Georgetown Cupcakes

On our recent trip to Washington we made a stop in Georgetown. Our daughter insisted we make this stop for her. She wanted something special and we had to bring it back for her....can you guess what???
She has seen the show DC Cupcakes and wanted to try these delicious little morsels of goodness. lol

Isn't their delivery van cute?

I shot this pic through the window when they weren't open.

We were first in line and went in for our selections.

It's not a very big space but they are always crowded because of their demand!

When the workers saw my camera, they automactically started to pose. They were all so cute and sweet. No pun intended.

We came home with a dozen of these little beauties!

There is always a line down the block. No matter what time you go. lol We arrived at 9:10. ( They don't open till 10.)........ All because we love you Sarah!

Georgetown is just an adorable town. The shops, the flowers...all so cute! Look at these row houses.

We left there to meet fellow blogger Jennifer from Trading Ashes for Beauty. We had such a great time visiting with her. Her husband came later to eat with us at Cracker Barrel.
I took her a DC Cupcake. She took this pic with her camera. ( I borrowed it Jennifer...hope you don't mind)

We had to have a picture together before we started the long trip home. She is the sweetest person.

Thanks for stopping by!

Nation's Capital

I've been missing in action lately. This summer has been so busy!
We just got back from Washington, D.C. We had a convention to attend. I may post about that on another post. Met some very interesting speakers.

We did get in a little site seeing while we were there. We've been to D.C. many, many times and have seen a lot of the wonderful historic sites. I used to do two shows there each year when I was painting.
I thought I'd share a few pics with you.

I love going to the historical sites and walking where our forefathers have walked. This is one city rich in the history of our great country.

We had never been to the Washington National Cathedral before and it was on our list this time.

AMAZING piece of architecture. Sooooo huge!

I took this pic for those of you who do needle work. A local group of ladies stitched this kneeling cushions.

Lots of stained glass.

It took 70 some years to be completed. Funding was a factor.

We drove by Arlington.

The Naval Observatory

The access to the White House is more difficult than it used to be. That is such a shame, since it's the people's house. It is understandable though.

Years ago we took a tour of the White House. I don't know if they still allow those or not.

We took this shot from quite a distance in a moving car. Not so good!

I'll be posting more of the trip soon!

Hope you're having a good week!

America's Tea Plantation

When we were in Charleston at the end of May we visited America's ONLY tea plantation. I had no idea that there was only ONE. It seems most of the tea we drink is grown in other countries and marketed by name brand companies. Bigelow partners with Charleston Tea. This is the founder of the one in Charleston, SC

I have to say it was very interesting and educational. I had no idea that the plants look like shrubbery. There were rows and rows of them.

We were told that other countries grow their tea on hillsides for better drainage.

Charleston is flat and they had to make their own drainage system to protect the plants.

This is the machine that cuts the tea leaves. It's the only one of it's kind in the world. The other countries cannot use it on the hillside slopes. It is very tall and is actually riding above the shrubs of tea leaves. It takes only a couple of inches off and they repeat the process every 3 weeks. This way they are always getting new and fresh growth.

We just happened to be there on a cutting day. Lucky for us!

This shows the height of the machine. It rides between the narrow rows of shrubs.

See the leaves in the basket on the back of the machine.

We toured the processing plant next.

There are quite a few steps before we get the final product.

They had many different flavors and we were able to sample some of them, and of course I had to bring some home.

On many of the plantations in Charleston there is water and where there is water there is alligators.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour of the Charleston Tea Plantation and that you have a wonderful week!

Anniversary Trip

Hubby was power washing the driveway a few wks. ago and called me outside to see his work of art. He has always been a romantic. Over our 41 years together he has surprised me with many of his art work "masterpieces". (smile)

Another of his  "pieces".  Done in the winter, as you can see.

He wanted to wisk me away for a few days for our anniversary, so we headed to Hilton Head Island.   We stayed here at the Crown Plaza.

The Hotel had a fruit bowl waiting for us in the room.

It was nice to relax and do only what we felt like doing.   The scenery is always beautiful!

For our anniversary dinner the restaurant served us this delicious dessert!  It was so nice of them to take the time to personalize it, don't you think?

While on the Island we ate at Crazy Crab for lunch.  Notice the very old fishing boat in the background.   They were just coming in with a load of crabs.

Late in the evening when we got back to our room the Manager had a message waiting for us.
We called back and they brought us these little goodies .

 They offered us champagne but we told him we didn't drink... so he sent up a variety of beverages.

Wonderful ending to a great day!

Are you all having a busy  summer?   I can't believe how the time is flying and it's already August!
I'll be by to visit you soon!    Thanks for stopping by.   I love hearing from each of you!