Cheers From England ~ #1

We arrived safely in Jolly old England on Friday the 4th of July at noon. After going through customs and retrieving our luggage we headed to the car rental agency and took the time we needed to become familiar with the car and set the SAT/NAV (GPS) for our first stop on our trip. It’s not easy navigating roads, especially the narrow lanes with tired eyes and little sleep but Dear managed to get us to our destination just before four in the afternoon safely. This is the wonderful cottage we will be staying in for seven nights. It is (what the U.K. calls) a self-catering cottage which means we pay to stay in a fully equipped space but we do our own pampering. No one cooks us breakfast or makes our bed each night. I will journal our days as much as I can while it’s fresh to me so I can remember our days when we return home.

When we unpacked the car and met the owner of the cottage we set off to get a refreshment at a Pub in a village close by that he highly recommended. Nothing is really that close to our quiet cottage so we will be navigating the narrow lanes of the Cotswolds a lot. After we return home I will post photos of the inside of our hand hewn, oak beamed, open vaulted ceilings and other very cool architectural features of the cottage and the setting it is in.

For today (Saturday) we will regain our balance and do some grocery shopping so we can make our own breakfasts at the cottage.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Happy 4th of July!

Before I take you on a walk about the yard I wanted to wish everyone in the good ole U.S.A. a very Happy Independence Day.

We landed in the country we gained independence from on the 4th of July!

Because of my early Thursday morning walk about I found myself another job to do and another request to make of our house guests before we left the country.

Many of the blueberries are ready for picking. This will be a nice fresh treat for the guests!

I love the hydrangeas at this stage of coloring.

We also have white ones and a small potted pink one this year.

The lavender has made it’s debut, too.

I’ll leave a note for our guests to feel free to snip the fresh thyme for their meals.

The apples won’t be ready until we return home.

So how’s your garden/yard growing?

Canlis

There’s a restaurant in the Seattle area that is a kind of icon that reminds you of bygone days when people would dress up to go out to eat and service was top notch. We had never been to Canlis before. We might have been a little intimidated but no more…

Josh and Laura invited us to join them in the Canlis Lounge to break the intimidation and celebrate a late Mother’s Day/Father’s Day meal together.

One of the views from the restaurant. Remember the fact that I was a little intimidated to start so my photo taking suffered because of that. I did not get one photo of Laura and I on the other side of the table.

Father and Son with Father starting or re-visiting a style statement from years gone by.

The Bolo or String Tie. Do you remember these? Dear has 3 of them that were his fathers.

A shot of Josh with the piano player behind him. The soft live piano music was a very nice addition. I just noticed that nice shiny table top that picked up a reflection of Josh.

We ordered small bites along with the Canlis Salad. The Canlis Salad has been on the menu since opening night of the restaurant in 1950. The recipe was taught to Peter Canlis by his Lebanese mother. Oops, forgot to take a photo of the salad.

I did get a photo of myself in the ladies room so you can see I was wearing pearls and I did wear a dress instead of my usual jeans. Fabulous expression on my face. Looks like I was holding my breath hoping no one walked through the door and caught me!

We had to order this dish to top off the night. Canlis Souffle ~ Grand Marnier, Orange zest and creme anglaise. Please allow 30 minutes for this dessert. We were happy to allow the time and enjoyed it very much.

There is a story that we keep retelling about this night at Canlis. Josh drove us up to the door and the valet team let us out of the car and drove the car away with no tickets, no names exchanged. They just said, “Have a nice evening”. We stepped into the restaurant and walked to the host/hostess area and said “We don’t have reservations but we would like to eat in the lounge”. No names exchanged. We were guided to the lounge where we chose our seats and enjoyed our time together. Josh paid the bill at the end of our time and we walked up the stairs and out the front door of the restaurant and Josh’s car magically appeared at the door as soon as we exited the restaurant. We did not have a seconds wait for our car. I looked at the Valet and said “How did you do that?” He looked at me and smiled. They are not giving out their secrets but we had fun speculating on how that little bit of magic happened on the way home. The next time we go to Canlis I’ll take a photo of that famous salad!

Y is for Yum!

With all of our celebrations and visitors this time of year I decided I’d feature the yummy food that has been placed before us recently.

I’m linking to ABC Wednesday with thanks to Denise Nesbitt and the pithy team that keeps us going.

Yum, Yum, Yummy food glorious food!

Queen Mary Tea Room ~ Seattle, Washington

WESTMINSTER

Phyllo dough crust surrounds layers of ham, spinach, egg, onion, tomato, plus layers of assorted white cheeses. Served with a side of fresh fruit and a green salad

Breakfast with family from California at the Portage Bay Cafe ~ South Lake Union, Seattle

Dinner at the Canlis Lounge, Seattle, Washington, with our son and DIL for a late Mother’s Day/Father’s Day celebration.

Dinner at Red Star Tavern in Portland, Oregon, with my cousins during our time in town for a wedding.

Yes and Yippy, I even did some cooking. I’ll be posting my Huevos Rancheros with Gluten Free Ranchero Sauce later this month on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Blog.

Last to make you smile is the wedding cake doughnuts we enjoyed this last Saturday at the wedding we attended outside of Portland, Oregon. It was a morning wedding with Brunch served after the ceremony.

The doughnuts were ordered from Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland, Oregon.

Hope you weren’t hungry while you visited my contribution for the letter Y! I might be absent for Z and A since a trip across the pond is in my near future.

Gatherning the Moments ~ June

Looking back at June and all that took place around this old house and beyond.

I’m joining Cheryl at Thinking About Home for Gathering the Moments.

Trees came down, firewood cut, patio covers went up, peonies bloomed and were enjoyed, hydrangeas just started to color.

Main floor bathroom renovations began with the gutting process, removing everything to the studs and car deck, adding a new window, adding recessed lights and a fan/heater, replacing the ceiling dry wall.

Visitors came from the South and visitors came from the North. Tours commenced. The Market, Kerry Park, the Troll, Ballard Locks, Ste Michelle Winery, Whidbey Island, Queen Mary Tea Room, and University Village just to name a few destinations visited.

Celebrations in June included a retirement, combined Mother’s Day/Father’s Day dinner, and a wedding in the Portland area.

World Cup fever began and continues!

It’s been a while since I shared a photo of my dear old Pop on my blog. Most every week my sister Lana and niece Melissa join him for dinner at his apartment. This last week my niece Debbee and sister Kathy joined in the fun, too. They are getting real good at taking these selfies. My pop still has his ups and downs with his loneliness but he can still move around well and gets out to his church services and a Bible Study weekly. I appreciate seeing the weekly photos on Facebook since I live so far away…

I have to say that June just flew by this year. July holds many new adventures for us. We are looking forward to a trip to England to celebrate our 40 years of marriage, and when we get back the Bathroom renovation will be completed. What are you looking forward to in July?

Showers of Blessings

Dear and I were up very early on Saturday morning to drive about 3 hours to Nate and Abbie’s wedding at Bridal Veil Lakes in Corbett, Oregon. The setting is east of Portland close to the Columbia River. Umbrellas were a needed accessory for the day. The bride and groom were not bothered by the rain or if they were their faces never showed any concern.

A Beautiful tree canopy led the way to the wedding venue.

Guests were reminded that the wedding venue was outdoors and that because it was in the Pacific Northwest rain was very possible and to be prepared.

This is the mother of the groom, Heidi, with her daughter Nicole. Heidi and I were best buddies in my college years and into our early married years. When Nicole and her brother Nathan were very little they lived across the street from us. This next photo is of Heidi, Nicole, and Nate back in 1984 in Huntington Beach, California where we all lived.

The walkway to the wedding ceremony site. The wedding was at eleven a.m. with a brunch reception following the ceremony.

The setting was so beautiful and peaceful.

The showers would come and go throughout the duration of the wedding and reception.

My cousins arrived via a shuttle bus from the hotel where most of the wedding party and guests were staying. These are two of the couples that we are sharing 40th wedding anniversary celebrations with this year!

Time for the groom, Nathan, to escort his mom and dad to their seats.

Nate’s sister Nicole is due with her and Jason’s 2nd little boy in a month.

Here comes the ring bearer in the wagon with his dad, Jason. Little E. is Jason and Nicole’s firstborn. He was looking dapper in his little suit. Wonder how he’ll react to his baby brother coming soon?

Here comes the beautiful bride, Abigail.

The groom.

The bride’s grandfather and father performed the ceremony.

Parents of the groom trying to stay dry eyed.

Man and Wife

At the reception we were seated with my cousins and their spouses.

Dear was sporting one of his father Rex’s Bolo ties. Fun memories. Maybe he’ll start a new trend.

The wedding cake was actually wedding doughnuts that were provided by a well known shop in the Portland area.

As we were leaving I caught the groom rowing his bride away.

One thing was true for this day, rain or shine Nate and Abbie would be married and start their new life together. They were showered with blessings and we pray that God will shower their marriage with love and stability and longevity!

Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire ~ Hymn

Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Unuttered or expressed;
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.

Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try;
Prayer, the sublimest strains
That reach the Majesty on high.

Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath,
The Christian’s native air,
His watchword at the gates of death;
He enters Heav’n with prayer.

Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice,
Returning from his ways,
While angels in their songs rejoice
And cry, Behold, he prays!

The saints in prayer appear as one
In word, in deed, and mind,
While with the Father and the Son
Sweet fellowship they find.

No prayer is made by man alone
The Holy Spirit pleads,
And Jesus, on th’eternal throne,
For sinners intercedes.

O Thou by whom we come to God,
The life, the truth, the way,
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod:
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Words: James Montgomery, 1818.

June Photo-A-Day Finale

I’ll be headed to Portland, Oregon for a wedding early on Saturday morning so I’ve decided to finish up all of the remaining photos from Kati’s June Photo-A-Day challenge and post them today.

You can click over to Kati’s Little Corner of the World and see more photos for the challenge.

22. Green

23. Pair

It’s always a joy to see this pair of boots in the house when we wake up because we know our son Daniel has made it safely across the mountains to visit us.

24. Hat (oops #24 was Hot not Hat!)

I think a lot of people could describe these young men as “hot”. My favorite branch of our military. I have just a little bias since our son-in-law is a Marine. They always look so sharp in their uniforms!

25. Cold

From my nephew and new niece’s wedding on a Blueberry Farm last summer.

26. Thermometer

Our thermometer showing a very hot day for us here in the Pacific Northwest

27. Fruit

Our blueberry bush last summer. They are at the very green small stage so far this year.

28. Yellow

April Tulips in the Skagit Valley of Washington State

29. Grass

Our son Josh with the green grass of the Cotswolds behind him from September of last year.

30. Looking Up

“…I will lift up my eyes…”

I’ll be coming around to visit your photos later on Sunday or early in the week.

All Aboard!

Judy and I decided to pull together a trip to the Seattle area for the Mennonite Girls Can Cook who live in British Columbia. Judy came up with a plan for the 7 B.C. girls to drive to Bellingham, Washington and hop on Amtrak south. It’s hard to corral that many girls and come up with a good date for everyone but we finally did and Wednesday June 25th would be the day. When the day was finally here one of the 7 had to stay home. Life happens…

I made a sign so they couldn’t miss their tour guide and limousine driver for the day. The car the rental agency gave me seemed as big as a limousine. This photo that Bev took catches the big white ~~limousine~~ SUV in the background. Thanks Bev for the photos I’m stealing from you for this post.

Our first stop was the Queen Mary Tea Room near the University of Washington.

We each had a different china pattern on our tea cups.

The food was delicious and presented nicely. We finished up at the tea room and after checking out the Tea Emporium we drove to our 2nd stop of the day, University Village.

“University Village is an open-air lifestyle shopping center which offers a unique formula of locally-owned boutiques and signature national retailers. U Village is a regional destination for home furnishings, popular fashions and unique gift items with a distinct collection of restaurants and eateries.”

We all enjoyed the beautiful flowers that were blooming in hanging planters and large planters throughout the center. We gave ourselves a time limit and we managed not to lose anyone while we were here.

Next stop before our dinner reservations would be my humble home. A couple of the girls had been to my house before but it was new to the rest.

It was fun to have everyone in my home for a quick refreshment and tour.

We stole Dear away from his bathroom renovation work to take a photo of all of us together on our deck steps.

We made dinner reservations at the Beach Cafe on the Edmonds waterfront which was just a hop skip and jump away from the railway station. The girls wouldn’t want to miss the train.

Several of us chose the different fish tacos for our meal while others had shrimp and scampi dishes. We shared a couple desserts just to top everything off with. By this time in our day we were rather beat and forgot to take some photos of our dishes and desserts.

On to the station and our goodbye hugs.

A lovely day from beginning to end.

I’m already making plans for an Island getaway for the next MGCC girls day out.

Here’s our day through Anneliese’s lens.

Tonight Dear and I are meeting up with Josh and Laura to celebrate a late Mother’s Day/Father’s Day meal together. We will also celebrate the U.S.A. advancing to the round of 16 with our 2nd place finish in group G.

Trains and Automobiles…

No planes were required for my Wednesday tour group.

The train I was waiting for at the Edmonds Train Station arrived at 10:27 from the North. Some of you already guessed the group I’d be taking on a little tour on Wednesday.

Six of the Canadian Mennonite Girls were able to travel by train to my neck of the woods for a girls day out. We missed Kathy who was not feeling well enough for the trip and our Manitoba girls Charlotte and Betty. I will share more about our day when I get a chance to catch my breath after the U.S.A. v. Germany game tomorrow!

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage