Greetings! ...from Kimberly Shaw

San Fancisco Tour with Gary Holloway

Our main reason for visiting San Francisco was to join Gary Holloway on one of his historical walks through the Richmond District, ending at Katia's RussianTea Room.  Before we get started, here's a quick picture of the amazing architectural details of his 1800's Victorian home. Isn't it pretty?

 

A quick detour takes us to the Secret Garden Tea House for a delicious pot of Irish Breakfast tea and an enjoyable chat with the owner. Besides the classic tea sandwiches and crumpets, they also offer smoked salmon, grilled feta & tomato salad, baked brie & mango chutney... YUM!!!

 

Now it's time for our tour.  Gary is a very entertaining guide and his historical knowledge is extensive, making the tour very enjoyable. There were several people returning from a tour Gary lead the day before, and some had been on a number of his tours already.

The Richmond District was built on sand dunes?  You wouldn't know that seeing it today.  An Art Deco home built next to a Victorian cottage is a typical sight. 

 

A Fire house with a past.  A police woman joined the discussion to learn these offices were once the horse stables and the upper windows were the hay lofts.

 

The elementary school Gracie Allen attended and continued to support throughout her life.

 

A See's Candy store breaks the record for being in this same location for 75 years.

And now it's time for tea at Katia's Russian Tea Room!

 

We were greeted warmly.
 

The food was so delicious (eggplant caviar, salad olivier, chicken cutlets) I didn't think to photograph it until desert, Meringue Pavlove. Aren't these teacups amazing?

A few more photos around the city.

 

 

And one last stop at Lovejoy's Tea Room, but I took so many photos my camera's battery died just after I took this shot of their dogie water bowl outside.

We had a great time, and to learn all the history in San Francisco would take months, but if I had to learn it from anyone, I'm blessed I had an awesome and charming tour guide. If ever in San Francisco, I highly recommend one of Gary Holloway's tours. Sorry.

Breakfast Tea

In my cup this  morning is the most satisfying Irish Breakfast tea, delicious with milk and honey. It comes from my favorite local tea and coffee hangout, Pannikin Coffee & Tea.  The coffee cakes, pies and blueberry muffins are irresistible.  When I'm there in the morning I always order their Greek breakfast of scrambled eggs, feta cheese and basil with a mug of fresh brewed coffee, Ethiopian being my favorite.

When the origonal supplier for the tea I was planning to provide with my HospitaliTea Club packages wasn't available, I looked to my local shop and have been pleasently surprised at the variety and quality of teas. My March HostitaliTea Club packages came with this wonderful Irish Breakfast tea which I will never tire of.  The May Club packs I just sent out on Saturday have Queen's blend tea, and the next Club packages for July will come with Blue Lady tea.

The Pannican is family owned, cozy and welcoming with a line out the door that's worth waiting in. It's located in the charming historic Santa Fe Railroad Station built in 1888. Pannikin means a small pan or cup usually of tin. If you are unable to visit personally, you can order their fresh roasted coffees & teas online.

Afternoon Tea in Southern California

It was an exciting day when copies of this amazing new book arrived at work, hot off the press!  Georgia, Steve and I sat in a circle each with a copy in hand shouting out all the wonderful things we discovered: delicious tea sandwich, scone & soup recipes, tea rooms close by, and images of my artwork inside. 

Sherry Evans,  pictured above with her mom,  has beautifully produced and written this wonderful book.  The best part, she has agreed to come for a book signing at my Open House next Saturday!

With my cup tea at hand, I'll reveal a few of the pages inside.

 

 
Sherry is a delightful woman who trusted in the Lord as He has guided her in producing this book which, as she says, "...my purpose is to encourage you, the tea lover, to discover the many places that serve afternoon tea in Southern California." Find her book at www.AfternoonTeaInSouthernCalifornia.com or come  meet Sherry yourself next Saturday, Nov 28th, 10am-4pm at my annual Open House Sale (all my products are 1/2 off) and Tea Tasting. I'll have all the teas out that we use in our cards and stationery for you to try along with fresh baked scones and homemade jams. Scroll down to the next post for more info....

Meet Mrs. T

Jane Terjung is one of my favorite funny tea writers.  She introduced herself to me as, "A friend of a friend," and I'm so glad she did.  Now that I've gotten to know her I would love to introduce her to you. 

Her bio describes her as struggling with the "joy" of retirement while hiding out with her husband in the artist-strewn organic hills of Topanga, California.  I have my own memories of the windy roads of the Topanga Canyon as a High Schooler on the way to the beach, but telling stories of daring brothers passing cars through narrow tunnels is just too foolish a tale to tell.  I'd rather talk about Jane right now.

Jane is an artist of words with the creative way she vividly illustrates her stories.  She's open and funny, revealing snippets of real life events.  Her articles are wittingly titled, "Dirtea Roots", "TeaVo and Sympathy", "Trim Your Turkey with Tea", and my favorite, "La Tea Da - Steeping at the Ritz-Carlton."   All of Janes articles are found on the T Ching website along with amost everything there is to know about TEA: product reviews, history, news, recipes, earthenware, tea in literature, tea industry, travel, basics & tips. It's a fantastic site and Jane is a wonderful contributor, like a breath of fresh air. You'll also find the T Ching link in the left hand margin of my blog for a quick hop-over for tea info, facts, and articles. Now that you've met Jane, feel free to give her a hearty, "Hidy ho, neighbor."

Photos courtesy of Jane Terjung on the T Ching website, thank you.

Tea an' Tiques Tea Shop

Nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills is the quaintest tree-lined town of Murphys, appropriately called "Queen of the Sierra." 

 

In the middle of town is the adorable Tea an' Tiques shop, and of course I had to go in. Want a peek inside?

As soon as I stepped in, Darcy, the owner graciously invited me to help myself to cup of tea at her tea tasting counter, with a charming cottage garden just a few steps away to relax in and enjoy a cup of tea.

Back inside are beautiful teacups and teapots, tea, scone mixes and goodies for planning a perfect tea party. She also carries lovely antiques, framed art, books, gifts and collectibles.

 

 

 

It was really fun seeing my cards there, too, since I don't get many opportunities to see them displayed in stores. Oh yea, want to see what I went home with?

 

This White Jasmine Sparkling Tea is incredibly delicious!!!  I also found a matching spoon to the Franz butterfly teacup my aunt surprised me with.

The Old Thatch Teashop

Isn't this Tea Shop dreamy?  Built in 1690 its located on the Isle of Wight at 4 Church Road, Shanklin, in the United Kingdom.  I will definitely be popping in if I'm ever privileged to be in the area.  I learned of this adorable shop when I received an email from them requesting a catalog, with an attachment of this photo with a request to paint it. This is definitely on my list of paintings, who could resist not painting it? It's an honor to announce to all my British blogging pals this charming shop is now carrying my Teacup cards and an huge assortment of Notepads.  This is one of those shops I wish I could have hand delivered their package myself and then relaxed over a cup of British tea, a delicious scone, and a good chat with the locals.