The Traveling Teacup Samples 7 Delightful Teas in 4 Beautiful Days

Hi All, and welcome back to the next adventure of The Traveling Teacup! This one is full of delicious tea, wonderful gardens, amazing art, and lovely tables. But first, I’m channeling my hero Julie Andrews in Sound of Music, to say …

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

Back in May 2020 – just as we were all hunkering down at home – our little teacup started traveling. I thought it would just be a fun diversion for a couple weeks, but it turned into lots more. In fact, we’re on to our second year!

You can get all the background in The Exciting Beginnings of The Traveling Teacup! And if you want to see the full itinerary for her first year, check out this post, The Traveling Teacup Finds Herself In A Beautiful Texas Garden.

Year Two Itinerary So Far

After a brief rest at home after year one, Tessa Rose Teacup started off on another round. Here’s where she’s been so far in year two.

• A gorgeous farm in Estacada OR, the home of brilliant blogger, table stylist, and entrepreneur Renae Frey.
• An exciting train ride to Santa Fe NM with the always fun and creative Albuquerque blogger, Jeanne Washburn.

Stop #3 ~ The Traveling Teacup Goes To Amherst Ohio

After her fun time with Jeanne, our teacup gets a 1,580 mile plane ride to Amherst OH to visit Valerie, an amazing M&T reader and tea lover. TR has been to Ohio before – visiting Michele, another talented tea-drinker, and I’m sure she was happy to be back in the state.

Valerie is a serious tea lover, cook, entertainer, gardener, and conservationist. And a writer too! She’s sent us a wonderful account of her four days with Tessa Rose, so I’m just going to turn it all over to her!

Getting to Know Our Traveling Teacup Host

What fun to be able to host Tessa Rose at my home in Amherst, Ohio. I am a retired high school English teacher and Drama Director. My greatest productions however, are my two sons, now grown and living in Columbus, Ohio. I live here with my husband, an artist and retired high school art teacher, and our dog Barley. 

It is a busy time of year here in Northeast Ohio, planting, weeding, and fertilizing takes up much of the day. I go to a yoga class 5 days a week, as well. I am a member of Adagio Teas’ CommuniTea, and enjoy posting photos and reviews of daily teas, as well as communicating on a chat page with fellow tea drinkers. 

Baby Bluebirds

My husband and I are also Eastern Bluebird monitors, overseeing 18 boxes at a local metro park. We have one box with 5 bluebird chicks. Here they are at 2 days old.

We have 13 boxes with tree swallow eggs! I take time out of this busy schedule to enjoy the world traveling tea cup. 

Starting the Year with Monthly Tea Parties

After unpacking the traveling teacup from the box, I steep Adagio’s Earl Grey Lavender tea (and add sweetener and cream), then show Tessa Rose around my dining room.  I love to host tea parties, and always pick a theme or holiday to focus the tea party around.

I started the year 2020 with the intention of having a tea party every month. After the holiday open house, I hosted a Chinese New Year tea party, which was great fun, as we checked out our Chinese horoscopes. The dining room was decked out in red decorations, chopsticks, fans, hats, and I served Chinese food I made from scratch with Chinese green teas. Each guest got a red envelope with a Chinese coin and a $2 bill for good luck.

After a romantic Valentine dinner with dear friends, next was a St. Patrick’s Day tea party, complete with festive decorations, hats, and fun Irish food. Each guest brought either an Irish tale or poem to share. It was the last party I got to host as Covid put an end to any more.

Decorating the Dining Room

I continued to decorate the dining room for each month anyhow. It was a creative outlet and practice for when I am able to have friends over. In April the room was festooned in Spring Easter eggs and bunnies. For May the dining room is transformed with flowers, birds, and butterflies.

The lace tablecloth, handmade in Italy, was a gift from my husband who traveled there with a school group. I put up holiday appropriate work my sons created when they were very young. It makes me smile to see these elementary pieces of art.

Having Tessa Rose visit is a virtual way to develop friendships. Think of all the stories she will have to tell when she gets back home!

Spring Tea Party Complete with Snoogles!

Time for a snack, so I set the table for a spring tea party, complete with the Haviland china and silver place settings I inherited from my mother. 

Then I choose a very famous dessert from one of the best bakeries in the county: Kiedrowski Bakery http://www.kiedrowskibakery.com/  right here in Amherst. I have one of their world famous Snoogles. It is a creamy, cinnamon delight that melts in your mouth. They are very long (here one is cut in two to fit on the plate.) It is so delicious, it is hard not to eat the entire thing in one sitting.

Later in the day, I steep a flowering Peach tea. 

The Traveling Teacup Visits Valerie’s Lovely Backyard

Now we head to the backyard, first to the pond. This is a peaceful place to rest and become one with nature. The water is soothing and brings peace.

Then to the waterfall. My husband hand dug the pond over 20 years ago, creating the waterfall from rocks he collected. Tessa is sitting on the wooden bridge he built, that crosses the expanse of the pond.

Sculpture & Fun In The Garden

My mother was an artist, and we have several of her sculptures that we set out in our yard every summer. Here, Tessa Rose gets to know one of them. It is early spring yet, so the flowers have not all grown in. Soon this will be full of zinnias and summer perennials.

We have many fun items in our yard. Here is my lavender patch in a fire ring. It is still early, so the plants have not grown up yet.  The Blue Heron sculpture stands at the edge of our pond, and keeps the actual bird from visiting to feast on our fish and frogs.

Now onto the vegetable garden, surrounded by a fence to keep the groundhog out.  In the vegetable garden is an Ewe and her lamb.

Day 2 ~ Breakfast and a Matching Hat

It is very warm for May. We start the day off with a Earl Grey Lavender, a very British tea. I bring out my mother’s silver tea set, and a blueberry scone from Kiedrowski’s Bakery to start the day.

To give this setting a different look, I switch out the top lunch plate, and use ones from my grandmother. In honor of Tessa Rose, I fold the napkins into roses.

My husband found this bust somewhere, and his mother had it on display in her living room for years. She gifted it to me a few years back, so this Victorian lady always wears a hat to fit the dining room’s theme. This is an antique straw hat, much like the one I use to garden in.

Another beautiful day to visit the backyard. Tessa Rose is now filled with Adagio’s Decaf Strawberry tea as she travels around the yard to see the flowers and unique items.

My husband painted his version of Grant Wood’s  “American Gothic” years ago. These are on the doors to the back shed on our property.

Dinner Time for The Traveling Teacup

Eventually it is time for dinner (baked chicken fingers and homemade Keto mac and cheese) with Adagio’s Honeybush Chocolate.

Dessert is from a local chocolate shop Suzin L Chocolatier https://www.suzinl.com/ Dark chocolate treats and Suzin L’s famous chocolate covered strawberry.

Tessa Rose has had a good day.

Day 3 ~ Chickens and Hummingbirds and Beer, Oh My!

We visit some more of the fun items in our yard.

Here is the Hen with her chicks that stand outside my husband’s art studio..

We had to have a tree cut down, so my husband kept enough of it to create this special brewery for our dog Barley. Barley is a King Charles Cavalier/American Cocker Spaniel with brown spots the color of barley grain. Barley is a grain used in producing beer, which my husband makes as a home brewer in our basement.

The Herb Garden

We have an herb garden.

Part of the garden is for making tea, here are some of the mints.

The Traveling Teacup Has Never Seen A Wildlife Habitat

Our back deck is under the giant tree and next to the artist studio. We have earned the Certified Wildlife Habitat designation for our yard from the National Wildlife Federation.

Standing at the pond and looking out into the rest of the yard (shed to the left, raised gardens to the right).

Soon it becomes evening. Time to show Tessa Rose a northeast Ohio treat for dinner. Living near Lake Erie, we are lucky. Husband went fishing today and caught two walleye. He cleans them, then fries them on the grill.

I make cheesy mashed cauliflower and steam some broccoli to go with it. A cup of Adagio’s Buddha’s Dream green tea goes well with it.

Final Breakfast for Our Traveling Teacup

Day 4 and final day of our visit. In the morning I steep Adagio’s “Breakfast Princess” a signature blend by Abigail Holmes, and enjoy Keto waffles with Ohio maple syrup. This is a glass set of dishes, glazed with beautiful hand painted flowers that I got from a dear friend.

Afterward, I pour a cool cup of Adagio’s Berry Blast (cold brewed in the refrig the night before).

The Traveling Teacup Is Enamored With the Fairy Garden

Now I will introduce Tessa Rose to my fairy garden in the backyard. Each year it changes a bit. This section has a number of houses and items representing some of the plays I directed at Marion L Steele High School in Amherst. A theatre parent is crafty, and made these items for me. Every year a toad will come to visit the garden and stay for awhile.

Tessa Rose seemed to enjoy visiting all the wee folk in the fairy garden, especially the two having a tea party of their own. Tessa Rose also liked wearing the mint earring. 

Here is the Peter Pan section, with a toad visiting for the day.

Snack Time

We go inside to cool off from the warm day, and stop for a snack of fresh raspberries, Kiedrowski’s nut and fruit kolaches. Tessa Rose’s saucer made the perfect plate for some chocolates and a chocolate covered strawberry from Suzan L. The place settings are a white china luncheon set of my mother’s made in Japan.

What fun it was to entertain Tessa Rose. It was like having a tea party every day she visited. Thanks for letting her stop by my home. Soon I will be able to surround my decorated table with tea drinking friends.

Until then, this was fun. I carefully packed her back into the box and sent her onto her new adventure with Adagio CommuniTea friend Lilly.

Thank You So Much Valerie!

Oh my, what a wonderful visit! I could spend hours in that fun garden, and what a lot of delicious sounding teas and meals TR got to share! Thank you so much Valerie – I feel like Tessa and I had a relaxing long weekend in Ohio!

Tune in next time as our teacup jets off to Tennessee! Until then, Happy Teatime!

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Have a Lovely Teacup Tuesday!

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