Home, Home on the Range, Part 3 of 3

Decorative kale at the Arboretum: about the only
kind I haven't tried feeding to Dear Husband.

One afternoon during our visit, "the girls" dressed up and went to tea at the Arboretum. This is one of Grandmother's favorite things to do. She first took me when I came on a solo visit when as a kid, and it was just as fancy as I remembered it. There were three courses (soup, sandwiches, dessert) and three kinds of tea. Afterwards we visited the special exhibition next door of every kind of angel: glass angels, metal angels, porcelain angels, fabric angels, shell angels, beaded angels, wooden angels, lace angels.... The restaurant and mansion were sumptuously decorated with green garlands, wide ribbons, large ornaments, and strings of crystal. What a treat!

First course: Tomato Basil Broth with Cheese Wafer. Served with Apple Spice Tea.

Second Course: Tea Sandwiches. Served with Peach Cinnamon Hibiscus Tea.

The Smoked Salmon Pinwheels and Open-Faced Chicken Salad were favorites around the table.
The china was Spode with a Christmas tree, which you can just see through the finger sandwiches.

Third Course: Desserts. Served with Darjeeling Tea.

On the left, Grandmother admires the sandwich pyramid. On the right, Mother and the desserts.

Cousin E liked the Chocolate-Covered Strawberries best. There were also cookies, truffles, and scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream ("sugar and fat" according to Aunt J ;-). We took the cellophane-wrapped Gingerbread House home with us.

Cousins!