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!

Old Town Spring

Our girls craft day was canceled again. Last time it was Hurricane Ike that delayed things. This time our hostess had walking pneumonia and my other buddy was stuck at home getting a new fence (the old one knocked down by Ike). Someday we will get together! Hopefully soon.

Mr. Dragon and I decided to drive out to Old Town Spring. As far as we can guess, it has been at least twenty years since we last made this journey. Amazing! I remembered it fondly and thought since it was holiday time, it would be a treat and the shops would be decorated. Our little trip was fun. Neither of us remembered the Old Town being as large as it is today. Street after street of little shops.

Old Town Spring was decorated for the holidays.

Old Town Spring has a magazine and map that we quickly took and marked out our afternoon. We decided The Little Dutch Girl was a definite stop. They make fudge -- all kinds. We came home with a 1/4 pound of four different flavors - chocolate chocolate, chocolate walnut, maple nut and pumpkin. You read that correctly PUMPKIN. The Pumpkin was my favorite. Delicious! Definitely worth the drive! Now I have to find a recipe for Pumpkin fudge.

We couldn't resist the toy store.

Another toy store window.

This was my favorite shop. Metal, Petals and More. They have two shops filled to bursting with metal, antiques, flowers, candles (favorite candle was Snapdragon) -- you name it they have it. My favorite pieces were the wonderful metal holiday decorations.

Metal, Petals and More

Metal, Petals and More

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home had the most delicious aroma when we opened the front door. They have wonderful coffee. One of the local television stations was filming in Old Town Spring and the camera man and young woman reporter were here warming up with coffee.

Mr. Dragon gets points. Old Town Spring is definitely a girly place. We had lunch at Ellen's. The food was very good although we waited over an hour before we were served. For the longest time, Dick was the only male in the place. Soon there were two more gentlemen -- both looking as if they had no idea what they had gotten themselves into. Mr. Dragon was well aware of what he was getting into and went along anyway! What a guy!

Temple Trek Two

Some months ago I posted about a Saturday we spent “Temple Trekking” with a colleague of mine. We spent two weekends with her discovering the international city of Houston. This post covers the second weekend.

Our first stop was the Chung-Mei Buddhist Temple. We started in the temple garden.

This young monk is tapping on his “Mokugyo”.

This young monk is napping instead of tapping on his “Mokugyo”, or “Wooden Fish” used to set the pacing of chants. His face conveys the deep peacefulness that many of us are working so hard to find. Maybe if we just sat for a bit and relaxed into the present moment, we would find what we are seeking.

Young apprentice monk with his begging bowl.

One of twelve young monks with a zodiac symbol. I had to have a picture of the dragon.

On the temple steps.

No pictures were allowed inside of the temple. It was much like the Jade Temple except there were three Buddhas on the altar: Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha and the medicine Buddha - Bhaishajyaguru. Instead of pews there were kneelers. There was a small museum area where the story of Kuan Yin was told.

Chung-Mei Temple has a tea room -- FoGuangYuan Tea Room. A drop of water, it is a place for people to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea, and talk about Buddhism and Ch’an. The name of Ch’an Abode - a drop of water - tells us that we should appreciate what we have around us, cherish and be grateful. Tea drinking has an important place in the traditions of Ch’an Buddhism, great monks have attained enlightenment through drinking tea. When people come for a cup of tea they can also attain the wisdom of Buddha’s teaching.

On the suggestion of Rev. Hong, who was an excellent hostess, we ordered three pots of tea, an order of Chinese pancake (small six wedge puff pastry) and an order of Ju-Yi sandwich (made with fresh baked bread, mushrooms, corn, a special blend of herbs and served warm). Everything was delicious. The tea was especially good. My favorite tea was the special fruit tea -- a delicate blend of apples, pineapples and jasmine flowers. The aroma was divine. Kao Shan Tea (high mountain) is a green tea that is grown in the mountains of Taiwan. Only the top tender leaves of the plant are used to make the tea. The third pot of tea was called Black Forest and included blueberries. Mr. Dragon and I need to go back and try out more of the menu -- there is a Prosperity Tea and a Chinese Mint Tea; Prosperity Rice (seven grain special temple blend brown rice with veggies) and Longevity Rice (very dark rice that is cooked with seven grains and beans giving it a distinctive color and flavor and includes veggies and tofu). After our tea we were off to our next stop - a Hindu temple.

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is the first traditional Hindu shrine of its kind in the country. It’s a massive, sprawling, but resolutely graceful temple, made out of hand-carved white marble from Italy and limestone from Turkey. It’s all turrets, arches, and flags outside and carved likenesses of Hindu gods on the inside. The marble is cool under your bare feet. We had such a good time as we called out to each other as we recognized the Hindu gods -- a nagini, Vishnu and his avatars, Ganesh, Brahma and oodles of others.




Our Saturday came to a close much too swiftly. Soon our friend would be off to China and Beijing to study for a year. We do hear from her and about some of her adventures. She is thinking about starting a blog -- yippeee!

Natchez, Day 5

This was our last day in Natchez. It was our literary morning. We walked to the Historic Natchez Foundation and watched the documentary film, "Richard Wright: A Force for Right." We discussed Wright's short story "Almos' a Man." Then it was off to the courtroom of the Adams County Courthouse, where scenes from The Quiet Game by Greg Iles take place. Susanne Kirk Tomlinson, retired editor and vice president at Simon & Schuster/Scribner talked about "Greg Iles and Natchez: An Author's Use of Place."


Then it was off to The Towers. (It lost its Towers long ago -- one by fire in 1927 and the other to make the house symmetrical.) This is the fountain at the front of the house. An 80 foot Magnolia once stood here. It was hollow and a disaster waiting to happen. It was removed and replaced with this fountain surrounded by Knock Out Roses. We were greeted by beautiful music outside and in the house and by the owner on the front steps.


Out of the car and the group dashed to the fountain to check out the roses! The Italianate facade was added to The Towers just before the Civil War. The Towers was behind the fortification lines of the union army and was occupied by officers for several years while soldiers camped on the grounds around the house.


There is a story about then General Grant being unhappy with the soldiers who were occupying the home. He felt they were too nice to the family and ordered the family removed. The officers allowed the family to leave with most of their possessions. Grant is said to have ridden his horse up and down the main hall of the house and here, on the hearth, it is believed he put his pistol down, stepped hard on it and broke the hearth. This was the only picture we took inside the house ... Grant and the broken hearth.

We both thought this was the house highlight of the tour. The house has undergone a complete renovation with magnificent wall coverings and draperies, antique lace sheers, extensive plaster moldings and wainscotting, Aubusson carpets and high rococo antiques. Ginger Hyland, Owner and James Forde, Manager have done an exquisite job. It is obviously a labor of love. Ginger has wonderful and unusual collections all tastefully shown. Among them: 350 antique beaded purses (I'll never look at anything beaded the same way again!), antique tiaras and crowns, antique lace, gentlemen's mother of pearl and ivory watch fobs, chatelaines, Moser glass, vintage costume jewelry, furniture by Belter, Meeks, Roux and Mallard.


The almost five acres of gardens feature 24 bronze sculptures representing some of the finest artists of wildlife in the world.

This is the owner, Ginger, with one of her kitties - Snowflake.

Snowflake loves visitors and begs to have her belly rubbed!

Lunch at Biscuits and Blues. If you read Greg Iles, he will have introduced you to this hangout!

A puppy on the balcony near Biscuits and Blues.

We had some free time after the tour at The Towers and we used it to get some packing done. Dinner this evening was at The Castle Restaurant on the grounds of Dunleith. It was another excellent meal: Petit Dunleith salad: mixed greens, mandarin oranges, purple onion, almonds, Dunleith dressing. Entree: sauteed snapper with beurre blanc, over roasted potatoes and sauteed vegetable medley. Dessert: Key Lime Pie.

After dinner we went to the Natchez Little Theatre to see "Big River" a musical based on Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The kids in the show were really cute. But, it was a very long day and there was still packing to do. We both thought the tour would have ended on a higher note if the "end" had been dinner at The Castle after the wonderful tour of The Towers.

We enjoyed our tour of Natchez and the people we met. I still have a few more Natchez pictures to share. Another day!

Natchez, Day 4

We started Day 4 off with a program by Natchez historian Tom Scarborough in the Melrose carriage house. All of the speakers on the tour were excellent.

Melrose Plantation

The fortunes of Pennsylvania born John McMurran began rising soon after his arrival in Natchez in the mid-1820's. Mr. McMurran established a profitable law practice, won election to the state legislature, married into a respected local family, and acquired the first of five plantations. In 1841, McMurran purchased 133 acres of land just outside of Natchez. Over the next eight years, a combination of free and slave labor constructed the estate's mansion and outbuildings.

Back of Main Building

The grounds behind the main house contained the outbuildings housing a kitchen, livestock, carriages, tools and the estate's slaves. The Melrose slaves tended vegetable gardens and fruit trees planted behind each of the large brick dependency buildings.

Outbuilding at Melrose

Melrose was acquired by the National Park Service in 1990. It represents one of the most completely preserved antebellum estates in Natchez with many original furnishings and outbuildings.

After Melrose, it was off to the Natchez City Cemetery and a guided tour by Don Estes, author of The Natchez City Cemetery and Legends of the Natchez City Cemetery. For almost two centuries people of all nations, races, and creeds have been interred in the 100 acre cemetery. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the cemetery, established in 1822 when remains were moved from the burial ground in Memorial Park to the present site, has evolved as an archive of Natchez lore. Tombstone inscriptions embellished by romantic and mysterious tales draw portraits of engaging characters.

This angel may look familiar to you. She is the "Turning Angel" and gave her name to the bestseller by Greg Iles of the same name.

Originally verdant fields and hills overlooking the mighty Mississippi River, the cemetery has been shaped by man into a garden-like park of grassy plots against backdrops of towering oaks and cypress trees draped in Spanish moss; stands of dogwoods, magnolias, hollies, and camellias; rows of azaleas; scatterings of antique roses and crap myrtle-lined lanes. An outdoor museum for many unique art forms - marble statuary, ornamental iron fences and gates, magnificent monuments.

Lunch was on our own and we walked some more in the historic downtown area. Dinner was at the High Cotton Cooking School.

One of the chefs at High Cotton

Dinner was inspired by William Johnson's Diary entry of November 11, 1836. Johnson was a free man of color and owned several barber shops in the Natchez area. Not unlike a beauty salon, the barber shop was a place of gossip. He was one of more than 200 "free people of color" in the town of Natchez during the antebellum era. Johnson was a prolific diarist and kept journals covering sixteen years of his life.

The menu for the evening included: Mint juleps and Grillades Gritmales. Salad was Baby Blue Salad with spiced pecans, goat cheese, tsatumas and champagne vinaigrette on greens. Second course was seared flatiron steak (stake), with black coffee red-eye gravy, crawfish and andouille spoon bread, greens with braised bacon served with cast iron sourdough biscuits with stickerberry butter. Third course sweet potato donuts with vanilla sugar. Everything was delicious.

Natchez, Day 3

We were on the road by 9 a.m. and off to Frogmore Plantation in Louisiana. Frogmore is the home of the Tanner family, who have raised and ginned cotton for 200 years, first with historical gins and today with modern computers. We sat in an 1800's plantation church in the original pews and listened to wonderful music while Lynnette Tanner read from journals and archives.

Lynette Tanner greeted us and was our guide on the tour. She and her husband, Buddy share a common love of agriculture and history. They have saved and moved antebellum buildings to Frogmore in order to tell a complete story about the cotton plantation system.

The Tanner Home

The Cook House

Dog-trot House (overseer's home)

We got to pick cotton. Not an easy thing to do. Hard on the fingers and back. Did you know that CRISCO is made from the oil from the cotton seed? It's even part of the name: seed cotton oil. The visit to Frogmore was our favorite tour. We could have stayed all day. Instead, we were off to Ferriday, Louisiana and made a very quick stop at the Louisiana Delta Music Museum for stories about Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, Aaron Neville, Conway Twitty, Percy Sledge, Jimmy Swaggart, et al. Back to Natchez for lunch in the Carriage House Restaurant on the grounds of Stanton Hall.

Carriage House Restaurant

This is Tinkerbell -- the resident kitty on the Stanton Hall grounds. She is well fed. Chicken was being served.

Carriage House Restaurant

The Carriage House Restaurant is nationally known for its tiny buttered biscuits and Southern fried chicken. You'd be right if you guessed that the fried chicken was the meal of choice for the group.

After lunch we toured Stanton Hall, a Greek Revival mansion, built in 1857 for cotton magnate Frederick Stanton by Natchez architect-builder Thomas Rose. No expense was spared, from Corinthian columns topped with iron capitals to silver door knobs and hinges, Italian marble mantles, gold leaf mirrors and bronze chandeliers.

We had the afternoon and evening off. Good thing. We needed to walk off some of the great food we'd had and investigate historic downtown Natchez. We stopped in two bookstores (of course) and found the yarn shop: Natchez-Needlearts - A Fiber Arts Studio. They had a little of everything: yarns for knitting, crochet, needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, crewel and fabric for sewing and quilting. A very colorful place.

Yarns at Natchez Needlearts

Dinner was on our own and we decided we didn't need anymore food! We settled into the hotel and watched baseball.