Every year a tea is hosted by Cheryl Adams Palmer and a few friends at the beautiful, historic antibellum home-turned Lasker Inn just a few blocks from the beach in Galveston, Texas.
My friend Laura had sent me an email way early in the year telling me about this tea down on the island of Galveston and would I be interested in going? Well, of course! as I love going to tea and have with all of my friends in California during the almost 20 years I was in the Victorian Tea Society.
Friends Gloria and Sandy and I went to Barbara Ann’s in Ontario, California at her Queen Anne home turned tea parlor and to the Chocolate Angel Tea Room in Richardson, Texas, about an hour away from where we live now.
So driving 6-8 hours down to Galveston would be a fun road trip plus this would be during the Dickens Festival, which I had never been to one before and this one is BIG! More on that in the next post…
😉
These lovely gentlemen greeted us at the door and Frank, the gentleman on the right, sat at our table this evening. I believe Frank is Cheryl’s husband as he was telling me how she also makes corsets for women to wear and attends festivals as she is part of a costumer’s guild in the Houston area, which is how she and Laura met.
Oh! Did you know that many men who participate in costume guilds often sew their own clothes? I want to say that Frank sewed some of his outfit but later he said he was joking. His wife helped make his costume, and the other gentleman had his tailor-made and custom fit. Beautiful craftsmanship!
Often, costumers will use old techniques and that means a lot of hand-sewing.
Cheryl’s bio for the tea talked about how she was first an event planner in the oil industry but began a second career “designing and making historical costumes.” We are sooo glad she did! This is their third year hosting the tea.
Ms. Laura in her Marmie Civil War era wool dress. Perfect in every detail!
Laura Ingalls Gunn (who writes Decor to Adore) graciously loaned me a small hoop skirt, a lovely Christmasy skirt and a Peter Pan collared blouse to wear, along with a garden bonnet made over
by yours truly…
Here I am ready to go back at the Four Points Sheraton. My room overlooked the Galveston seawall and beach. It was heaven in the mornings!
The Grand Victorian Tea Reception began at 3:30pm
with many people just coming straight from the Dickens on the Strand Festival ~ including myself.
These women sewed their own dresses from antique sewing patterns… Absolutely perfect details!
Each of the rooms was decorated with a Christmas tree and the parlor was the first room off to the left here at the Lasker Inn.
In the adjoining tea room guests mingled while one of the hosts sat writing out part of a speech given later in the evening…
Images of weddings held at the inn adorn the central hallway walls and up along the grand staircase ~ ethereal, indeed!
I am sorry that a few of these photos are blurry and appear double imaged. I goofed and changed a setting on the camera and this was what happened… But I did want to show these guests and host as I loved their costumes!
Then we were called in to tea…
Wait staff from the inn brought out tall tea servers with the first course of several types of scones and a selection of teas from which to choose.
As this first course was finished tea sandwiches appeared along with acorn soup in the sweetest two-handled bowls.
Frank told me how the previous year another type of bowl was used and that the owners then went shopping for the correct bowls to serve for this year! The attention to detail was period perfect for this lovely afternoon tea.
Here’s a fun little video on how to make some sconesor “rocks” as this chef likes to call them.
“Marmie” played mother to the table pouring tea for us and for the family with whom we sat. Again I am sorry for the blurred photographs. The man on the right is Desi and he was very excited to tell me he was named “like I Love Lucy.”
He also really liked roast beef as that was one of the fillings in one of our sandwiches. Also part of the fare were cucumber sandwiches on rye but these had a bit of heat to them, which was really fun!
Most of the tea sandwiches served were gluten free except for the pumpernickel bread {the very dark sandwich on the bottom tier’s plate}. I didn’t know that pumpernickel had wheat in it ~ good to know.
There was a discussion about Celiac disease then and many other topics including talking about different kinds of teas.
I have to say that conversation is one of the things I relish about attending or hosting a tea ~ there are so many things to think about and you always learn something new!
We all had a lovely time and this was a special treat for everyone but especially for these young men!
We were blessed to sit and take tea with them.
🙂
The dessert course was next and everything was created by the owners’ daughter who is a professional baker.
Here is the wonderful chef who baked all of the truffles and macarons! She wore a dress decorated with her favorite blooms ~ sunflowers ~ all hand-made by her mother Cheryl. 🙂
She told us later as we sat down to an after-dinner conversation in the main parlor how she made the macarons and that their success is very dependent upon the weather!
These are the two hostesses ~ Cheryl Palmer is on left and Amanda Vermillion of The Tea Mistress, LLC.
Amanda’s talk was about a particular tisane bloom which when brewed is one color but changes color with the addition of another item. Her talk on this wonderful transformation is appropriately called “Accidental Alchemy” and everyone enjoyed participating and seeing the change!
In our last house I was always setting our large oak
dining room tableor this smaller round pedestal table for tea.
On this occasion I created at Easter time I decorated with some
of my favorite vintage tableware and this
sweet little birdie.
Sometimes my tea times could be just tea for a few friends such as in this little tea for my birthday above.
Other times it could be a tea for one as this
little tea was.
🙂
At the peacock tea there were real peacock feathers decorating the table and over on the teacart as well. Little peacock notebook favors were gifts from the hostess to her guests to take home.
Love the light grey walls with the overall Shabby Chic/French theme of this small tea room. The sideboard buffet has country scenes painted on each of its door panels.
Last week I accidentally got turned around on the roads in Richardson and heading towards the Univ. of Texas {again… Lol!} after I picked up our mail.
As I was driving down this road, I suddenly
remembered that some new friends had mentioned that there were some tearooms right around this area.
Pulling into a parking lot, I quickly googled
“tearooms in Richardson” then finding that the
Chocolate Angel popped up right away ~
it was literally a half-mile away
on the same road.
🙂
Having not visited a tearoom in ages nor having given a
tea in a while I jumped at the chance to “take tea.”
{yesterday’s quick post w/ pics}
Sorry this is so dark! Because it was shot “live” on my iPhone… my computer wouldn’t let me correct the lighting.
The doorway I entered took me into the bakery portion
and a smaller tearoom set off to the side
{this is where I had tea}.
A larger main tearoom has its entry further to
the left in the little strip mall
taking reservations and seatings
at particular times.
One of the staff members said that
afternoon tea had a seating
that day at 3:30pm.
More of an actual high tea,
the afternoon seating is by reservations
and costs $22.00.
I decided to just have an early dinner
in the smaller bakery tearoom instead.
The main tea room ~ decorated in soft neutrals of grey, white, brown with a hint of black. The style is Victorian with a Nordic French feel. Just lovely!
Barbara’s Victorian Tea House, 7491 Etiwanda Avenue, Ranch Cucamonga, CA 91739. Hours are Wednesday – Sunday, 11am – 3pm. Please call 24 hours ahead for reservations ~ (909) 899-1700. Off HW 15 at Foothill Blvd to the right, away from Victoria Station shopping center/Bass Pro Shop.
A lovely home built around the turn of the last century now a sweet tea room adorned with lots of lace, ribbons and bows and pots of tea!
What must be a hundred year old tree out front of Barbara’s Tea House in Ontario/Ranch Cucamonga, California.
My friend, Gloria, and I went up to have tea in early February. No one else from our tea group could go
as some of the ladies were ill, but we decided to go anyway and we were glad we did!
Gloria and I had the same tea luncheon, the “Princess Patricia’s tea” which included three delicious tea sandwiches; one large scone with mock Devonshire cream, cherry preserves, and lemon curd; fresh fruit and a homemade cream of broccoli soup that day. The menu also included a teapot-for-one! (I always love having those cute individual teapots!)
{Sorry these photos are blurry! I took them with my old iPhone!}
When we arrived for our 11:00am sitting, there was only one other party so it was quite quiet and pleasant. Lovely music played in the background
as we began with our scones and first cups of tea…
Next came a lovely, clear-glass compote of fruit
after the scones and before the tea sandwiches…
A two-tiered server was brought out lastly withour sandwichesarranged sweetly around the lower floral plate, whilethe desserts consisting of a chocolate-dipped-then-drizzled strawberry (it was huge!),
a couple of chocolate truffles and little cakes of lemon curd nestled around the top flowered plate.
***
My sweet friend Gloria!
The service was lovely, the food delicious and the home delightful! And, I love Barbara’s motto from her menu guide: for those who cannot get to tea but would love to have one:
“Do you know someone who loves afternoon tea and is unable to come to our tea house? Consider “Afternoon Tea To Go.” It can be a very special treat for a loved one or special friend who is homebound. Please call 909.899.1700 to place your order.Thank you.”
I thought this was especially lovely, as not everyone thinks of people who can’t get out and about or who may be ill… A lovely, ethereal sentiment… 🙂
Your illustrious blog hostess, ME! 😉 Not my best picture, but will have to do for now. 😉 Love the heart necklace my husband gave me for our second married Christmas together and the heart tea-pin!!
