A Tea-related Reunion in Ohio

I've been missing from my blog for a while, and finally have a chance to get caught up.  Thanks for the concern of some who wondered if something was wrong.  For a while there were no activities to write about and then I became consumed trying to finish another Shutterfly album in time to get the savings promotion they were offering.  

When I finished that, it was time to prepare for a three-day trip to Ohio and Indiana that I took with my friend, Linda.  One of the participants on the 2018 Southern Tea Time Tour that I coordinated, offered to host a reunion at her lovely former tearoom.  

Linda and I left last Tuesday morning [the 19th], destined for Sauder Heritage Inn [in Sauder's Historic Village] Archbold, OH.  It reminded me of the Amish places in Shipshewana, IN.  Shortly after our arrival, Linda's daughter and three children joined us and we enjoyed a chicken dinner at the Barn Restaurant.  We spent two nights at the Inn.

On Wednesday morning we made the half hour drive to Defiance, OH where the reunion was held at 12:00 noon.  We had beautiful travel weather - a little hot, but clear, beautiful skies. Judy, our hostess, has a gorgeous garden, and her former tearoom, called Flowers & Friends, is situated at the entrance to her garden.  She and her husband live in a beautifully restored farm house on a working farm and the tearoom and garden are on the same property.

~ Entrance to Tearoom ~

~ Judy's Farmhouse ~

There were 11 of us who went on the trip, but four didn't attend.  Judy filled in the gap by inviting some friends.  The interior of the tearoom - which is now a gathering place for family events - is rustic and charming.  

Judy is a fan of MacKenzie Childs, the designer of the teapot lamp below.  Her entire house is furnished with MacKenzie Childs furniture and accessories.

I immediately got busy taking photos of her tablescapes.  Below is the table where Linda and I sat along with Judy and another traveler [and Michigander] Cheryl K.

The MacKenzie Childs table.

It was a potluck tea, and Judy made all the scones.  Because of traveling without refrigeration, I opted to make three kinds of tea breads [lemon poppyseed, strawberry and pistachio].  There was SO MUCH food.  All the sweets were on tiered servers set on the tables.  Below is a close up of the one on our table.

We were asked to bring our own teacup and luncheon plate and tell a little bit about it.  I chose to bring my Royal Albert Old English Rose [the forerunner to Old Country Rose].  My mother's middle name was Rose and this was a favorite pattern of hers.

This was my plate, laden with a variety of tea foods!

Teresa made all the teas served at the event, and she is serving sandwiches in the photo below.  She was Judy's right hand at the event.

Cheryl, Judy's niece, serving teapot chocolate covered strawberries.  So cute!

Cold beverage bar.

Below is Judy, the hostess with the mostess!  She was so proud that she had celebrated her 80th birthday since the last time we were together.

~ Linda & Judy ~

~ Judy and Me ~

~ Our group of Southern Belle Travelers ~

It was such a fun afternoon.  We sat around and visited and had a wonderful time of group sharing. When we left, Linda, the all-time shopper of the group, wanted to make a quick trip to Grand Rapids, Ohio about a half-hour away.  So off we went knowing all the shops closed at 5:00, but hoping to squeeze in a little bit of shopping.

When we left Grand Rapids, we headed back to our room at Sauder Inn.  Thursday was going to be another busy, fun-filled day... next post.