Respite

"I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.”  

Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

“The earth laughs in flowers.” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I must have flowers, always, and always.” 
Claude Monet

“The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks.”  

Tennessee Williams, Camino Real

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.”  
Milan Kundera

I once asked a hermit in Italy how he could venture to live alone, in a single cottage, on the top of a mountain, a mile from any habitation? He replied, that Providence was his next-door neighbor. 
Laurence Sterne

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” 
C.S. Lewis

Respite.
Me

Autumn Mountain

Autumn. It speaks of color, light, and shadow. It is vibrant and crisp; and makes me think of cozy nesting and cups of hot tea. A walk down Cabin Woods Lane can be casual and slow. Footprints, feathers, and arrowheads can be found in the tire ruts. The tamarack trees are a special feast to the eye as they dot the forest with bold, yellow color! Seeds and burrs catch on socks and pant legs when on woodland walks. The dying, drying foliage opens up the meadow and forest carpet so that tiny details can be observed: mushrooms, pebbles, twigs, fallen berries, and prints in the dirt. Each season creates interesting things to observe. Whereas spring speaks of anticipation and hope, autumn is a time for closing down, saying good-bye, and enjoying each moment because you know that soon winter will arrive and the colors will be traded for brown and white. Seasons. Time. And beauty. 

Woodland Tea Adventures

The little plum teapot has been enjoying some elegant tea events on its travels across America. But, being a versatile little teapot, she adapted quite well to roughing it in the mountains! Clad in her warm cozy, she traveled to an elevation of 4,500 feet to enjoy some of the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Sunshine and rain, meadows of flowers with patches of snow, and the warmth of a cozy cabin greeted her. She graciously posed for her picture with a bouquet of alpine shooting stars, Columbia windflowers, and squiggly white lupines. Then, it was time to get ready for tea.

A hollow log sits at the point overlooking beautiful vistas. From this log, many wild animals have been observed. Here live elk, bear, deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, wolves, snowshoe hares, hummingbirds, squirrels, wild turkeys and more. Much care is taken by the human occupants not to disturb the natural environment of the wildlife. Peaceful cohabitation results.

On this day, the log was spread with a brown linen tablecloth. This covering set the stage for afternoon tea.

Cabin china, napkins, and flatware was set. The wildflowers became a centerpiece. And the tiered tray became the serving stage for tea-for-two.

Teatime at the cabin is a frequent occurrence. It's not a fussy time, as the cabin's hostess believes in making tea a part of a daily routine. This was a tea party from the pantry type-of-meal. An ice chest was brought from home, filled with food preparation staples like vegetables, spreads, and fresh fruit. A box with a loaf of bread, crackers, and store-bought cookies was packed as well. The cabin cupboards contained a variety of canned and packaged foods that would supplement too. When it came time to prepare tea, the menu was planned as the meal was prepared. Effort was made to chop, stir, and combine with tea-time presentation in mind.

Life is not without additional challenges, and the little plum teapot soon learned that this meal had to be completely gluten-free and using plant-based foods. Sigh. But plum teapot quickly stepped up to the plate.

 

 

 

 

The menu:

Seed Bread ~ gluten free from Costco
Rice crackers

Olive spread ~ made from chopped olives, red chili paste, and Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese ~ for open-faced sandwiches

Vegannaise with spring radishes ~ for open-faced sandwiches

Peppery spring greens chiffonade with sea salt, green onion and Vegannaise ~ for finger sandwiches

Celery boats with Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese and soy Baco-bits

Radishes and spring greens

  

Banana circles with cinnamon and a chocolate chip

Cookies from the Asian market ~ made from tapioca flour ~ coconut and cashew

Pirouette cookies ~ from the cupboard and for the hostess; not gluten-free

Oolong tea from the Asian market ~ delicious!


 

 

Tea time was so pleasant. We moved the lawn chairs from around the fire circle to the point where we could sit and view our surroundings. Huge puffy clouds worked their way across the sky at a steady pace. A bear was thought to be seen on a nearby ridge, but once seen through binoculars, it ended up being a stump! Then darkness could be seen off to the left of us. Rain clouds! They worked their way to the point just as we were finishing our afternoon tea. We cleared things up and headed inside the cabin to finish our cookies and tea by the warmth of the wood stove. Rain fell in torrents, streaming off the eves and making patterning sounds on the metal roof. Such meditative sounds.

 

Little plum teapot seemed to enjoy kicking back and relaxing on this day. Such an accommodating little teapot she is!

Mountain SereniTEA

Every spring we eagerly anticipate the time the snow melt and the roads are passable to reach our cabin. Last week the drifts in the shady part of the mountain road were too deep and mushy for us to get through. But this week, warmer weather facilitated snow melt and we were finally able to get to the top of the mountain. Although there are yet some patches of snow in shady areas, it is mostly gone. The meadow and woods are quite bare, and show signs of being buried in snow for the winter months. It won't take long now, though, since the sunshine is out, for the woodlands to respond with new growth and more wild flowers.

We spent time taking things out of storage and setting them up again. The picnic table, chairs, and benches were taken from the shelter of the wood shed and placed on the deck or around the campfire. Plumbing was de-winterized and the power station set up. By now everything is done according to an established system and it gave us time to hike and relax. Lunch was tea-style. We had a three-ingredient fruit salad (orange, banana, and grape), apple-cinnamon muffins with chia seeds spread with almond butter, and three kinds of tea sandwiches. They were an eggless egg salad; almond parsley spread; and tomato, avocado and dill.  Everything was gluten-free and quite tasty. The tea was one that was in the cupboard; bagged Newman's Own Royal Tea. It was very good and made better by the high altitude and the crisp air! 

Gracious hospitality is making tea a part of daily life, one sip at a time. Lunch was nothing fancy, but the pleasure of the tea experience was appreciated just the same.

Today I am linking to Bernideen's Tea Time Blog.

Wilderness, a Necessity

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity...” 

“Long, blue, spiky-edged shadows crept out across the snow-fields, while a rosy glow, at first scarce discernible, gradually deepened and suffused every mountain-top, flushing the glaciers and the harsh crags above them. This was the alpenglow, to me the most impressive of all the terrestrial manifestations of God. At the touch of this divine light, the mountains seemed to kindle to a rapt, religious consciousness, and stood hushed like devout worshippers waiting to be blessed.” 

~ John Muir ~


If you enjoy nature photos and animals, take a look at the pictures on the link here and here. They were taken at the National Elk Refuge's Outdoor Recreation Center. An employee there witnessed a spectacular standoff between two juvenile mountain lions and five coyotes.

August

"In August, the large masses of berries, which, when in flower, had attracted many wild bees, gradually assumed their bright velvety crimson hue, and by their weight again bent down and broke their tender limbs."

Henry David Thoreau

~

"Oh, the summer night, 

Has a smile of light, 

And she sits on a sapphire throne."

Barry Cornwall

~

"Fairest of the months! 

Ripe summer's queen

The hey-day of the year

With robes that gleam with sunny sheen

Sweet August doth appear."

R. Combe Miller

Purple Mountain Majesty

There's something very majestic about a snow capped volcano. When you can turn around and see another one directly behind you, the magnificence if multiplied. On a recent visit to see Brandon and Sally, they suggested that we go visit a lavender farm nearby. Of course we were interested! 

It was an added treat to find that the lavender farm was situated in a hollow with Mt. Hood in one direction and Mt. Adams in the other. Bright sunshine and blue skies only accentuated the beauty of the mountains. 

[Mt. Hood, Oregon]

As you can tell, we weren't the only ones distracted away from the lovely lavender by the mountain peaks!

[Mt. Adams, Washington]

Hood River Lavender Farm, Odell, Oregon

Afternoon Tea at the Cabin

An afternoon tea doesn't have to be fancy or time consuming. Simple foods and accessories can be put together easily for an enjoyable and relaxing tea time.

A trip to the cabin on an early summer day provided the family with reprieve after a busy week. Tea time in nature rates up there with the best of times! 


The bear plates begged to be used!

Little toasts with pesto, open-faced sandwiches with hummus, grapes, cherries, strawberries, a special cranberry cheese, and home-baked cookies were available, on hand, and went perfect with tea.

Conversation. Food. Family. 

Joy.

Bear mugs hold hot tea just as nicely as a porcelain teacup!

The tea cart is nearly empty and shadows draw close as an afternoon of conversation, tea foods, and mugs of hot tea diminish. Memories. Fellowship. All facilitated by afternoon tea.

A Wildflower Day

Wild onions.

Lupine from the pea family.

Star flowers.

Wild ginger.

Calypso Lady-slipper Orchid.

Shooting Stars

Wishing you a wildflower day!  That means a day filled with beauty, joy, and serenity.  Can you find the wild ginger leaves?  They are such sweethearts!  And the orchid?  The shooting stars?  And the wild onion? One of these flowers is a member of the pea family.  Can you identify which one?


Mountain flowers are so delicate and pretty.  Finding them is always a fun-filled treasure hunt!


Enjoy your day!

Late Arrival!

Finally. . .we were able to pass through the snowbanks. . .and get to the cabin. It's been eight months since the snow arrived. It's mostly gone now except in shady spots in the woods, and one spot on the road up the mountain where it has stayed deep and mushy for weeks on end! Each time we have arrived at this spot, one or more 4x4 trucks have been stuck. Brent has pulled three of them out of the deep snow so far. On our last trip up the mountain we again towed someone out and they returned down the mountain and said they'd try again another day. But my optimistic husband thought that we could get through. I held me breath, and he slowly inched along through the deep, packed yet mushy snow. And we made it! Once we were through that part of the road it was clear driving all the way in. The wildflowers were blooming on the mountain top. Due to the difficulty we had getting there this year, we missed seeing the early spring flowers. But the violets, wild strawberries, and calypso lady-slippers are all blooming and looking cheerful and beautiful. We un-boarded the cabin and were happy to find everything exactly as we left it. No mice! No leaks! It was cozy, clean, and comfy, just as we left it. In the midst of winter, the snow levels reach the second floor, so both the lack of mice and leaks is a sure victory. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sunshine, a hike through the woods, and some quiet time with a good book. It was a happy relief to finally be able to spend some time on the mountain.


Click on photo for larger view.