I'm Back!!!

 My "live-in gardener" and I took a 16 day road trip and made it home safely, but exhausted.

 

We left July 2nd for California with the first stop at my favorite cousins home to celebrate the 4th with her family.What a perfect way to start, by just sitting by the pool and eating good food.

Then we headed south, staying one night in Bakersfield. In Bakersfield we visited a sweet shop we have heard of for years and came home with some peanut butter chews. As we traveled along you will see it was all about the food we could bring home with us. But the best part were seeing special people along the way. I guess you could say it was a memory lane experience with a farewell to some friends and places along the way.

 Our destination was a resort near San Diego where we had been gifted a week's stay. From the resort we could venture out each day and that is what we did. I will say by the time we got this far south we were ready for a rest and I had a back and neck ache that just wouldn't go away. Thus said, we persevered and explored places with an hour of the resort. There was the San Diego Zoo African Safari, San Juan Capistrano Mission, Coronado Island, tea with a friend at Historic San Diego.

African Safari: 

San Juan Capistrano: 

Coronado Island:

There was a delicious seafood lunch right here.

Tea with my friend, Val, in historic San Diego. What a sweet historic area. I loved the vintage houses on a quiet street and the tea at Coral Tree Teahouse was a delicious.

 

Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) grows profusely in Southern California. The gardens around the historic house were beautiful kept and gorgeous.

 

Once we started heading north there were more adventures that I will share another day. 

Did I say exhausting? Ha! Yes! My neck hurt so bad I thought I was sick; so I was glad to be heading north again and heading home. It would take about a week yet to get home, but I believe I enjoyed the second week more just touching bases with people along the way, a few hugs, and some good produce to bring home.

I am feeling better now and glad to be home. More pictures will come soon.

 Sending love,

Marilyn 

Another Year at the Tea Festival

Welcome to my coverage of TeaFestPDX, which took place last Saturday. Warning, this is picture heavy. I look forward to this event all year long. I plan for it, work for it, and then enjoy it.

The festival started in 2017 and has only missed one year because of Covid. The first three years I organized and ran the British Tea Tent by myself, with some good volunteers to pour the tea. After Covid I determined I needed someone to pick up some of the heavy work and work with me. So at the festival in 2022 I found an attendee, someone I didn't know; she was at my tent most of the day and I could really tell she was into the whole thing. At the end of the day I asked if she would like to work with me the next year and she said "yes". We have established such a special team and I couldn't continue to do it each year without her. She does the organizing of the tent with setting up, instructing the volunteers, and the tearing down and storing of supplies. Whew! That's a lot!!!!  I do the behind scenes part of getting 6 presenters, getting volunteers, and getting product donations. All stuff I can do on my computer. Then the day of I introduce the speakers and sit back and enjoy. 

Across from the British tent is a booth for selling gently used and some new teaware to support the festival in the coming year.

And then the door opens and about 3000 attendees entered and enjoyed.

Each year my first speaker is Lisa Hand and her sidekick, Lynelle.  They come in costume. This year their presentation was a celebration of 250 years with Jane Austin; so their costumes were from that era. 

The second speaker was Mike Raab. He came from the teashop, Tea for Two, in New Jersey and spoke on taxation issues with the tea party rebellion.

Our noon presenter was Marisa from Oranges and Blossoms, vegan bakery in Portland. She shared a lot about scones, from the difference between a British scone to an American scone, then vegan and gluten free scones. We thoroughly enjoyed her raspberry/pistachio scones. Marisa's bakery has won awards for her vegan bake goods and I had been working for about 4 years to get her to come and speak. What a treat!!!

And then there was Raj Vable from Young Mountain Tea Company. He and his wife, Mitra, came from Michigan for the festival. It was a treat to hear him talk on the influence of the British on the tea industry in India. Raj shared a black tea and a white tea. The black tea he had carried back from the new factory he was instrumental in helping to get built in Nepal.

The fifth speaker was Anthony "Tony" Tellin. He has been in the tea industry for a long time, having worked with Steven Smith at Tazo Tea, then later at Smith Teamaker. He shared his story of getting involved with tea and then introduced his new tea company, A.Tellin Co. The two teas he brought to share were both beautiful and tasted amazing.

Note the cup on the table in front of Tony. It was our festival cup for this year. 

The volunteers were all amazing. Hoping they can be in the tent again next year.

Our last event of the day was including a boxed afternoon tea. What a treat and I think everyone enjoyed having it.

Leah Murray from Eugene, is the director of a historic house/museum there. They sometimes host afternoon teas; so she share tea etiquette with the attendees.

I did take a little time late in the afternoon to stroll around the grounds of the festival.

This was Jeni Dodd serving tea in her booth. Crossing my fingers she will come next year and share her story in my tent. She comes from New York just for our festival. What a treat.

Tony Tellin left some tea for my volunteers and myself; so this week I am again celebrating tea from the festival.

 If you ever want to travel to a tea festival plan on coming next year. We are already making plans for another year with tea at the end of June.

 

Wow! I just read what I wrote and see I used the word "treat" a lot. Well the tea festival for me is always a treat and I love the connection with tea and tea friends. 

 

In the meantime, raise your cup in celebration for another successful festival.

 

Just to let you know, I am shutting down comments later today. I will be away from my computer for a couple weeks. It's been a long time since my "live-in gardener" and I have just taken off on an adventure for more than a couple days. Looking forward to the adventure. I will share when I return. 

 

Sending love,

Marilyn 

Focus on the Stars

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” 

 

Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl 

 

 

What wise words from a young girl in captivity.

 

 

Nature definitely soothes my soul. I watch for it. Just this morning while sipping my tea I notice a golden butterfly pass by my window and I wondered where that touch of beauty was headed and who else was going to be touched by seeing him.

 

I probably have shared this eagle before, but when ever I visit my sister-in-law I watch for eagles out her window. Most often I am not disappointed. 

 

 

A field of mustard always grabs my heart with joy and memories of my childhood. I loved carrying my little cousins through mustard fields and seeing how the tall flowers just surrounded us with the glory of yellow blossoms.

 

And of course, California poppies make me smile because they remind me again of growing up in California. Aren't they just so cheerful? 

 

 

 

What in nature makes you smile with a happy heart? 

Sending love,

Marilyn