Saturday, September 1, 2018

Tales of the Traveling Tote #16



RABBIT ~ RABBIT
It's the first of the month and time for a new edition of 
Tales of the Traveling Tote.
Welcome to Tales of the Traveling Tote #16.
Summers in Texas are hot, and cold drinks are a must!
The first Sunday in June we headed off to join "The Chef's"
twin for lunch and indulge in an ice cold milkshake.
The Peached Tortilla is a small local restaurant known for its 
simple Southern comfort food with an Asian flair.
They are also famous for their monthly 
Shakes, Burgers, and Bubbles 
brunch on the first Sunday of the month which features 
a themed milkshake in collaboration with a local vendor.
Featured that Sunday was The Tiny "Peached" Pie, 
a cinnamon and ginger snap infused vanilla milkshake, topped with
 whipped cream, sprinkles, and a peach crumb Tiny Pie.
Kevin, the Bar Manager, is a genius at mixing up cocktails as well as his signature mega shakes for Shakes, Burgers, and Bubbles.
Click here to read about the talent behind The Peached Tortilla.
As you can see, 
the twins gave it a thumbs up!
Today is September 1st.
If you are in Austin, you should stop by
 the  Peached Tortilla on Sunday.
They will be serving the Henbit Monster Cookie Shake,
a peach leaf milkshake made with pecan brittle and
topped with whipped cream, matcha powder, and
a Henbit Monster Cookie!
 When July rolled around Miss Merri Mac 
and I headed to Whole Foods Market 
to cool off with a gelato on the 4th of July.
You can read all the details here
Liberty and Gelato For All!
The big news of our summer was a much anticipated trip
to Aurora, NY for the anual MacKenzie-Childs Barn Sale.
Miss Merri Mac and I packed it up and off we went.
Attending this event had long been on my wish list.
With a milestone birthday this year, I decided
there is no time like the present to make dreams come true.
Thank you to my thoughtful husband for the gift of this trip!
We flew into Syracuse, rented a car, and 
headed south to the quaint town of Aurora, NY.
My home away from home that week was
E. B. Morgan House, in Aurora, NY.
You can read more about this beautiful property
that is part of Inns of Aurora in a previous post here.
Fargo Bar and Grill and The Inns of Aurora Dining Room are the
only options for dining in town.  Both offering delicious options, lunch and dinner was often shared wih friends at one or the other.  
 Honestly this was truly more fun than I ever imagined.
You can read an earlier post here for all the 
details on attending the actual Barn Sale.  
 Fellow Traveling Tote friend, Patti @ Pandora's Box
joined me for the sale and brought along
these adorable "shopping shoes"!
 That evening Debbie @ Mountain Breaths with Miss Aurora
and her thoughtful husband, Joe, stayed for dinner at 
Inns of Aurora.
The "icing on the cake" for this birthday trip was the 
opportunity to actually meet up with friends who 
I've known only through their blogs or on Instagram.
In addition to all the fun of the actual Barn Sale, 
just spending time on the grounds at the
 MacKenzie-Childs historic dairy farm was totally amazing 
~ beautiful vistas, gardens, historic farm house, and shop.
MacKenzie-Childs ~ Aurora, New York
And yes, I did return with a few Barn Sale bargains.
With everything 50 to 80 % off retail, it was all very tempting.
Many have asked for photos of what I bought.  Unlike most who 
go prepared with a shopping list, I chose to let serendipity give direction to my purchases.  I was thrilled to add to my Courtly Check ceramics and to find a few other things as well.
It's almost impossible to get a good photo of this space,
but we have a little corner in the music room with a selection
of Courtly Check pieces collected through the years.
I've had the Courtly Check Groovy canister for some time, 
so I was thrilled to find a Courtly Check Globe canister.
And well, that handsome princely Frog on Courtly Check Ball
simply hopped into my cart and insisted on returning to Texas.
I had my eye on the adorable Funny Bunny since he was first offered last spring, so I was almost giddy when I spied this guy. 
He hangs around on various things, but he's especially handsome
on the Black Flower Market ice bucket that followed me home. 
Love using this piece for fresh flowers or a potted plant.
Garden girl that I am, I had to buy this beautiful Watering Can.  
It also makes a great container for my Barn Sale bouquet of 
Courtly Check Sunflowers, and well, 
Mack the Bear was just too cute to leave behind!
Miss Merri Mac and Miz Checkers 
invite you back for the next edition of 
Tales of the Traveling Tote on December 1.  
We have a big trip planned that we want to share.
Come along and travel with:
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box
Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 
(You are here) Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader
Lea and Miss Scarlett @ Cici's Corner
 Leave a comment on Life and Linda 
to be entered in this giveway.

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Friday, August 31, 2018

Dog Days of Summer ~ Garden Gates


According to ancient Rome,
Dog Days of Summer 
last from July 23 to August 24.

Well, I'm here to tell you that
with the Texas heat,
Dog Days
of lethargy and inactivity are still here.
Lack of rain is all too familiar in Austin, and summer 2018
is likely to be Austin's hottest summer on record.
This was one of the hotter days recently.  Today was 103.
That said, you can imagine that things in the gardens
around here are pretty stressed.
With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to share a few 
garden gates for The Garden Linky Party.
You enter our back garden 
through this stone arched gateway.

This garden gate off our back terrace
will lead you to steps that take you through 
the wild, natural part of our garden.
I pass by this stately gate on my daily walks.
You might be surprised to know that this rustic cedar gate
is right here in the central city, part of a historic property.
As is this long forgotten plot that sits close to a busy street.
I love the authentic feel and the patina of time.
 A local slogan is "Keep Austin Weird".
I'd say this colorful gate with hand knitted gate slats 
is doing its part to keep things weird.
Have to admit, it is pretty clever!
One of my favorite gates keeps these two sweet miniature
donkeys in their special arena at my friend's historic
property that was once a gristmill and which is 
located just south of downtown Austin.
This unusual gate leads to a secret garden
at a beautiful property in San Antonio.
With Texas' close proximity to Mexico,
it's not unusual to see a welcome in Spanish.
Not a garden gate, but the entrance to my friend's
beautiful horse ranch just outside of Austin.

 These star finials accent the top.
I'll leave you with one last gate that captured my 
imagination when visiting a plantation outside of Savannah.
I was taken with the mix of textures of the stone, brick, and iron
work among the overgrown plants and grasses.
~ The Dog Days of Summer ~ 
are definitely the season for leisure times, 
so I've made some refreshing treats.
How about an icy cold 
glass of lemonade.
Along with a slice of
 delicious Meyer Lemon cake.
~ Lorina ~
Delicious ~ Sparkling ~ Lemonade
Nothing better on a hot summer day
than citrus drinks to quench one's thirst.
And any way you slice it,
this lemon cake is full of goodness.
Tangy with a 
touch of sweetness.
Elegant and Light
An afternoon citrus refresher.
Sadie and I thank you for your visit.
This is the last Garden Linky Party of the season.
A Garden Party, the perfect distraction for
~ Dog Days of Summer ~

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