Closed Doors

 We have had some gorgeous spring days lately. The sunshine is amazing! Yesterday I decided I needed to sit in the sun and also the hot tub/spa at my apartment complex. Off I went. There were a few children playing in the pool, but no one in the spa. Happy Day! I set up my chair, took my robe off, and turned on the jets of the spa. Getting ready to step into the warm water I found a sign "Spa Closed".  Now I am not sure why it was closed, but I wasn't going to take my chances. I returned to my chair in the sun and sat there for awhile. In my sitting I noticed the joy of the children playing and teasing each other. I noticed parents and friends enjoying the day in the sun. It was a lovely time to feel the sun on my face and rest. Sometimes doors open in a different direction just because the door you thought you were walking through was closed.

That being said, on Saturday I drove to Elk Rock in Portland. It is less than a 1/2 hour from my apartment and has gorgeous gardens. It is on the grounds of an Episcopalian Retreat Center that overlooks the Willamette River. Many people don't know it is open to the public, as it is tucked in a quiet neighborhood and doesn't have markers to find it. You have to know it is there.

I wanted to go see the wisteria, as I knew it would be in bloom.

I drove up to the property, the gate was open; so I drove inside and parked in the visitor parking lot. There was one other car there, but I didn't see anyone. I got out and enjoyed the wisteria immensely. It was the best I had ever seen of it in all the years I have tried to capture it. It amazed me that no one else was there enjoying it. It felt like I had the place to myself in my own "secret garden". 

After enjoying the wisteria, I walked on through the grounds snapping pictures as I went.

Still I saw no one.

The sun was glorious.

The flowers gorgeous.

Ahhh! Another wisteria! I had forgotten there was a white one on the walking bridge.

One trillium hiding under the flowering bush.

The view of Mt. Hood and the river was spectacular!!!

It was a glorious walk. I enjoyed every minute.

Returning to my car I proceeded to leave.

No, I never saw a person in the garden.

As I drove out to leave I realized the gate was now closed, strange!

It automatically opened to let me leave and then closed behind me.

As I looked back I saw the sign, "Closed on Saturday and Sunday".

Did they close the garden just so I could enjoy it by myself?

Laughing with flowers I thoroughly enjoyed.

I guess I was trespassing, but then I had a delightful time in the garden.

My own "secret garden" just for me.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Ode to Spring

I was watching the weather carefully because I knew it was time to have tea under the apple blossoms out on a little island called Sauvie Island, not far from Portland. The island is situated where the Willamette and Columbia Rivers come together. It is an island of farms and a bird sanctuary. On the island is a historic house with a historic apple orchard. It is open to the public, yet very few people know of it or visit. Each year I go to have tea under the blossoms and again under the apples in the fall. My tea friend that often went with me has moved to Hawaii; thus my recent trip was to have tea with her in her new surroundings. 

Jim went with me this past Friday because it was the day we could determine there would be no rain. The lawn was covered with little daisies as we walked to the orchard. I was so glad they hadn't mowed it, as it was beautiful. The apple blossoms probably will be at their most beautiful in about another week, but there were plenty in bloom. There are only three picnic tables under the trees, but we could choose which one we wanted. We chose the one in the sun because it was still a bit cool. We sipped Secret Garden Oolong from Floating Leaves, which I thought was most appropriate. I also pack some nibbles of salami, cheese, crackers, olives, and dried apricots. It was a lovely adventure to the countryside and sitting under the apple blossoms.

The house is called the Bybee-Howell House. When my children were young they had events here with old time games such a gunny sack races and live "down home" music. The location was taken over by another organization and they no longer have events, but still open to the public. It is my own "secret garden" and I love, love having tea under the apple tree branches. It is indeed my "ode to spring".

Bluebells blooming under this tree. Lilacs were in bloom next to the house. All the glory of new blooming flowers makes my heart sing.

Happy Springtime!

Sending love,

Marilyn

Queen for a Day!

 When I was in high school there was a show on TV called Queen for a Day. During that time I traveled with my aunt, uncle, and cousins to Southern California where my aunt went on the show to tell her hard luck story and why she should be Queen for a Day. She didn't win, but it was a real eye opener for me. I learned that everyone has a hard luck story, life can be hard at times! It's how we learn to live with it, how we tell our story, and how we carry ourselves. Do we walk with our head down, defeated? Or do we hold our head up high and rejoice at the little things?

When I saw this sign at the antique mall this past week I just started thinking we all deserve to be treated like a Queen for the Day, each and every day.

These dresses at the antique mall reminded me of my mom. It was the era of the "house dress". She wasn't treated like a Queen, but she still knew how to laugh, smile, and love her neighbor or friend. We each deserve to dance.

What she and all of us deserve to wear and dance in is the following.

We are the Queen of Dreams and Reality too.

The yellow dress above doesn't show up well in the picture, but when I saw it I thought I would feel like a princess or a queen if I wore this. I would dance the night away, just floating on a cloud.

 I might not tell you my hard luck story because I know that is just the way life goes, but I can dream of being that Queen for a Day any day. I buy myself flowers because I deserve them. I take myself on adventures because I am my own Queen for the Day.

Remember to treat yourself with love and be your own Queen for the Day. And if we are very lucky, we will be treated by others like a queen or at the very least a princess. We deserve it!

Sending Love,

Marilyn

Easter week

 “Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors."  Alice Walker

A dear friend that also has a March birthday decided we needed to celebrate March birthdays with a bit of tea and cake, plus a yummy sandwich and crepes too.

Looking back at my pictures for the week I realize it was mostly about teatimes indoors; though there was one venture to the tulip fields and one yellow chair. I can never resist taking a picture of flowers and Adirondack chairs, especially a yellow one (my favorite color). If you have followed me for a long time I once told a friend that the reason I wanted a good camera was to take pictures of Adirondack chairs by water; but an ocean of tulips will do just fine too.

And then I met two friends at a teashop to sip tea and gather information for the British tea tent coming up on June 27th for TeaFestPDX. I have been organizing that tent for 10 years and will be stepping down this year. I have an amazing team taking over; so this was a good transition meeting. Wasn't that a cute tea set?

But the highlight of the week was Easter teatime. Even though it is a lot of work to prepare, I love this gathering of dear ones. One friend always brings the most gorgeous salads and I make everything else. This is when I miss my dining room and table; but this year I reserved the clubhouse at our apartment. Other than a few broken saucers (sniff) it worked out quite well. 

Isn't this a beautiful salad?

There was also deviled eggs, asparagus wrapped in ham, radish sandwiches with goat cheese, smoked trout sandwiches with a touch of a lovely lemon chutney made by a dear friend, small slices of lamb/pork meatloaf wrapped in puff pastry, chocolate eggs, chocolate olive oil cake with strawberries, and macarons. Before the gathering at the table there were two cheeses with gluten free crackers.

It was an extra special week of tea times gatherings, plus flowers to fill my head and soul with beauty. The colors of Easter and Springtime enchant me.

Hoping your Springtime is extra special!

Sending love,

Marilyn

And the Adventure Continues

Day 4

It was a drive on the wild side, so to speak.

On the edge of vegetation sat lava.

What looks like a trail was actually the road through the jungle growth and beauty.

Not sure you can see the steam coming up from the ground?

But it must have been hot under the road.

 

The fields of lava were both black and red, very desolate.

But vegetation is attempting to return.

Then on the way back home we stopped for a snack at a roadside stand. They seemed to pop up in the most surprising places. This one had baked goods, like Rice Krispie treats filled with marshmallow and crumbled cookies.

Day 5

This is Rainbow Falls, not far from Hilo. It was the first place I saw many tourists. If you notice, the water coming over the falls was a bit brown from the mud created from the rain. Still quite beautiful. The tree in the foreground reminded me of the big tree I used to have in my house yard.

We decided to take a picnic and tea to sit by the sea. The view was wonderful and the spot delightful. Tea by the sea with a dear friend, the best!

As we were about to pack up it started to sprinkle. By the time we got to the car it was pouring buckets of rain. We viewed beautiful sights from the car as we drove to find shaved ice, which was promised to me when I arrived. I do love shaved ice; but I never imagined eating it in the car in a torrential rain and thunder storm. We laughed and ran through deep puddles of rain and wind. No pictures were taken; so you will just have to imagine. So glad we enjoyed tea by the sea and shaved ice in the car.

Day 6

Another tourist adventure was to visit the orchard, garden, and store of Mauna Loa macadamia plant. Yes, I did come home with some macadamias, which I have been nibbling since returning.

The garden had many beautiful plants. Not sure many of the tourists walked in the garden, as they were there for the macadamias.

The island had wild chickens and pigs here and there. The houses needed fences to keep the pigs out, as they like to dig in the yards and make quite a mess. I did see one pig family along the road, just digging away.

A walk through the zoo was fun to see, again with amazing vegetation.

Did I say I loved the tropical fruit. This evening there was a Thai dinner out and for the end of the meal it was black rice and mango. Half was gone by the time I snapped a picture, but it was all very delicious. No, I didn't eat the half all by myself. It was shared with the table. The food throughout the week was all amazing. 

Day 7

Sniff, my last day and time to say goodbye.

The sunrise from my bedroom window.

And a drive by the sea once more. Oh, I do love the sea.

The beaches are lava, not sand. If you find a sandy beach, the sand has been brought in.

And Home Again

I flew through the night with a layover in Honolulu and then San Francisco. What an adventure!

And home again now, hoping and dreaming of sunshine and tea on my patio.

Though I will say the humidity was a bit hard for me to handle; bare feet, sandals, and sunshine was wonderful for a few days.

Sending love,

Marilyn