

It had been awhile since I walked down 23rd Avenue

and explored.

I needed some bar shampoo here.

It is the best thing to carry when traveling.

No spills!  You can find it at Lush.

I thought this top would be lovely for a trip too,

but just dreaming through the window.

The Psychic was open, but no time to stop.

Smiling as I walk.

The side streets have lovely old homes, but oh would

I hate the parking.

Yep, there is a tea shop up above, but again I was walking.

Finally, as I head back to my car I stopped

for a treat.

Did I say the sun was fantastic,

oh what a day to walk and dream through the windows.

May Day Celebration

 The parents, grandparents, and children

came together to celebrate May Day.

 Flowers were gathered together for wreaths for the head

and baskets to share.

 The children celebrated.

 Baskets were hung to celebrate the day.

It was a festive time of celebrating this special day,

the time of new blooms and new growth.

Happy Weekend, dear friends!