Ridin' The Rhody

                                         It's the Rhododendron Festival again!

Last year I was robbed of my chance to ride in the 1955 fire engine by a little kid.

It shoulda been me!

At this year's Rotary Fundraiser Auction I was determined to win it. I partnered with Judith  Deacon to tag team the bidding.  We were told to "hover" during the final minutes of bidding but I found that simply sitting on the bid sheet was a far more effective strategy.

Judith and I got to "Ride the Rhody."

Our Back Up band - they were terrific!

I'm not sure which was the most thrilling - being in the parade or being in such close proximity to so many handsome, strapping firemen.  Judith and I got as close to as many as we could, but for some reason only the most experienced ones were able to pose with us.

Here's the winning float this year: The Car Wash, which the fabulous Dotty Flowers (best name ever!) - a recent arrival from Key West where they know something about parades and floats - helped design.

So, this is the one we have to beat.  I've stolen/bribed/cajoled Ms. Flowers and work is already starting on the design for the Pippa's Real Tea  float for the Rhody Parade 2013.  (And you know there will be boas involved!)

Meanwhile, work is galloping along on the store front.  Lon Michalski from Islander Drywall whipped up the walls in record time and suddenly it's starting to look like a real store.

Frank has finished repairing the brick courtyard

and Sean Hamill and Hunter have the garden all primped and ready for the Mexican Beach Pebbles which are arriving this week (yay Leo!)

The back of this old building is looking pretty fabulous.  Final Before and After pics next time!

And Bob has worked hard putting lipstick on the face of this old girl so her front is as pretty as her rear.

 

If you haven't signed up yet for the Customer Adoration Sweepstakes  it's time you did.  Winners announced June 15!

Next week Shannon and I are off to the World Tea Expo held each summer in (where else?) Las Vegas.  This year marks the 10th Anniversary Expo and should be bigger and better than ever.  I am signed up to participate in the first ever U.S. Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony.  A full report will follow!

If you listen closely you can hear SusanWhitmire pointing out to a painfully aware Hilary "That's your mother!"  and Hilary's response "I know."

Lads Up Ladders

David from Tracy's Insulation

 It's been a busy couple of weeks.  Lads up ladders all over the place.

Steve from Marvin Painting

Ron from Frederickson Electric

Austin and Kevin from Marvin Painting up a very big ladder indeed.  Okay, fine, it's scaffolding.

Bob, owner of Marvin Painting.  Wait till you see how he and his crew have

 tarted up this old building.

Dan with mock ups of light fixtures - a little to the left?  A bit higher?

Both the inside and outside are slowly being transformed.  The Marvelous Ed from Upstairs has nearly finished the fence and I have moved on to the War on Dirty Bricks.

Looks strangely like a map of the Middle East ....

Not all the improvements to the building are visible.  My friend Frost conducted a Native American Blessing Ceremony which was one of the most moving gifts I've ever received.  She helped Terry, Shannon and me purify the space and disperse any negative energy that might be lingering.  Considering the past of the building (brothel/bar/burned out bawdy house) and the number of crimes committed on the waterfront in the old days, there may have been a bit of that about. 

You can clearly see the roof outlines of the original wooden buildings that were attached to the brick building.  The Franklin House was billed as the "first fireproof hotel" in Port Townsend.  Obviously there was some truth to the fireproof claim - the "hotel" part may have been a stretch (unless the term "hot sheets hotel" was in use back then.)  The Tea Room extends to the wooden part that didn't burn down, and was probably where a lot of the bawdy action took place.  Port Townsend had a reputation every bit as notorious as San Francisco's Barbary Coast.

Port Townsend in its very early days.  Looks harmless enough....

We welcomed good energy and blessings upon the building and the Tea Room by burning sweetgrass and setting off every fire alarm in the place - but hey, nice to know they work now.  And that's not all that worked.  Claudia and Ed From Upstairs got some good news that very evening that was directly related to them living in this building.  Thank you Frost!

We're about to launch the Customer Adoration Page along with the Pippa's Real Tea Facebook page.  If you "like" us on Facebook you can enter the Customer Adoration Sweepstakes - 50 Facebook fans will get 50% off their first online or in-store order (such a deal!) Names will be drawn June 16th.

Here's a link to the page if you're one of those sad people who don't have a  smart phone, or one of the sadder ones (like me) who have one but don't know what to do with it:                  PippasRealTea

Believe it or not, some people who have seen this in the window have actually asked if it was me.  What can I say?  I scrubbed up nicely in my early days.