A Mad Tea Party ~ 2010

Hurry please. 

 We can't be late.

Ah, there it is.

In the clearing

near that odd little house,

its roof thatched with fur.

Yes, yes, this 

must be the right place.

The time, the time! 

 We must not be late!

There he is!

It's the Mad Hatter himself,

our infamous host for this curious afternoon tea.

~ The Mad Tea Party!~

Let the fun begin.

Oh, my. It is a rather curious tea party, indeed!

Alice is here.

See there she is sitting

in her big comfy arm-chair.

No doubt she is very tired after

swimming through her pool of tears.

Please do sit down. 

 How about this chair here?

Yes, dear, the one near Tweedledee.

Or is it Tweedledum?

Oh, no matter.

Quick, find yourself a cup.

Better be quick!

I hear the rattle of the tea cups 

of this never ending meal.

Wonderful choice!

Let me pour you a cup of tea.

And cake . . .

you must have a slice of this!

It's a delicious cake of curious talking flowers.

A cherry or two 

with a mushroom cap?

Yes, it truly is 

a splendid afternoon!

What's that?

Do you see a grin looking 

down upon the festivities?

Is it? Could it be?

Yes, it must be 

the Duchess' Cheshire-Cat!

No doubt he'll be disappearing and

popping up all about the party.

I do think he's after another one

of the mushroom caps.

Oh, the happy days of summer!

"Take some more tea . . . "

There's plenty for everyone.

Do take another 

mushroom cap or two.

What a delightfully 

curious afternoon tea!

"So she sat on, with closed eyes, and

half believed herself in Wonderland . . ."

Time flies!

"Would you tell me, please,

which way I ought to go from here?"

Yes, yes! For more of these curious fetes ~

Click Here!

I'm thrilled you joined in the Mad Tea Party today. Every Saturday is also Pink Saturday and A Few of My Favorite Things so head on over for more fun at these weekly blog parties.

Oh my, what a fun filled party day!

Do you think Alice and all her curious friends in Wonderland

just might be some of my favorite things?

If you missed my post on

Alice in Wonderland in Central Park

~ Click here~

Alice, Cheshire-Cat, Mad Hatter, White Rabbit

Needlepoint figures from Petei Designs, stitched in the 1980s

http://www.petei.com/line_list/line_alice.htm

Miniature Tea Set - Paul Cardew Designs

This post will also be linked to several weekly tea parties next week.

Tea Time Tuesday with Lady Katherine @ Lady katherine Tea Parlor

Tea Time Tuesday with Sandi @ Rose Chintz Cottage

Tuesday Tea For Two and Wednesday Tea for Me" and Thee'

with Wanda @ The Plumed Pen

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday @ Silken Purse

W is for Wonderland

Summer Sunday in Central Park

W

is for

Wonderland

Vintage Copy of Alice in Wonderland

That magical nonsensical world Alice 

fell into as she swirled down the rabbit hole. 

The strange characters of Lewis Carroll's 

Alice in Wonderland 

were etched into my memory as a young child.

Did you know there is a bit of 

this magical world in Central Park?

Oh, yes! 

You will see Alice there!

You'll find Alice sitting 

with her sweet little kitty, Dinah.

The March Hare is there, 

umbrella in hand . . .

Rushing past in a hurry . . .

With his watch out of his waistcoat pocket

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! He must be late!"

"I dare say it's a French mouse, 

come over with William the conqueror."

"Don't be startled by seeing the 

Cheshire-Cat sitting on a bough of a tree . . ."

The Mad Hatter will greet you.

You won't find a tea party, 

but you're welcome to sit among the mushrooms.

There, right by the little Dormouse. 

There is plenty of room.

Yes, many of my favorite curious characters 

of this literary nonsense tale are there, 

a tangible presence waiting just for you and me.

You'll find them up the path from the model boat basin 

with its miniature sailboats skimming across the water.

This 11' bronze sculpture 

is one of Central Park's most beloved. 

Unlike other statues, this one was built with children in mind. 

One can climb and crawl all over Alice and her curious friends.

Circling the base of this sculpture are bronze  

plaques within the pebbles of the terrace. 

Each features a different inscription from the story.

The impressive sculptural group was commissioned by 

philanthropist George Delacorte in 1959 as a tribute to his wife, 

Margarita, and a gift to the children of New York City.

Jose de Creeft, 

a Spanish born French-trained sculptor,

is the artist of this whimsical sculpture.

Fernando Texidor 

was the project's designer.

Please come back on Saturday. 

 The Mad Hatter will be serving tea.

No doubt you want to spend more time in the park, but you can't be late for Mrs. Matlock's class. There are more "Letter W" lessons waiting for you here.

This post will be linked to the following weekly memes. A big "Thank You" to all these hostesses.

Vintage Thingie Thursday @ Colorado Lady

Summer Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Outdoor Wednesday @ A Southern Daydreamer

Summer Solstice Porch Party

It's a Porch Party!

Rhondi @ Rose Colored Glasses is again hosting her popular Porch Party to celebrate the first day of summer. Please, come in.

It's already hot here in Texas, so I thought we'd relax out in the sunroom. Originally this room was a screened in porch, but we added doors and windows with Phantom Screens in order to enjoy this space year round. We open it up when the weather is agreeable, but we can also heat and cool this space. It is where we spend much of our time reading and relaxing.

I've been reading LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS. It's a great read, and I'll tell you all about this book at the next Food for Thought. I have a stack of beautiful books on Americana that I've been enjoying again this summer.

Have a spot here on the chaise; Uncle Sam is already here. I know it's still two weeks till we celebrate the 4th of July, but summer here at HFTS means we enjoy red, white, and blue and all things patriotic from June through August.

This space is the perfect spot for a few indoor plants . . .

And tabletops to display a bit of Americana.

Vintage post cards and a few Uncle Sam figures share this space.

I've filled the Nantucket baskets with fresh flowers.

Blue iris, white stock, and summer asters

The Uncle Sam figure is paper maché and was made by Carole Watts in 2002.

With the hot weather here in Texas, I thought you might like a glass of ice cold tea with fresh mint sprigs.

I made you a little something sweet. We have tangy lemon bars and rich chocolate brownie bites.

Fresh cherries are abundant in the summer, so as long as they are available we have a bowl full at the ready. Help yourself to a few of these sweet treats.

Would you like to take a stroll outside?

During the cooler months of spring and fall, we like to eat meals out here on the terrace.

There are lots of large old trees back here so this is mostly a shade garden.

The white hydrangea seems to like the conditions in this garden, though it's still a small plant.

We had a severe winter this past year, and little that was planted in these urns survived. I replanted them with geraniums, coleus, and a variety of ferns.

I planted a variety of white geraniums in some of the urns and beds. They must like the shade conditions because they are still blooming while the geraniums in sunny spots have all stopped producing blooms.

It's always calming to hear the sound of the fountains.

Oh, Mr. Rabbit wants me to remind you that this upcoming Saturday, June 26th, is the date of the 2010 Mad Hatter's Party @ A Fanciful Twist. Click on the button on my sidebar for all the details.

Thank you for stopping by today. Click here to go over to Rhondi's to see a list of others participating in the 2010 Summer Porch Party. Thank you, Rhondi!

This post will also be linked to the following weekly memes. Thank you to all who host these fun events this week.

Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally's

Rednesday @ Sue Loves Cherries

Outdoor Wednesday @ A Southern Daydreamer

Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home