Tea in Bisbee

We found tea in Bisbee!

The thought of tea rooms might seem foreign in a place like the desert southwest, but tea is a beverage that can be consumed and enjoyed wherever you go. But, sometimes it takes a bit of work to find places that distribute or serve quality teas. That makes the search all the more interesting.

Houses built on Bisbee hillsides.

Bisbee, Arizona is a small town of a few more than 6,000 people and it's located in southeast Arizona, not far from the Mexican border. It was founded in 1880 as a mining town. Copper, gold, and silver were largely mined there, with by-products like turquoise, cuprite, aragonite, wulfenite, malachite, azurite, and galena being found as well. The town was named after Judge DeWitt Bisbee who was one of the financial backers of the famous Copper Queen Mine. The town is built on hills, with layer upon layer of houses and buildings gracing all levels of the community. Long sets of stairs are used in many places to reach houses on the higher levels. It seems like Main Street is the only level place in town.

Grandpa walking on Main Street

Main Street winds one-way through town, with Clawson Avenue running back the other way. It's a fun loop to walk, as the buildings are old and quaint. The mines are now closed, although tourists are now taken deep into a mountain that contains the Copper Queen Mine. Each guest is given a hard hat, a miner's headlamp and a yellow slicker before they are set aside small rail carts that go 1,500 feet into the mine. Tour guides are former employees of the now-closed Phelps Dodge Company who owned the mine. It's all very authentic and exciting, especially when the tour guide has everyone turn off their headlamps and you see how dark it really is underground!

Narrow streets and many tourists make walking single-file necessary.

Now days, Bisbee is a haven for artisans and retired folk. It was once named quirkiest city in American, a title that I believe is well deserved. Quaint shops with interesting things to see line the streets. Antique stores, art galleries, small cafes, used bookstores, museums, and quirky clothing stores can be found. Beads, gauze and tie-dye, and flashy cowboy boots all meld together into a fashion-sense that seems completely normal there. Away from the shops of town, beautiful old hotels and homes can be seen and appreciated.

Quaint and pretty southwestern tea shop.

It was along Main Street that Divine Teas & Novelties was found. Proprietor Lilith claims to have the only blending tea store in the state. She creates blends with organic teas and medicinal ingredients. Lined behind the counter are gallon jars filled with these delightful blends of black, green, white, herbal, chai, rooibos, and medicinal teas and tisanes. A spicy fragrance fills the air and customers are allowed to breath deeply of the ingredients in the jars of tea they are most interested in. 

The door is open and invites everyone inside.

Unfortunately, a cup of tea could not be purchased in the shop, as the only teas and tisanes sold were by the scoop, then bagged to be brewed at home.

Tea ware, both old and new.

The novelties were mostly tea related accoutrements, teacups, and teapots. Some were antique and others were new.

The Copper Queen Hotel

A cup of hot water and a tea bag could be found in the restaurant at the famed Copper Queen Hotel. 

Main Street winds through Bisbee.

Our tea picnic.

Or, in enjoyed in the back of our pick-up where thermos' of hot, brewed and decanted tea were enjoyed with our picnic lunch. If you ever have a chance to visit Bisbee, be sure to allow enough time to explore this wonderful little gem!

It was a pleasant day in a pretty town.

Seeking Tea in Tombstone

Grandpa in Tombstone

It's always pleasant to visit friends and family. And it becomes even more fun for me when I have the opportunity to search for tea! Grandpa spends several months of each year in Arizona and invited us to come and be his guests. It was an enjoyable experience and we visited several interesting sites nearby. Today I'm sharing about a stop in Tombstone. Have you ever been there? It is one of my favorite places. While most are interested in the story of gunfights and the wild west, I have enjoyed seeking out little things that interest me, like a museum of historical costumes and clothing, the local guild quilt museum, finding places that sell sarsaparilla so I can bring it home to the (now adult) kids, and browsing the antique shops. Pioneer life and the wild west interests me so.

Tour guide at Bird Cage Theater

Our first stop was at the Bird Cage Theater. A tour guide beckons tourists in from the door and once a crowd has gathered, explains the history of this historic theater. She names famous people who have been guests there in a list that is a mile long! And many of the names are those that are familiar from history books. This small, but interesting theater was opened in 1881 and was named for the fourteen "boxes" that were placed on two balconies on either side of the main central hall. Although there was a stage and an orchestra pit, the theater is best known for its gambling and the ladies of the night who entertained there. It really was a fairly unsavory place, although now it's interesting to visit and see the historical items on display. It's said that the longest card game ever took place in this location, lasting eight years, five months, and three days. The New York Times, in 1882, declared that "this theater was the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast". More than 120 bullet holes can be seen throughout the building, and our tour guide was quick to point out several right there in the lobby. But let's move along, shall we?

Stagecoaches steal the show on Main Street

Tombstone was founded in 1879 and is in the southeastern part of Arizona. It was a silver mining town and grew from one hundred people to 14,000 in a few short years. It was a bustling little town! By 1881 it had not only a bowling alley, four churches, a school, two banks, three newspapers, and an ice house --- it also had 110 saloons and 14 gambling halls as well as numerous dancing halls and brothels. There was nothing quiet, nor proper about Tombstone!

Common attire of the day!

Tombstone is famous for the shoot-out at O.K. Corral. It is an event that is re-enacted daily.  A deadly conflict between a gang who stole cattle from ranchers and law enforcement has given Tombstone a place in history. The Earp brothers all assumed roles as lawmen and ended up in a confrontation with the Cowboy gang. Wyatt is probably the most famous of the Earp brothers. Interwoven into the history of the area is a love affair between Doc Holliday and Big Nose Kate. If you see her picture, you can tell she was aptly named! An interesting and generally unknown fact is that Doc Holliday was a cousin by marriage to Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind. The longer one spends researching the history of a place like Tombstone, the more connections can be made with other famous Americans of the day.

Crystal Palace Saloon

Of the 110 saloons in Tombstone, the Crystal Palace Saloon and Big Nose Kate's Saloon are probably two of the most famous. Both are still a part of the Tombstone scene, open daily and frequented by dozens of curious tourists who visit there. The ambiance and decor of each of them is much the same as it was in the late 1880's. Authenticity reigns in Tombstone.

Cowboy Garb

In the present time, Tombstone holds connections that tie our family together with memories. A cousin of eight years old visited the town on a girls trip with me and my mom and mother-in-law. A few years later, she was married in true western style at a Tombstone church. And an interesting man we knew from a church nearby played an authentic role as an actor in scenes from the town's history. Trips with our kids to this western community have proven fun over the years. Lessons in history are much more easily learned with such colorful object lessons.

Wooden boardwalks line Main Street

But, where does the tea come in? As we walked along Main Street, I was surprised to see a small little shop at the entrance to a shooting gallery. Inside was a friendly woman who was dressed in frontier garb. Teapots and baked goods were displayed at the back of her small eating establishment. Could it be? Would it be possible to have tea in Tombstone? Yes! And she was happy to share about her experience.

Opening day of Buns & Guns

It just happened to be the opening of her very first day in her quaint little cafe and bakery. She'd earned her way, carefully dressing with authenticity and baking homemade treats in a rented space in a commercial kitchen. For two years she was a walking bakery, carrying baskets of her home-baked goodies up and down the boardwalks, selling them to passers-by. A city committee oversees each business, making sure they meet the standards of authenticity that they require as part of the historic portions of their town. She worked carefully to meet the requirements and after her years of hard work, she was finally able to rent a space where she could open her store-front cafe. She told me that she was the first bakery in 100 years in Tombstone.

Favorite teapot

Buns & Guns

I admire her hard work and enthusiasm for her tasks! And I hope that the next time I am privileged to visit Tombstone, that she is still there and that her business is thriving! It's wonderful that a cup of tea can now be found in Tombstone!

The soda bar

I've shared pictures from the bar at a Tombstone saloon, and a bakery bar that serves tea just down the street. It's only right that I share one last bar before the tour of Tombstone is over. Down at the end of the street the soda bar was filled with kids, enjoying sodas and ice cream. It appears that Tombstone has something for every one's taste! If you ever have a chance to visit Tombstone, I recommend it. And be sure to take time to go off the beat and track. Sometimes the best places are those that are not the most touristy places, but rather the nooks and little places along the way. Some day I will share about the time we took tea and a picnic in the Tombstone city park on New Year's Day. Explore and enjoy!

Chikaramachi

The teacup markings indicate that this teacup is:

~ Chikaramachi ~

Hand-painted

Made in Japan

I appreciate the hand painting which is primitive and unique. Uneven swirls of a paint from a brush can be seen along the base and handle. Hand-painted gold flourishes and swirls add a fine touch, making this teacup and saucer set quite charming. The porcelain is fine and a luster of luminescence creates a pearl-like affect. This is the kind of teacup that reminds you of tea in an environment rich in silks, tapestry, and fine wood. It is a teacup that is inviting to hold and is perfect for any place with old world charm.

The logo on the marking is a crown and wreath. This mark was registered by the Nippon Toki Gornei Kaisha porcelain manufacturing company about 1928 and was used for several years. The company was on Chikaramachi Street in a village called Noritake, a small suburb naer Nagoya, Japan. Eventually the company grew and changed its name to Noritake Company, Ltd. (1981). 

The tea is a classic gunpowder green. It seemed the perfect choice to go with the teacup. It is made of leaves that are hand-rolled into tiny pellets. The pellets resemble gunpowder, which is how this tea got its name. This tea has depth of body and a slight hint of smokiness. Green tea is said to have great antioxidant and phytochemical qualities which are beneficial to health and wellness. Adagio Teas

Work continues on the floral quilt. The sewing machine is set next to a picture window so I can enjoy the spring sunshine and the garden flowers as I sew. I hope you enjoy a happy week!

Linking to Antiques and Teacups with this post.

Tempests in Teapots

History tells us that King George IV of England was one of the first English collectors of teapots. Although he was not thought of positively in any way as a ruler of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, he was known to have a flare for fashion and good manners. His life was one of extravagance. He had a sense of style, leisure, and taste. Tea as a beverage was rare and expensive, available to only the elite and wealthy during the time of his rein. A Google search for teapots associated with George IV reveal a gathering of beautiful, expensive, sterling silver teapots. It appears that entire lines of teapots were designed during the George IV period. In connection to King George IV, we also discover that one of his contemporaries was Gioachino Rossini, a composer who wrote the scores for many operas. It's interesting to note that one of the characteristic mannerisms in Rossini's orchestral scoring is a long building sound that has been compared to creating "tempests in teapots by beginning in a whisper and rising to a flashing, glittering storm". And really, that is the way it works! Many people today still collect teapots and other beautiful tea accouterments. For hundred's of years, tea and its service has been a beautiful art.

Do you have a favorite teapot? Or a collection, perhaps?

Gracious Hospitality [Marion Cabell Tyree Style]

The story of Marion Cabell Tyree can be read in this interesting post on the Diamond Hill Historical Society website. I was especially drawn to this post because of two statements quoted here. I think you will understand when you read them:

 The couple had “a beautiful and comfortable home in which they dispensed in the most gracious and genial manner that hospitality for which old Virginia was famous.”

and

Like other Virginia cookbook authors, Mrs. Tyree capitalized on the reputation of gracious Virginia hospitality derived from the Cavaliers who first settled here.

 And this is most interesting to me, and possibly to you as well ~

According to her, Virginia hospitality was opulent as a Royal Colony.   When we declared our independence, its citizens “discarded all the showy extravagance of the old, and retaining only inexpensive graces, they succeeded in perfecting that system which surviving to this day, has ever been noted for its beautiful and elegant simplicity.

 Enjoy and have a blessed day!

An English Wedding

Have you noticed the hype?  There's going to be a wedding.  It's not just an ordinary wedding, but an English royal wedding.  The world is poised to tune in to watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday.  It will take place during the wee hours of the morning for those in America, and though many DVR's will be set to record, I'm quite certain that a fair number of anglophiles will be awake and watching the wedding live while sipping a cup of English tea.

It appears that Kate exudes a similar charm as Diana.  A true beauty, she has a glow about her and a look of genuine happiness.  Her sense of style is classic and understated with just the right amount of detail, color, and glam.

In some ways, it seems as if history is repeating itself.  It doesn't seem all that long ago that alarms were set for early morning hours as many of us woke in the middle of the night to view the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Di.  How the years have flown by, bringing joys and sorrows as time has passed. Princess Diana was the people's princess and is loved and missed by so many.  This time when the alarms will be set for an early morning wake-up call, it will be for a new generation.

Diana, Princess of Wales, left us too soon.  The beautiful, daughter-by-marriage that she never had the chance to meet, will soon find herself in a role much like Princess Diana's.  It seems certain that the new Princess Catherine will learn lessons from Princess Diana's life, embracing Diana's humanitarian efforts and charitable role.  And since Prince William is his mother's son, we can only hope that he has learned life's lessons too, and that he will love, honor, and appreciate his beautiful princess for a lifetime of happiness.

Will you be viewing the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton?

History of a Teapot

Teapots are a palette for artistic expression.  General thought is that English teapots are adorned with flowers and frills.  But here is an example of an English teapot that is about as far away from flowers as you can get!  For those who enjoy English history, this teapot is not only handsome, but creates a great conversation starter and a foray into the famous Battle of Waterloo 1815.  Tari gave me this creative gift, and although I have not yet made tea in this pot, I have really enjoyed learning about the Battle of Waterloo.  If you are interested, you can read about it here.  Next on the agenda is to determine exactly what type of tea would best be served in a Waterloo teapot! 

~ Sadler ~ Staffordshire England ~ The Battle of Waterloo 1815 ~ The Duke of Wellington & Soldiers of the Battle of Waterloo ~ Sergeant of the Coldstream Guards, Private of the Black Watch Regiment, Captain of the 3rd Foot Guards, Sergeant of the 1st Food Guards ~

The Whitman Teapot & Story

In the 1830's the Hudson Bay Company commissioned the Spode and Copeland company of Staffordshire, England to be their official supplier of china.  At many outlets throughout North American, a variety of their transfer-print designs were offered for sale to those who helped to develop the frontier.  Fort Vancouver and other sites in the Pacific Northwest show samples of some of the china pieces that have been excavated at their sites.  This beautiful teapot is on display in the museum at Whitman Mission.  Are you familiar with Dr. and Mrs. Whitman and their role as missionaries in the Pacific Northwest?   If their teapot could tell a story, I know it would have many stories of hospitality, adventure, and heartache to share.

Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were Presbyterian missionaries who settled in the Walla Walla Valley where they established a mission that gave religious instruction and medical care to the Cayuse Indians.  Narcissa was the first white woman to travel overland to the western frontier (1835).  It soon became evident that their mission was not only to the Cayuse, but to a myriad of  pioneers from wagon trains of the Oregon trail.  Often, travelers would arrived at Whitman Mission deficient in food or ill and in need of a physicians care.  The trek over the rugged Blue Mountains was arduous and being near the end of the journey, supplies and energy were often sparse.  Marcus and Narcissa would minister to these pioneers, providing not only a place for food and medicine, but a safe place to stay as they were restored to health and wellness and could find regeneration for the last part of their journey to the Willamette Valley.  For many years Marcus and Narcissa ministered to those in need.  They had a beautiful daughter whom they named Alice Clarissa.  When a little tot, she drown by the gristmill in the Walla Walla River.  She was their only child.  Frequently, Marcus would take overland journeys on horseback to the east coast, leaving Narcissa behind to tend to the needs at the mission.  She spent many lonely days and nights in waiting.  A single hilltop on the compound grounds provided a view of the mountains and distant valley, and when Narcissa thought that her husband's return might be near, she would climb the hill each day, looking to see if she could find him in the distance.  Sadly, tragedy struck in 1847 when measles affected pioneers brought their wagon trains to the mission so they could rest and receive medical care.  The disease was new and strange to the Cayuse, and soon they were infected and many died.  In retribution, they massacred Marcus, Narcissa, and others at the mission compound.  The mission buildings were burned to the ground.  The mission site is now a National Historic Site.  Many people visit each year, walking the pathway Narcissa took to the hilltop, or visiting the river edge where little Alice Clarissa drowned.  Although the buildings are gone, some foundation stones remain and outlines of the buildings have been restored.  A small cemetery on the grounds shelters these missionary pioneers and others who served on the mission grounds.  

If the Whitman teapot could talk, it would have many stories to share.

Soto Brothers & Renaud

Thirty-some years ago, when on a date with my now husband, I passed through the front doors of this old general store.  Upon entering the double doors, it was easy for me to pretend that it was 1894 and that I was on a trip to town for flour, sugar, salt, dry goods, and tea.  Creaky wooden floors, worn and scuffed by dozens of cowboy boots and high-top shoes, formed the base for displays encased in glass and topped with worn, wooden counter-tops.  Oak barrels filled with ice and jars of soda pop stood by door and counter.  Shelves filled with staples for the kitchen, dry goods and trims, candles and lamp oil, and more were out of reach, making one depend upon the clerk to assist in finding exactly what was needed.  Farm implements, lumber, and mining supplies filled the corners and the yard.  A general store, this Soto Brothers & Renaud merchantile met the needs of many in this once busy ghost town.  Gold no longer brings people to the mine on the hillside across the street, but a myriad of visitors still grace its steps and stoop, seeking the opportunity to step back for a moment in time.  

Although the Pearce General Store is no longer open to the public, I feel blessed that I was once able to visit it at a time when it was still a functioning general store.  Sharing a soda with Brent, we were able to share in a moment that took us back in history.  In surroundings such as this, it wasn't difficult to imagine we were living in the gold rush days.

Pearce General Store, Pearce, Arizona