Hurricane Ridge, Washington State

Driving along the Highway 101 we passed through a small Indian village.

With a brief stop we enjoyed seeing the totems and found a carver working.

The autumn view was beautiful.

If you look closely you might see the heron sitting in the water.

Then we stopped to say hello to Chloe at the Happy Valley Alpaca Farm.

I just loved having a conversation with the alpaca

and enjoying their sweet faces.

Heading up the mountain to Hurricane Ridge.

This is a National Park I have wanted to visit for a long time.

Finally the cold, windy day arrived.

The crow was gliding in the wind, not having to do much at all.

He held his wings out and just let the wind do the work.

What majestic mountains!

Most of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest are formed

from active volcanoes; so I was surprised these mountains

were formed from glaciers.

The ice caused the mountains to shift and rise and form a jagged

serrated range.  Quite spectacular and so different than what we normally see.

There were many deer along the road,

so driving was taken cautiously.

This year the National Park Service celebrates 100 years.

As part of that celebration in the next year I hope to visit some of the parks.

Hurricane Ridge was a beginning, but not the last of the parks I plan to visit.

Hurricane Ridge is the most easily accessed mountain area in this National Park.

At 5,242 feet, it is located 17 miles up a gently winding road from Port Angeles.

I would love to visit again in the Spring, as I have heard and seen photographs

of the wildflowers here.  It is part of the Olympic National Park.

Welcome to Hurricane Ridge!  I hope one day you can visit here.

Notes from the Garden

An apple tree was added last year as a gift

from a departing pastor.

This year it has produced beautifully.

The grapes came from a twig in my own garden

and have just covered the trellis.

We actually made jelly from some of the grapes this year.

The grape trellis is the entrance to the garden.

There are strawberries and tomatoes too.

A garden is a wonderful place to gather,

let the children explore and run,

and nibble a bit.

Recent Glimpses of Days of Delight

 In the garden house I have a table to play.  Oh JOY!

 Taking quick times to sit in the garden when the sun comes out.

 Shared tea time with friends in the garden just the other day.

 My tea time set and ready to serve.

 A walk in the garden at Lan Su Chinese Gardens

always delights my soul.

 Autumn in the garden.

 Evening in the garden where we could enjoy the light.

 Then there was time in Seattle.

 Photos taken from the ferry as we bid adu.

 Then shortly arrived at Bainbridge Island.

The clouds were amazing.

The evening a delight.

Take time to notice what you notice.

Savor the moments.

Delight in the JOY of the day.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

NW Tea Festival

 This past Sunday I was off to visit the NW Tea Festival in Seattle.

It is an adventure I look forward to the first weekend in October each year.

The first sip of tea was from Chado.

It was a purple tea that looked like regular tea,

but change color with the addition of lemon.

I particularly liked it after the lemon was added,

it gave it a nice dimension.
One of the people I wanted to meet was Mike Fritts of Golden Feather Tea
in California.  I met him while waiting in line to enter the show.
He is growing tea in Northern California.

 Since I am not a blended tea person I don't usually taste here,

but their booth always entertains my heart.

I love their creativity.

 This tea table is always so popular that you would

be very lucky to find an empty seat here.
If I remember correctly it is Red Crimson.

 Babette of Tea Sippers and Emma books is always

a JOY to see and visit with.
I didn't get a photo, but Bruce and Shelley Richardson
had a booth just next to Babette and I love chatting with them too.

 I must say the same for the Tea Time people too.

This year they were introducing new tea towels and tee shirts.

 I came home with the Celebrations book

and this morning thoroughly enjoyed reading it over my morning tea.

It is all about celebrating each season.

 The Harney boys are always a fun chat and to stop for a sip.

 There was kombucha on tap.

What I found interesting was seeing the scoby

in the plastic bag.  I had wondered what it looked like.

Shen Zen Tea

 Rajah Banerjee from Makaibari Tea Estate in India spoke about

growing tea organically.

Norwood Pratt moderated this conversation as well as the next.

 He explained through this picture how composting worked.

I signed up for only one workshop, which was with Jeffrey McIntosh of Teabook.com

on puerh teas.  We tasted seven different puerh teas.  My favorite was

the 2008 Mu Shu Raw Puerh Cake.

 Then the following was a conversation with  Rajah, Norwood, 

and Nigel Milican, who is supporting the tea farmers in the

US and helping them start with ethical, sustainable growing systems.
He spoke on What Happens when we Process Teas.

 Finally at the end of the afternoon was Elyse Peterson

of tealet.com talking about supporting sustainability in the tea industry.

Once again under the Space Needle I said hello and goodbye to tea friends.
It was the best year ever.

Notes from the Garden

 

I adore the green trellised fencing

and places to hide away for moments of quiet,

or to sit with someone special either in silence

or sharing our hearts.

These were the biggest hydrangea heads

I believe I have ever seen.

 

From the garden I could see the roof line of Deepwood Estates in Salem, Oregon.

What a beautiful garden to walk in and savor the softness of Autumn's arrival.

The trees surrounding this majestic home were still full of their green leaves,

but you could see a hint of the changing seasons.

Another garden that has delighted my heart of many occasions.