A Haunted High Tea at the Whitney

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I had 2:00 p.m. reservations to attend a Haunted High Tea at the Whitney restaurant in Detroit. Twenty-five of us assembled in what was the formal dining room when David Whitney, Jr. and his family occupied the mansion.

~ Carriage House and valet parking area in back. ~

~ Dining Room ~

~ Below, the library is set up for tonight's dinner reservations. ~

Before the tea began I took a few photos of some of the attendees.

[Pat]

Is it Shrek, Elphaba [Wicked Musical] or the Frog pictured on Judy's top?  Whichever, if there would have been a first place prize, Judy would have won it.

~ Several attendees donned witch's hats. ~

[Louise]

~ Linda with her pumpkin purse. ~

[Barb]

The tea began with two small scones - raspberry/white chocolate, and blueberry. They were served with strawberry preserves and chantilly cream.  An unflavored black tea was served throughout the meal.

The second course was tomato basil soup and salad.  

~ Four savories ~ 

L-R:  Eggplant Crostini, Honey Smoked Turkey on Toast Point, Three Cheese Lobster Quesadilla, and Miniature Beef Wellington.

Following the savory course we went up to the second floor for a paranormal [ghost hunters] presentation by the Haunt Investigators of Michigan.  The Whitney has long been said to be haunted - whether by Whitney family members, or hospice patients who occupied the mansion for a time.

A member of the group showed us a brief video clip of movement in the Whitney captured by night vision.

After the presentation we returned to the first floor for the last part of the tea - dessert.

The Whitney gave each attendee a bottle of Witches Brew from Leelanau Cellars in Northern Michigan. Witches Brew is red wine with spices added.  I passed my bottle on to another attendee. 

It was a fun way to spend an All Hallows Eve afternoon.  I did wear my spider fascinator, but no pictures.

A Halloween Fascinator

Tomorrow, at 2:00 o'clock, I'm going to a 'Haunted High Tea' at the Whitney Restaurant in Detroit's most iconic mansion.  I'll be sure to tell you all about it.

I'm not into the 'dark' side of Halloween, but I wanted to participate in the fun by making myself a spider fascinator to wear to tomorrow's tea.

I don't think my creation would pass a milliner's inspection, but it's wearable.

The postman delivered a nice surprise in today's mail that I'm also sharing in this post - a handmade Halloween card and teabag from my most loyal blog reader.  Thanks, Joy!

Halloween 2015

Only three more days until Halloween, so today I got out my Debbie Mumm Halloween dishes that I purchased several years ago.  I love holiday dishes, and have them for most holidays.  

There are four plates in the Debbie Mumm set, which are salad plate size.

The glasses aren't Debbie Mumm but they go with the dishes perfectly, and are enjoyed with apple cider.

I got to thinking, if tea and lemonade make a good combination [called an Arnold Palmer], then why not tea and apple cider [a Johnny Appleseed drink? ;-)]. So I did some experimenting...  I brewed some black tea flavored with ginger, and poured half tea and half cider together.  The cider I purchased was more tart than sweet, so a little sugar was necessary. Hmmm... now I'm wondering about the combination of pumpkin tea and cider, or hot cinnamon spice tea and cider. More experimenting is in my future.

Here's some trivia about Halloween's most popular candy in the United States and Canada. Candy Corn was created in the 1880's by George Renniger of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wunderle Candy Company [renamed Jelly Belly Candy Company in 2001]. 

The Goelitz Confectionery Company began production of the candy in 1898 and called their candy "Chicken Feed."

Today, Brach's is the number one seller of candy corn.

The three colors of the candy - a broad yellow end, a tapered orange center, and a pointed white tip - imitate the appearance of corn kernels.  Each piece is about three times the size of a real kernel of corn.

The National Confectioners Assoc. estimates that 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold annually.  Originally the candy was made by hand.  Sugar, corn syrup, and carnauba wax were combined and cooked.   Then fondant was added for texture, and marshmallows for a soft bite. The final mixture was then heated and poured into shaped molds.  Three passes, one for each colored section, were required during the pouring process.  Today, however, the process is automated.

There is even a National Candy Corn Day designated for October 30th by the National Confectioners Association.

It is said you either love candy corn or you hate it.   Which one are you?

Yahoo conducted a survey today for the top five favorite candies: #1 Reese's, #2 Snickers, #3 M & M's, #4 Chocolate Bars, and #5 Kit Kat.   What is your favorite candy?

Celebrating Mrs. Henry [Clara] Ford

Last Sunday I returned to Shore Pointe Assisted Living Facility for their monthly 2:00 o'clock tea and program, which is always held in the second floor Activity Room.  

It is said, "Behind every good man is a good woman," and that certainly was true of Clara Ford - the subject of this month's program.

Clara Jane Bryant Ford

  [Callie to Henry]

April 11, 1866 - September 29, 1950

[Internet Photo]

Over 100 biographies have been written about Henry Ford, but only two [that I'm aware of] about Clara.  She chose to live in Henry's shadow.  A favorite expression Henry used for her was 'The Believer' because she always believed in his endeavors and supported them.

The residents have enjoyed previous programs about famous women such as Jacqueline Kennedy and Julia Child, but they especially responded to hearing about Clara Ford. Perhaps because she was a local lady, and one of our own.  Clara went from being a farm girl to an international figure with grace and dignity, and never forgot where she came from.

Henry and Clara owned the second largest collection of original McGuffy readers.  They had a fondness for them because they were both educated by them, and in adulthood they liked the fundamental values the readers conveyed.  They were used as the standard reader [primer through year six] in Greenfield Village schools.

I have a copy of McGuffey's third reader,  and I shared lesson XVII with the ladies.

What the Minutes Say

We are but minutes - little things!

Each one furnished with sixty wings,

With which we fly on our unseen track,

And not a minute ever comes back.

We are but minutes; use us well,

For how we are used we must one day tell.

Who uses minutes, has hours to use;

Who loses minutes, whole years must lose.

In 2005 I was privileged to work with a tea room owner to coordinate a garden tea honoring Clara and Henry.  Clara's passion was gardening, so a garden setting was very fitting. She had a rose garden at their Fair Lane estate with 10,000 rose bushes.

Her favorite color was blue, and since she was fond of drinking tea, today's cup of tea is in honor of her!

*  *  *

Today I'm joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday and
Antiques and Teacups for Tuesday Cuppa Tea

An Evening at the Fox Theatre

The Fox Theatre is a Performing Arts Theatre opened in 1928 as a flagship movie palace in the Fox Theatre chain [the others were in Brooklyn, Atlanta, St. Louis, and San Francisco]. It was built by film pioneer William Fox.  The theatre was acquired by new owners in 1988 and fully restored at a cost of $12 million.  It is one of Detroit's crown jewels.  

Last Friday, Jerry and I had tickets for the 8:00 p.m. performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  It was awesome!

I was a shutterbug inside the ornate and luxurious lobby.

~ Ceiling ~

No photography was allowed during the performance, but my hubby got one of the stage during intermission.  It was a sell-out performance.

The only connection to tea in this post are the teacups on my sweater! ;-)  It was a fun evening, and we will be returning in December for Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker.

Sunday Reflection...

Did you know October is Pastor Appreciation Month?

Pastors have a special calling, but they're human and need to be appreciated, encouraged, and cherished like everyone else. After being a secretary to three pastors over a span of 22 years, and having a son who is a pastor, I know their job is not an easy one. Pray the prayer of encouragement over them. Remind them of Galatians 6:9

"Don't get tired of helping others.  You will be rewarded

when the time is right if you don't give up." [CEV]

I love my pastor and his wife and pray for them daily!

May God bless your week!