T is for Transcendent

Just yesterday we returned from Pennsylvania, where we were blessed with a new goddaughter. The church her family attends has recently been beautifully restored after a fire. The icons that cover the walls and ceiling of the church are wonderful and a great joy to see. Being a very visual person, one of the things that drew me to the Orthodox Christian faith was its embrace of the visual and multi-sensory (a nicely holistic approach to worship), its use of icons to remind us of Christ's life and the lives of those believers before us. I love that when I enter an Orthodox church, I know I am in a church and that I am there to worship God; countless visual reminders help me focus on this fact. Some moments are truly transcendent.

Stash Moroccan green mint and Raspberry Zinger were the teas I enjoyed when not at church! They were a nice change. Of course, not much time was spent sipping tea on this trip. My husband spent quite a bit of time folding paper airplanes for our godkids to throw across the room, and we also spent time drawing and doing a little art project. The weather was delightfully cool compared to Houston. You can find more Tea Tuesday participants here.

T is for Twin Cities

A week ago we returned from a quick trip to Minnesota to visit family. One of the highlights was visiting the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, which was hands down the largest one I've ever seen - two blocks' worth of vendors. I was enthralled by the heaps of bright veggies and couldn't resist taking photos, although I did feel a little self-conscious shooting in the crowd - hence quick decisions about composition, etc.! We enjoyed some of the produce grilled, some of it raw, some of it steamed. I had quite a bit of quiet time on this trip to read, so I kept it simple and drank decaf Lipton and Constant Comment when I wasn't eating veggies! I've visited farmer's markets in Santa Fe, Rapid City, SD, Cannon Beach, OR, and Minneapolis this summer, but haven't made it to any in my own neck of the woods. For as large as Houston is, the farmer's markets here just aren't that impressive.

T is for Tasty

S'mores, anyone? I wanted to share this yummy dessert from one of our meals in Oregon - skillet s'mores! Graham crackers on the bottom, chocolate in the middle, and the best part - toasted marshmallows on top. I know it's Tea Tuesday today, but I confess I drank some Sleepy Monk coffee with this dessert instead of tea. The coffee was delicious, and the next day, we stopped at Sleepy Monk itself for some of the best hot chocolate I'd ever had. The chocolate whipped cream was perfection, thick and substantial. I brought some of their coffee beans home with me...I think it's time to go brew some up...
Smore's memories you want to share?

Traveling Tea

Often when I travel, I bring along a little assortment of tea. It seemed especially important to do so for last week's trip to Oregon, since I knew the weather would be cool and I'd likely be spending a lot of time reading and wanting a warm mug next to me. Tazo's Joy - their Christmas blend - has long been a favorite, and I stock up as soon as it appears around Thanksgiving.

Tea, of course, wasn't the only yummy thing about our visit to the coast. Here are some other highlights:

~Many hours on the beach, walking and reading.

~Finding peonies at the farmer's market! In July!

~Freshly baked cookies from Waves of Grain, a local bakery - moist and perfect.

~Enormous sugar snap peas at the farmer's market, perfect for snacking on at the beach, a long favorite.

~The constant sound of the ocean.

~Being able to sleep with the windows open - so incredibly quiet and cool.

~The glistening shore at low tide, mist and fog.

~Exuberant gardens around town.

~The silouettes of mountains and evergreens on the horizon (Houston is really flat.)

~Being able to wear sweatshirts, scarves, and even hats in July (Houston is really hot.)

So make a cup of tea, close your eyes for a moment, and imagine you're soaking up some of this peace as well.

More Tea Tuesday here.

Happiness

We recently travelled to the Oregon coast, and let me tell you, I was a very happy girl. It had been nearly ten years since I had been back to Cannon Beach, and fourteen years since I spent a summer in college working there. It's beautiful whether it's foggy or sunny, but there is a wonderful cheerfulness when the sun is out and shining on the water and the wet sand. Most mornings we went out to catch low tide, which is also the time to find sand dollars resting on the shore. Most people are out looking for clams, but I'm just interested in the sand dollars. Fortunately, I was not disappointed!
I'm sure I'll have a lot more to share about this trip in upcoming posts. What are some of your favorite vacation memories?

The Flowers of Home

Is it silly to admit that one of my favorite reasons for going home to South Dakota in the springtime is to be able to visit favorite flower species that just don't grow in Texas? It's true, though. I plan walks along routes that I know will take me past favorite gardens or to places in the parks where poppies grow on their own. I carry the camera in my trunk and have been known to pull over to take photos of flowers when I come across them around town. A local gardening society does a wonderful job with the gardens at the Journey Museum; huge swaths of iris, columbine, and wildflowers meander through boulder-strewn beds. Orange poppies spring up every year along Rapid Creek in an undeveloped park; they are remainders of the gardens of homes that were lost in the 1972 flood. People are sometimes very generous with their garden flowers, handing out bouquets of peonies and irises without even being asked (including the bouquets pictured here, which were given to me right on time for my birthday, just by coincidence!) Of course, the lilacs are also a big star, and if you don't have any bushes of your own, you may have discovered places to cut a few branches to bring home with you. Flowers are certainly a way to celebrate spring! Do you seek out favorite gardens in your town?

T is for Taos

After we left Santa Fe on our May roadtrip, we drove north to the town of Taos to meet an old friend for lunch. We had many miles to cover that day, but decided to make one last stop to visit Taos Pueblo, a Native American settlement that has been continuously occupied for over 1,000 years. For some reason, I'd never heard of this pueblo and was astounded to learn that there are actually dwellings in North America that have been inhabited for that long. The tribal members who live here do not use modern conveniences. They haul water from the creek and use kerosene lamps. Every year, another layer of plaster (mud and straw) is applied to the buildings, perhaps best seen in the middle photo of the church window. The igloo-shaped dome in the fourth photo is a traditional oven for baking bread. Originally the dwellings were entered through the roof, but today doors have been added. At one time, a very tall wall surrounded the village, but it has been shortened to a few feet. I'm glad we stopped here before heading back to the plains.

As for tea these days, I'm still stuck on my jasmine vanilla, although I did break habit and use Tazo's delicious Joy blend with my homemade crepes yesterday!

These photos are by my husband.

A Surprise

I was delightfully surprised to find a complimentary copy of Somerset Life in my box yesterday - another one of my travel journals has been published. It's a lovely spread, pages 100 - 101. Thanks, Somerset Life!

T is for Travel: Georgia O'Keefe

Last month, my husband and I set off for our annual road trip north. Instead of heading straight to South Dakota, we swung west to New Mexico. I'd been wanting to see Santa Fe for some time and we both yearned to be in the true West again, with its dry air, varied landscapes, and huge spaces. We were not disappointed. One particular goal was to visit the Georgia O'Keefe Museum in Santa Fe. I have admired her work since high school and had only seen a handful of her works in person. The museum was our very first stop in Santa Fe, and I was treated to a few dozen of her paintings. I spent much time admiring a series of three seashells, the canvases only about 8x10 inches. Their smallness surprised me, given how bold her work is. And I was delighted to see her portrayals of cottonwood trees, landmarks in the West, and a favorite of mine. Outside the museum, I smiled to see lilac bushes blooming against the adobe walls in the town. (They don't grow in Houston.) The next day, we drove out to Ghost Ranch, where O'Keefe lived and painted for many years. My husband took these photos of the scenery at the ranch. The sources of her inspiration were clear. An artist/retreat colony is now found on the grounds, and perhaps someday I'll be able to return for a workshop. It was fulfilling to finally see these places, after years of wanting to. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to drink tea in New Mexico, but I'm enjoying my old standby jasmine vanilla now that I'm home.

In the Kitchen with My Sister

Where have I been and what have I been doing? Driving through the West and now enjoying being home in the Black Hills again, staying with my sister and her family, for one. There are several adventures I hope to share here in the next month or so. We haven't been doing as much cooking together as usual during this spring's visit, but last night I did make soup using French green lentils for the first time, combining this and this recipe for a final dish that was quite yummy. We found these lovely spring onions at the farmer's market and used them as a garnish on the soup. Also at the farmer's market: little radishes and lots of canned goods, including chokecherry jelly, pumpkin butter, and raspberry rhubarb preserves that I look forward to using in Houston later this summer.

My brother-in-law is usually the one who whips up some of our Grandma Helen's Swedish Pancakes (really crepes) now and then for breakfast, but I also attempted them for the first time this trip. I'm thinking some of these green onions would be tasty in them! My sister and I fondly remember eating them at her house when we stayed overnight as kids, sprinkled with plenty of sugar. Here's the recipe - we now eat them with sugar and lemon juice or Nutella.

3 eggs

1 1/4 C milk

3/4 C sifted flour

1 T sugar

1/2 t salt

Beat eggs 'til thick and lemon-colored. Stir in milk. Sift dry ingredients; add to egg mixture, mixing 'til smooth. Drop batter by tablespoons (I used quarter-cup measure) onto moderately hot, greased griddle. Spread batter evenly to make thin cakes. Turn when underside is light brown.

New Article

I'm thrilled to share that I have a 3-page article in the latest issue of Somerset Memories of one of my travel journals! Page 118 if you want to take a peek next time you're at the bookstore.

Young Again...

You don't have to be a kid to appreciate the newly expanded and renovated Houston Children's Museum. We spent several hours there recently with our young visitors. It was a blast, and I would have been totally agog if I were a child. The water play area was especially entrancing for all of us - several stations to manipulate water, including a giant contraption with mechanized buckets, a spillway, and lock-and-dam system. 'Kidopolis' was also fantastic - an entire area of the museum designed as a little town with stores, a bank, a grocery, police station, ambulance, restaurant, and vet clinic with toys and play money where kids could live out their play fantasies. It even had a photo booth to pose for silly shots. The kids hated to leave, and I could definitely understand why. Being there brought me back to the magical world of make-believe and pretend - I still have my collection of plastic horses and gear saved out in the garage from that own period of my life. Do you have a favorite childhood memory or activity?

Jordan Pond

I don't think I ever posted any photos of our time in Maine, or if I did, I can't find them in my archives. Today is Tea Tuesday again. Jordan Pond is a lovely little lake in Acadia National Park with the Bubbles peaks behind it, featured in Martha Stewart Living last summer. The restaurant there is famous for its popovers and tea, which we enjoyed on a chilly afternoon during our week there in October. Earlier that week, we'd hiked around Jordan Pond, much of it on a little boardwalk constructed over the mossy shoreline. The fall colors were near their peak and it was a beautiful time. Jordan Pond Tea is a blend of black and green that produces a refreshing flavor. I find I really enjoy blends of tea, such as Tazo's Joy, which is a blend of black, green, and oolong. Next time I visit Staple & Spice in Rapid City, I will need to buy some looseleaf black and green and blend them together!

9 Days Up North

As previously mentioned, I was blessed to spend nine days up north in South Dakota a few weeks ago to meet my new nephew, play with his brother, and try to help my sister and her hubby out. It was a time of cooking, staying indoors (even the cats quickly returned despite their pleas to go out), playing, admiring the new baby, and time with family. The weather wasn't terribly cold, but I relished sleeping once again in my sister's most comfy guest bed under a down duvet - so cozy. We visited a few favorite local restaurants, threw a baby shower, and watched the Olympics on dvr. Nothing terribly exciting, perhaps, but it was refreshing and good for my soul to be home again.

My sister asked me to make our mom's beef vegetable soup along with fried bread, very much a favorite when we were children. I hadn't made fried bread in many years and remembered it being a challenge, but it sounded so good that we decided to go for it. Using frozen bread dough, thawed per instructions, it was much easier than I recalled. My almost-three nephew absolutely loved it, so we were happy to see the family tradition continue. Basically, all you do once the dough has thawed and raised, is to break pieces off, flatten them on a floured counter, and then fry them in an inch or two of oil over medium-high heat. We used an electric skillet. Heavily salt immediately after removing from the skillet, and place on paper towel-lined plate. Serve with hot soup, if you don't eat it all before dinnertime!

Edible Tokens

I'm back from another trip to South Dakota, this time to visit my brand-new nephew. What a sweetie he is! I also spent many fun hours playing dinosaurs with his older brother, who at almost-three is quite fond of imaginative play. Between cuddling the baby and pretending to be a triceratops, I enjoyed cooking for my sister and her family, drinking lots of tea while we stayed indoors, a few small snowfalls, and shooting photos. I hadn't been home in the winter in about seven years, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. 30 in South Dakota actually felt warmer than 30 in Texas! And I'm happy to report that flying continues to get easier with each trip. Sister and I made a few quick shopping trips during the week, including one to a favorite kitchen store that always holds surprises. They were sampling The Tea Spot Vintage Oolong (pictured above) and it was good enough that I brought some home with me. Purchasing tea on my travels has become a bit of a routine, an edible token of my time away, and sometimes my sister and I send each other tea after one of us has traveled somewhere. This tea will happily remind me of my February week up north.

Assisi Journal

Just a note to share that I have an essay in the inaugural issue of Assisi: An Online Journal of Arts and Letters, made live today.

{Photo taken during our busy day in Boston last fall, in an alley behind the Old North Church}

Monastery Tea

I've been meaning to join Kimmie at Art in Red Wagons for Tuesday Tea for quite some time, given how much tea I drink! This weekend we finally visited St. Paraskevi Monastery up near Brenham, Texas. Unfortunately we forgot our camera, or I would share some photos. Their temple was astoundingly beautiful, radiating peace and quiet. My husband and I and two friends from church were the only visitors that day, perhaps owing to the rare chilly weather. The abbess kindly visited with us for quite some time, sharing stories about the founding of her original monastery in Greece and plans for her monastery in Texas. She brewed a delicious pot of Greek mountain tea for us, which I'd never before had. It was lovely! Fortunately, they sell it in their bookstore so I was able to bring some home. The nuns served a delicious meal to us that included some of their homemade feta cheese and wine from the winery that helps press their own grapes. We were blessed to spend a few hours there. At home yesterday, I brewed some of their tea and added honey from St. Tikhon's Monastery in Pennsylvania in my new Charley Harper mug. I am sure this tea will always remind me of a chilly Texas day under the pine trees.

Glimpses of Heaven

I wanted to share a few photos of the absolutely lovely interior of All Saints OCA in Northeast PA. We worshipped there with our friends and godkids during our visit at Thanksgiving. Several years ago a fire destroyed the interior of the temple; they have slowly been restoring the iconography and are nearing completion. Unfortunately, our camera chose this moment to stop working, so we only got a few shots. But I think they are enough to show how beautiful it is. I love being surrounded by images of fellow Christians and biblical figures who have gone before me when I worship; it very much provides a sense of continuity and timelessness. I love how you know that you are standing in the presence of God in an Orthodox church; there is no question as to what the purpose of the building is. We also attended vespers at St. Tikhon's Monastery the evening before and the peacefulness and beauty of the service was much-needed spiritual refreshment. We hated to have to leave. But no matter which Orthodox church I am in, I always encounter a spirit of peacefulness and awe when I am there. I am thankful for those moments with God.