HUGE News from Willowbrook Manor ~

Many of you wrote in to the Skagit County Commissioners during two public comment periods for Agritourism, requesting that Willowbrook Manor be allowed to continue to operate. I am SO grateful for your support. It made a difference.

I am thrilled to share that a path has been approved that will allow my agritourism business to stay open. I am in the process of submitting plans to the county and this summer, will begin upgrades to my home to comply with commercial code. The fear of having to close my business is passed. There is much work ahead, but it is doable.

Mom and Me ~

I kind of got ahead of myself. For those of you who are new to The Willowbrook Word, I’m Terry, owner and caretaker of Willowbrook Manor English Teahouse and Farm Stay. My mother, author Liz Adair, lives here as well. Mom has her own corner of this newsletter. We always have a giveaway, so make sure to read to the end.

A Summer Fundraiser ~

The upgrades to my home and farm that are required to become code compliant are quite costly. So I am hosting a summer fun-run/bike ride/walkathon complete with morning tea and scones, a four-mile journey down the Cascade Trail through forest, farmland and along the Skagit River to the sleepy town of Lyman. There participants will enjoy lunch at the family-friendly Lyman Tavern. An optional shuttle back to Willowbrook will be available for those walkers and/or bikers content with four miles. The rest can travel back to the farm to complete an eight mile walk/bike/run. For those of you who are tea lovers, picking chamomile finishes this ‘day in the country’ experience. The cost is $60/person and includes tea and scones, lunch and chamomile picking. Bikers will need to bring their own bikes. Click HERE to sign up.

Time for Thin Mints ~

I love this time of year because of Thin Mints Girl Scout Cookies! Jim picked up several boxes and Mom and I have been using self-restraint not to eat a whole box in one sitting. I remember when the children were young, I would hide the Thin Mint cookies, but never good enough, The kids always seemed to find and snitch them. To this day they mention that I wasn’t very good at hiding things.

Faux Thin Mints ~

When Thin Mints aren’t in season, I combine Andes Mints with Ritz crackers and pretend they are Girl Scout Cookies. It is actually a pretty nice snack. That is, until you have an actual Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie. Try it and let me know what you think.

Not a Girl Scout but a Camper Indeed ~

I was never a Girl Scout, but I did go to church Girl’s Camp every summer and became an avid hiker. I LOVE camping. March is the one month out of the year that I don’t host any seasonal tea events, so I have been doing a lot of galavanting in this ‘new to me’ camper van. Here are a few great places we have recently camped:

Beverly Beach – Oregon Coast ~

Camping on the coast during winter months is a favorite. The waves are ferocious, and the beach is often vacant. Beverly Beach is about a six-hour drive south of Willowbrook.

The campground has a fabulous view of the beach through the Highway 101 bridge. This photo was taken in the middle of the night. Beverly Beach has been a family favorite for years. We typically would beach-camp over Veterans Day weekend in November.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is about a twenty-minute drive from Beverly Beach campground. This was my first time to go there without kids. A total game changer!

Dash Point State Park ~

Camping with my kids has always been a joy. I booked sites at Dash Point State Park in Federal Way, Wa ( a little over two-hours away from Willowbrook) and we had a super time together. It was cold, but my kids didn’t care. We didn’t get a group picture, so this is just some of the gang. The campground is cozy and secluded. The beach is gorgeous and a super place for kids to play though you have to drive to get to it.

My job is doing the food for family campouts. Us Chef’s Store (formerly Cash and Carry) sells giant slabs of rice crispy treats. They are perfect for summer camping. Not so for winter camping. When they are cold, like last week’s campout, they taste great, but are not kind on the gums.

Bay View State Park ~

A local favorite is Bayview State Park. It is about a 35-minute drive from Willowbrook. We camp there often, like almost every month now that we have the camper van. Padilla Bay interpretive center is just up the road and a must-visit for locals and visitors alike.

Red Falcon Road ~

Mom and I have just released our first ‘Day Trip from Willowbrook’ episode for Red Falcon Road. It spotlights Shawn O’Donnell Restaurant, Bayview State Park, and the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center. It also features my brother Clay and his family! Click HERE to watch. Please like, subscribe, comment, and share. All those things help with our grant writing.

A Surprise Party ~

I did host one tea event before I headed off on camping trips. It was a surprise birthday party and what a FUN thing!

Leigh Anne was turning 50, and Eric, her devoted husband, pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable occasion. He threw a Sally-O’Malley-themed tea party (from Saturday Night Live).

Leigh Anne was shocked when she walked through the door and saw all her friends (from near and far) lined up on the stairs and landing shouting ‘Surprise!’

I was touched at the outpouring of love and friendship. It was splendid to be a part of such a wonderful celebration. Eric gets the ‘husband of the year’ award. He orchestrated a fabulous and memorable event for his bride, bringing in all of the women that are special to her.

Tea and Tulips is Next Week ~

We have had heavy rains this past week and flooding, but the water will recede by the time Tea and Tulips begins. The flowers are blooming! Click HERE to book Tea and Tulips. If you are local, I encourage coming on a Friday when we typically have less people in the manor.

Mothers Tea ~

Mother’s Tea is the Friday and Saturday before Mother’s Day. It is a special way to celebrate our moms. Click HERE to book your table.

Summer Garden Tea ~

I am very grateful to be able to host Summer Garden Tea this year. When I thought I might have to close my business after Mothers Tea, I realized how much I enjoy the work I do. Every season brings change and beauty. Summertime is especially lovely to welcome guests for tea. Click HERE to attend Summer Garden Tea, happening every second Saturday June through September.

Summer Stay ~

Looking for a little family getaway or a girl’s weekend? The Rosemary Room at Willowbrook Manor sleeps up to four guest comfortably. Tea and scones are served every morning and the teakettle is always ready for you to make a pot of tea. Watch for more ‘Day Trips from Willowbrook’ videos that provide great ideas for what to do when you are here. There are already six Red Falcon Road episodes of things to do in Skagit Valley. Click HERE for the playlist. Stay at Willowbrook and explore.

Another HUGE Piece of News ~

Mom (Liz) has finished recording her recently-released memoir No-Town Girl. It will be coming out in audiobook by the end of summer. I’m so glad because now I will be able to listen to the book, I struggle to find time to sit down and read.

Here is where I turn the pen over to mom for her corner of this newsletter.

Liz Sez ~

Jim gave Terry some Girl Scout cookies, and she shared with me, prompting me to tell her for the umpteenth time that I was a Girl Scout in 1951, the year they first featured the thin mint cookies. Before then, we would trudge down the street with our cardboard satchels of cookies, trying to sell dowdy shortbread and peanut butter cookies. The thin mints really upped our game.

My three Girl Scout years were spent in Alaska. The last of those years I served as a junior counselor at summer camp and discovered how difficult it was to propel a rowboat in a straight line. I was in charge of ferrying younger girls over to a small island for an activity. By the time we got there, I had rowed twice the distance because of all the zigzagging I did.

Swimming, canoeing, building and tending the fire—I loved all the campcraft I learned in Girl Scouts, but the thing I loved most was the singing.

I can’t remember a word of the Girl Scout Oath, but I can still sing all of “Do Your Ears Hang Low” and “In a Cottage in a Woods.” In fact, I have found that toddlers are enchanted with the latter song, and I have been singing it to various and sundry of my progeny for half a century—so long, in fact, that its origins slipped my mind.

My daughter-in-law asked me where I learned the song, and when I admitted I didn’t know, she looked it up. “It’s a Girl Scout song,” she said, and I immediately remembered sitting at the lunch tables at the old Palmer School cafeteria after school, dressed in my uniform with my scarf buttoned to stay out straight, singing my heart out.

So, Girl Scouts has made our world better for more reasons than thin mints cookies. All my children and grandchildren know “In a Cottage in a Wood” complete with hand motions. I’m on the third generation now, teaching it to my great grandchildren. Click HERE to view a short video.

-Liz

Now back to Terry

This Month’s Giveaway Winners ~

This month’s winners of Herbal Jahva tea and a Willowbrook tea strainer are:

• Gunda V from Oak Harbor, WA
• Patty C, Kimball, TN
• Alison P, from Seattle, WA
• Nancy H, from Grant Pass, OR
• Kriste R from Bellingham, WA
• Sigrid V from Mt Vernon, WA

Congratulations.

This Month’s Giveaway ~

This month’s giveaway are note cards featuring artwork from my daughters. There are four of the pen and ink done by Aliece and three of the larger color paintings by Addy. I will be giving away five sets of these cards. Enter to win HERE. Don’t forget to leave a note to let mom and I know how you are doing.

That is it for this issue ~

Thank you for reading to the end. Let me know if you try the faux thin mints with Ritz crackers and Andes mints. What is your go-to snack when there are no favorite snacks in the house? Would love to know.
-t