Welcome to a milestone post for The Traveling Teacup – her first International stop – Calgary, Alberta CANADA!
I’m so excited, for several reasons. First, our teacup is visiting a wonderful blogger and lovely lady – Dr. Kim from The Cats Whiskerz! Second, it’s her first trip to another country! And third and fourth, not only did she make it safely over the border and through customs, but she’s now in my family’s homeland!
Most of my ancestors on both sides came from Canada, and a huge portion of them, from Calgary. My mother was born there, and lots of my relatives are there still! Too bad I didn’t think to ask Tessa Rose to pop over and visit them while she was in town!
Kim and Tessa Rose the Teacup (or TR for short) had a great visit. But before we get to that, let’s catch up on the journey so far.
How The Traveling Teacup Started Traveling
Back in May, our teacup started out here – The Exciting Beginnings of the Traveling Teacup.
Then she set off on her journey.
The Path That Led to Canada
- A beautiful Oregon farm belonging to my dear friend Martha
- The Bay Area with crafter and HomeTalk personality Cynthia Nessel
- The lovely home of Kansas City stylist Suzanne Zingg
- Teatime in Texas with Lifestyle blogger Candace McCoy
- The gorgeous Lakebay WA cottage garden of IG star Kim Robinson
- A cool So Cal family tea with small-space decorator Julie Briones
- A day of tea, art, and music with Michele at The Nest at Finch Rest
- Meeting interesting new people with Linda Defazio at Somerset Lodge
- A fun and busy detour to my dear SIL in Walla Walla
- Some VERY hot weather with Instagrammer SavvyCheri in N. Tustin CA
- A pink pumpkin party with Alicia, the talented creator of IG’s 13Tables
- The historic Phoenix estate of renovator & home blogger Mary Crozier
- Back to the NW and my neighbors’ home to meet their new puppy
- A Vermont snowfall with photographer Ann, of Dabbling and Decorating
- The Northwoods to see the Queen of Plaid, Kristin at White Arrows Home
- The mountains of Colorado with DIY guru Chas of Chas’ Crazy Creations
- Dallas TX visiting weekend-decorator extraordinaire Andrea Hundley
Stop #18 – Calgary Alberta Canada
From Dallas to Calgary is about 3000 miles! I was anxious that TR would get to Canada ok, but she did! Kim has a little story to tell us about that, further along.
Our map’s getting a little full, but just look north for stop #18!
A Teacup in Calgary
Kim writes a charming blog, and has her own post about her time with our Traveling Teacup. As usual, I’ll give you the link to the host’s post at the bottom, so be sure to scroll to the end.
So without further ado, here’s Kim to tell us some of the things she and Tessa Rose got up to!
Slight Change of Plans
I had many things planned for TR during her stay here; a trip to the Devonian Gardens, which is a beautiful indoor park and botanical gardens in downtown Calgary, followed by lunch in the railway car restaurant just south of the city. But guess what? Yup, you guessed it – we’re on lock down. Again.
So poor TR was stuck at home with us. But I’d like to think we had fun anyway. We hung out in the living room by the Christmas tree.
I was loath to leave her all alone at night in a strange house. So I introduced her to some friends in the dining room. I was sure I could hear them whispering and giggling into the wee hours of the morning.
Look at that lovely group of teacups! I’m sure Tessa Rose felt right at home with them. And the little village is darling – it looks just like a snowy day in old Canada!
Off to the Doctor’s Office
Kim is not only a wonderful blogger and teacup lover, she’s also a doctor of Clinical Neuropsychology. That means she has different books on her shelf than your normal lifestyle blogger might have, as you’ll see in a minute! But back to the story.
She came to work with me on Monday. I’ve spoken about her at work, so everyone wanted to see her. Here she is with Miss Jane, our secretary/booking clerk/admin support (i.e., the person who pretty much keeps the department running).
Yes, mandatory masking is in place in Calgary, and continuous masking is required in the hospital.
TR kind of blends in with the color of the desk, so when I brought her into my office, I set her on some books for contrast. She told me later that her literary tastes tend towards lighter themes… Me too, Tessa Rose, me too.
Everyone who came by that day remarked on how pretty she was.
See – how about those books? I am actually fascinated by anything brain related, but I think I’d pick up the bottom book first. Or maybe get a recommendation from Dr. Kim for one that’s a little more accessible!
New Packaging From Canada Back Home
But now it’s time to come home.
I had to get a new box for her return trip. The one she arrived in was quite mangled – likely attributable to the customs agents, since many of my parcels arrive in a similar condition.
In my mind, I imagine a conversation between customs agents that goes something like this:
Ted: “Hey Bob, there’s another parcel here for that crazy dish lady in Calgary.”
Bob: “Yeah, well I’m not sure I trust her. I think those dishes are a front for smuggling contraband, and she’s trying to get us to let our guard down and stop checking her shipments.”
Ted: “Yeah, I agree. And that’s why I rip apart every box that she gets. Ha ha ha!”
Sigh.
WOW! But I’m grateful that at least only the box got wrecked, not the contents. Thank goodness for bubble wrap!
The plan for TR’s return was that I would drop her off at the post office Monday night after work, but we had a winter storm warning and it was already starting to snow as I left work.
Here is what we woke up to this morning. You can’t really even see the street.
But, the show must go on, so out went TR and I to the post office. And I only got stuck twice. Now, Tessa Rose is on her way back home. Thank you so much Barbara, and thank you Tessa Rose for visiting us. We miss you!
Thank You For a Lovely Teacup Time in Canada
And thank you Kim! You’re a wonderful teacup host, and very creative too, especially with all the closures and Canada weather challenges! So glad you only got stuck twice, and that you got out again!
Teacup Shopping
If you love teacups as much as I do and want to start or add to your collection, Click HERE for the Shopping Page. Then scroll down and click on the picture of the teacup.
And remember, a portion of anything you buy from MANTELandTABLE.com goes to Habitat for Humanity and Proud Ground. With our purchases, we get to help people build homes for their own mantels and tables!
Pin the Teacup in Canada for Later
The Link to ‘The Travelling Teacup Visits Calgary’
And here’s the link to Kim’s post on TheCatsWhiskerz.com. I know you’ll love her more in-depth story and extra photos!
Thanks so much for being here and sharing The Traveling Teacup with me!
Have a Lovely Teacup Tuesday!
Wow that is quite a trip and what a fun time. I’m so sorry about the packaging… what an adventure! Always fun to ready how each person spends the time with the lovely tea cup.
Hi! It IS so fun, and I guess we just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best, box-wise! 🙂 Thanks so much for following along, and being a fabulous former teacup host yourself!
TR is at least traveling this year when most of us cannot. What a lovely visit with Kim and this is a most interesting idea of a traveling teacup. Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year, Barbara!
You too Pam! Thanks so much for being here and being a wonderful mentor to me – I’m so inspired with every one of your posts! Take care and see you next year!
Thank you very much for including me in her travels – it really was a lot of fun, and I’m so glad she arrived back home safe and sound. Doesn’t appear that she had any trouble with customs lol. And welcome Renae to Tessa rose’s next adventure!
Kim you were a wonderful teacup host! And that was so cool that you took her to your office. Thank you so much for the excellent new box and packing job – obviously the customs folks are only worried about what you get, not what you send! 😉 Take care up there in the snow my friend!
So true that the customs people seem to be only worried about what is coming my way and not your way. How funny is that. Lucky you and stay well yourself my friend and Happy New Year!
Thanks Kim! Lots of love your way!
Wonderful travel stories! I would love to have TR. I’m new to blogging and I so admire you and your blogging friends, what a wonderful group of amazingly talented ladies. I’m learning so much from all of you.
Happy new year!
Yaay – we’d love to have you join us Renae! I’ll send you an email soon with the details. Thanks so much!
Tessa is crossing the border, how fun! Good thing Tessa doesn’t have to worry about the pandemic, I bet she has traveled more this year than anyone else! I love Canada – such a beautiful country and so fun to visit. Loved seeing the pictures of the snow too.
Isn’t that great? I sure wish I could go along with her on these trips – especially this one and visit my family too! The new box Kim gave her looks much better than the one she arrived in! 🙂 Hope you have a lovely day over there!