The Te of Tea

I had a wonderful surprise at the end of January. Vivian was in town. You might remember that she is a young colleague and friend of mine who went to study Chinese in Beijing. We temple treked together on more than one occasion. She called one morning with a surprise. We had been invited to a video taping of a puja at a local Hindu temple. The video will be used in the new Arts of India gallery at the museum.

This Hindu temple is very different from the one we visited during the summer.
This is the gateway into the courtyard.
Immaculate, beautiful and flowers everywhere.
Gorgeous in its' simplicity.

This is the outside of the temple.
The windows had been covered with paper to make the taping easier.
The water was beautiful and was on all sides of the temple.
The puja was for Shiva and was amazing.
The sound of the chanting by the priest, the ringing of the bell, the lighted candles --
WOW!

After the taping it was off to the Te of Tea for some tea and lunch.

The tea shop is in the Montrose part of Houston.
A wonderful, interesting area with different shops hidden around every corner.

The day was very special.
I got to spend it with two people I consider friends.
Two very lovely ladies who I respect very much.
Christine is on the left and is the curator for Asian art.
Vivian on the right. She is back in Beijing. We miss you Vivian!