Tea For Four At Four

Some may say that attending your first tea party

at the ripe old age of 47 is a crime.

I argue that if you had all older brothers,

then grew up to have 4 sons,

it is amazing you ever made it to a tea party.

So when I was invited to tea with two of my friends

and a new friend from far, far away,

I was over the moon:)

The drive to Elaine's house, over the mountain

and thru the woods,

was a beautiful drive.

A precursor to the amazingly, beautiful afternoon

I was about to spend.

The home of our lovely hostess.

Now the house above may look like your ordinary, two story colonial from the

mid 1990's.

But once you step inside,

you are transported to the French Countryside,

where gently tarnished silver, lovely china,

beautifully worn linens

and

floral prints

charm each and every room.

My dear friend and hostess, Elaine.

Tea parties in the summer,

mean delicious fresh berries and cream,

breads from far away lands,

jams made from sun ripened berries

and pears and nuts.

After tea, it was time for a tour of the house.

Elaine is much too humble to take any credit for the beauty of her home.

She has lived amongst the beauty for so long,

she doesn't see what others see.

Her incredible eye for style and design

has transformed her home into

a magical place.

 For this mom of 4 sons and wife to a hunter,

this home was like a fairytale home to me.

I love the quote by Mary F. Butts in the print above.
Build a little fence of trust around today.
Fill the space with loving work,
and therein stay.
Look not through the sheltering bars
Upon tomorrow.
God will help thee bear what comes of joy and sorrow.

My friend Harrigan has a lovely friend named Nina.

She came to visit from her home in Sweden.

You can see her in the mirror of the photo above.

She is a beautiful girl with a beautiful soul.

It was so wonderful getting to know her.

When Elaine's husband, Ralph, came home,

we had finished our tea and tour and spent some time

talking with him in the kitchen.

He loved to hear Nina talk with her beautiful accent.

Ralph is a lovely man who would talk to you til the end

of time, if you had that long to listen.

After our chat with Ralph, it was time for a little exercise

to counter act all of the cream and berries.

The river is but a short walk from Elaine's home.

And as one would guess, the walk was just as beautiful as her home.

Nina looking out at the water.

Finding seashells on the banks of the river.

Elaine, Nina and myself.

Harrigan walking to the shore.

Is it any wonder we are friends?  She takes as many pictures if not more than I do.



Who would have thought so many shells would wash up on the banks of  the Shenandoah.

And so ends my Tea for Four at Four.
Not so bad for a very first tea party, huh?