Just for Fun, A Photoshoot

 Just for the pure JOY of snapping pictures,

I planned a photoshoot in my sister's orchard.

 Since I was driving I could take props and play a bit.

 Originally this was our grandfather's apple orchard.

Then it became our aunt and uncles orchard.

And then finally my sister has held onto 2 acres,

but she is thinking of selling; so I am very happy I took

the adventure to take pictures and bring home

a box of Gravenstein apples from the orchard.

 How fun to have one more time to play in the orchard

and walk the dusty trail under the trees.

 I brought my teapot and cups to meld

two loves, apples and tea time.

 Teatime was indeed enjoyed under the apple tree

and now there is applesauce in the cupboard

and a couple pie fillings in the freezer.

The tea in my cup that very day was Castleton Moonlight Imperial Darjeeling, First Flush 2017.

It was the perfect tea to sip while enjoying tea in the orchard.

Tasha Tudor's Birthday

 In celebration of Tasha Tudor's birthday week I am

sharing a Christmas tea party from the past.

The theme was an Old Fashioned Tasha Tudor Tea Party.

Cookies were made using a dove cookie cutter from the

Tasha Tudor store.

 There were baskets of apples, doves, chickens, and cornucopias for each guest.

 And celebrating Tasha with a dollhouse

all decorated for the season.

 Many of the recipe inspirations came from Tasha's cookbook.

  The tea served was Tasha's Welsh English Breakfast.

 Doves hung above the table

and candles flickered in the winter light.

 Always remembering Tasha Tudor and the delights

she added to our imaginations and creative inspirations.

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

Walk with Me - Archer Lane

 My word this year is story and my story began here along Archer Lane.

It wasn't called Archer Lane when I was a girl,

but was a dusty dirt road I remember walking barefoot down.

The warm dust squeezed between my toes

and I found a warm apple to pick and nibble (well maybe gobble).

In my world I thought those moments were a treasure

without a worry in the world.
Archer Lane was named for my aunt and uncle who lived at
the beginning of the lane.
Originally this land belonged to my grandfather.
The two buildings you see above and just below were sheds
my grandfather used on his apple farm.
The little room to the side in the picture above was once
the residence of his brother, Uncle Charlie.
The buildings were blocked from view by a fence, but I was
able to reach my camera over the fence and take these two pictures.
They look alot different than when I was a girl.
Someone has made them less "rustic".

Peeking over the fence there is no longer apples growing there,

but there are grapes.  In the distance in those trees is my uncles

old farm house.

I was walking where once my young feet walked,

the memories were still there in my mind;

but it was different in my eyes.

As twilight approached I had a glimpse of the old farm house

I lived in as a baby.

Walking down memory lane brings many stories to my minds eye.

The stories are there, but in the twilight hour 

the eyes see them quite differently.

Tea and Friendship

Tea and friendship comes in many forms.

This is but one way a shared friendship and teatime looks.

Meeting a tea friend face to face when traveling is always the best.

It is one of those small joys I so delight in when traveling.

So on this Thursday afternoon two tea lovers sat,

sipped tea, nibbled goodies, laughed, and shared stories.

Isn't that the very best of life?

When you travel do you search out like minded friends?

Happy weekend, dear friends!

A Touch of Autumn

 Country Dusk, August

No longer is the road a tinsel strand

Whereon a line of motorcars flash by;

No longer is the summer sun a brand

Upon the smooth blue surface of the sky.

And where was heat and wind-blown dust, is peace

Of shadows now; where clamor, is repose

Of purple twilight and a slow release

Of dew on wheat and rustling long corn rows.

The rising moon unthreads the tangled way

Of books; cows cross a meadow on a path; 

The trees are silhouetted, wistful-grey;

Against the sunset's yellow aftermath.

While squares of lamplight over windowsills

Betray the small farmhouses on the hills.

~Ethel Romig Fuller, Kitchen Sonnets

 Back home again with memories of a walk in my sister's orchard.

I loved the discoveries of wood piles, tractors, rusty metal, and

above all else, apples.

 This property has been in my family for a long time.

 Nostalgia was the name of this stroll.

 With apples my heart travels to home and a touch of autumn.

There is always a moment to sip a cup of tea.

Are you beginning to feel a touch of autumn in the morning air?

Teatime on the Road

 Driving to California alone I knew there would need to be

stops along the way.

The Teapot on Wheels is just off the I-5 highway I would be traveling;

so reservations were made for tea in Gold Hill, Oregon.

What a delightful stop,

just what any tea lover should do on a road trip down the highway.

 How fun to see Jan and Denny's teashop and tearoom.

 But there was more to the shop than first seen;

there was a patio outdoors for those perfect days.

 And the gardens were wonderful with the trellis corridor and walk to the river.

 Just the perfect setting for a bride and groom.

 Then we sat at the beautifully set tea table.

Jan and her two grand daughters savored the bites and sipping the tea.

 The food was prepared perfectly and delicious too.

 So if you ever find yourself traveling down the I-5 highway

definitely take a break to savor the day and sip a cup of delicious tea.

Still traveling, but couldn't wait to share teatime at The Teapot on Wheels.

Tea with Friends

A week ago there were tea friends in town and we

celebrated the gathering with tea, of course.

There were adventures out and about,

from Lan Su Chinese Gardens to Smith Teamaker's shop.

Laughter ensued as we did imbibe much tea.

The lotus blossoms were quite beautiful at the gardens;

so I just had to share one with you.

This is Julia of Bingley's Teas in Minneapolis, MN.

She stayed in my home and it was JOY to get to know her better.

On the left is Robert Godden of Devotea in Australia.

He and his wife were visiting Portland for the soul purpose

of drinking tea with friends.

On the right is Geoffrey Norman, tea blogger extraordinaire,

from the Portland area.

On Sunday afternoon we celebrated their visit with

a WuWo Tea Ceremony.

What a joyous occasion,

one I wish you all could have been there for.

Each of us in the circle was served

and then we sat in silence and savored the flavors

of each special tea.

Of course with tea we have snacks.

For this special gathering there was pie and other goodies to share

in the gardenhouse.

Iced water was in the urn, as it was a very hot day.

I didn't take a picture, but we even had wildlife to share with our visitors.

A raccoon had set himself above our heads in the big tree in the garden.

I do hope you are enjoying the outdoors of summer

with special times with friends.

I believe this is the best part of summer time,

time with friends, fresh food from the garden,

and delighting in the out of doors.

Note:  I will be traveling for the next week and a half,
so if you don't see your comment posted right away;
eventually it will show up.  I will be posting, but more sporadically.
Come by and see where I am along the road.
I love sharing stories with you.

Walk with Me - Off to the Farm

This farm I have visited before.

It is a special adventure I do a couple times a year with my grandson.

How he loves visiting here.

He tried to catch one of the little turkeys in the back,

but without success.

While he played with his cousin,

I walked through the new apple orchard.

How fun to see the apples ripening in clusters on the branches.

The sun was bright that day, but still I walked.

In among the apples I found the farmer pulling the weeds.

While one worked, the other one sat in their spa to cool off.

Yep!  That is Felicity sitting in the water.

What a fine pair the are.

They keep the weeds under control right there in the apple grove.

While the farmer pigs do their work, the little boy, August, is off

selling his eggs.  At the moment of our visit and walk in the

apples, he was busy playing with my grandson.

Oh the pair of two 4 year olds together on the farm is pure delight.

So this was my walk last week.

A walk with two 4 year olds and two very industrious pigs.