Tea on the deck...

      Today I'm having tea outside on the back deck. It's so nice to be outside again. I love the warm days. I don't get to "sit" outside as much as I used to now that I'm watching two of my grandchildren. Now I am "running" when outside...after a two year old! But still, it's good to be outside!

One of my favorite things about summer is the fresh fruit available where I live.

      With my tea I'm having some fresh peaches and nectarines with blackberries.

      I pulled all the snapdragons out of my wine barrels today, they were looking spent. I had just enough flowers to enjoy them with tea and I added a couple of my blooming hydrangeas.

      The teacup I'm using has gold trim and bright pink, yellow, and white flowers. It says

"Bone China Made in England"

on the bottom. I don't know who the manufacturer is. I chose it for its bright colors, they fit my mood today and the colors go with the flowers in my tea kettle vase.

I am also enjoying one of Karla Dornacher's books,

"Savor This Moment"

      Each of her books is a collection of her art work and each page is hand written. She has a country, with a bit of Victorian, flair. You can get them on Amazon, (see side bar) new or used. I have picked up several "used" and they are always in excellent condition...for just a few cents, plus shipping.

I like sitting outside with a cup of tea and going through one of her books...a visual delight!

Here is one of her poems from the book ~

An attitude of gratitude

will chase the blues away.

Consider all God's given you

and let Him hear you say ~

Thank you, Father, for this moment,

open my eyes that I may see,

forgive me for all I take for granted ~

your love and blessings

that flow free.

Thank you for joining me for tea on the deck!

Charlotte

A Trip to the Cherry Farm

      My sister-in-law and I went to a farm in our town recently and picked cherries. Last year I went with a friend and forgot to take my camera, so this year I made sure I had it. We actually ended up picking more berries than cherries, but we went there with the intention of picking cherries.
It was a hot day, but berries like it hot, more than people do. I felt like I was melting!

This was the front of the farm house...lovely!

The orchard and vines are framed by pine trees growing around the perimeter.

      We were a little early in the season as you can see the berries weren't completely ripe. but we found enough to fill our buckets.

The cherries were red and delicious!

      I was being "cheap" and picked my cherries without the stems, just to find out when I paid for them that the stems help them last longer. This didn't end up being a problem since my boys picked the bowl clean in a matter of a couple hours. So all I can tell you is that cherries without stems last at least a couple of hours!

      This is the back of the house. I wish I could have taken a picture of the porch to the right. It had a round table with a huge bouquet of red roses...a perfect spot for afternoon tea! But sadly, we were not invited.

      This pond is full of koi fish and I think it would be a lovely place to sit on the swing and read a good book.

As soon as I got home from the farm, I washed the berries.

There were so many varieties of berries to choose from, I just threw them all in together as I picked them. My favorite were the raspberries.

I found a recipe for berry cobbler  on allrecipes.com and thought I would try it.

Oh my, was it delicious!

      I like nothing more than eating fresh foods I pick myself...except eating them with family and friends. 

      Thank you for stopping by and visiting for awhile. I hope you're finding time to enjoy the special things that come with summer...like cherries & berries, or sitting in the shade of a tree reading a book, splashing in a lake or digging in the garden. We are so blessed to have this season of sunshine.

Life is good,

Charlotte

Monterey, beauty on the bay...

Before I share the second stop on my anniversary trip, would you please sit down, relax for a moment and share some tea with me?

We can sit out front by the Daisys and Black Eyed Susans...

(The pictures are a little washed out without more contrast in colors...sorry)

I made a Triple Berry Crisp with a little dab of whipped cream

and some tea in my Royal Albert tea cup

It wasn't easy getting the Black Eyed Susans in the picture, I had to stand on a chair above them!

Now...on with the trip

Anniversary Part 2

I've divided our trip into bit-size chunks to share with you. Today I'm sharing our second two days spent in Monterey.

 

We stayed at the Gosby House Bed & Breakfast in the main house. It's in the town of Pacific Grove just a few blocks up from the ocean and Cannery Row in Monterey.

Our room was a little small but had lots of charm. Each room is uniquely different...and flowers everywhere, on wallpaper, pillows & bedspread.

In the evening the bed is turned down and a rose and chocolates are left. There is a bear mascot in every room.

This is Lover's Point Beach...

It was a little bit too cold for lovers I guess, we didn't see any on the beach as we passed by to climb the rocks on the other side and look in the tide pools.

Then off to the Wharf for clam chowder...

We walked to the end of the wharf and tried all the samples of clam chowder. Which one was the best? I'm not going to tell. It takes all the fun out of it if you don't try them yourself.

We passed the "bird man" with all his beautiful birds...ready and willing to pose for a picture!

I love all the old boats tied up to the pier bobbing up and down with the tide...

We visited the Cannery Row Antiques Mall again and picked up a couple things. I was sad to not find a teacup this time but I did find a couple of painted plates that I liked.

This one is actually not a plate but a trivet.

 I happened to be there on a day they were having a half off sale! How nice!

That wraps up our stay in Monterey...next week I'll share our last two days in Lake Tahoe.

Hope you have a wonderful day today!

God bless you,
Charlotte

June bugs, and rolled out rugs...

Getting things cleaned up outside...

rolling out rugs and umbrellas,

to enjoy the sunshine and flowers...

and to listen to the buzz of the bees on the butterfly bush...

and smell the sweet fragrance in the air...

 remembering that the secret to happiness is a thankful heart

so I thank the creator today for beautiful flowers

and blackberry scones...

His mercies are everlasting...