Voted Best Teahouse ~

How about this selfie with Miss Washington? Natalie Worthy had just returned from the Miss America Pageant and was the guest of honor at the Community Choice Awards banquet. She announced the winners of the ‘Best of the Best’ businesses, and Willowbrook Manor won best Teahouse!

A special and heartfelt thank you to all of you who support my small business (and read my newsletter). Willowbrook Manor is a success because of YOU.

If you are new to The Willowbrook Word, I’m Terry, owner and caretaker of Willowbrook Manor English Tea House and Farm Stay located in beautiful Skagit Valley.

My mom, author Liz Adair, lives with me here on the farm. She has her own corner in this newsletter. Make sure to read to the end because we always include a giveaway that you can sign up to win.

Chamomile Camp ~

This summer I hosted grandkids for a four-day Chamomile Camp.

We worked in the Rose Garden each morning…

then set off on adventures in the afternoon.

Every night we enjoyed roasting marshmallows, making s’mores, and sharing the best and worst of the day.

My job was to keep the crew fed. I learned that you can have 15 kids and still keep a clean house. You simply don’t let them inside! All 15 Chamomile Campers ate, slept, showered and used the composting toilet OUTSIDE the whole time they were at Willowbrook. I was still hosting overnight guests inside the manor during camp, so the kids knew they had to stay outside.

Chamomile Camp was fantastic! The Rose Garden was transformed from wild and overgrown to tidy. We biked and picnicked down the Cascade Trail, explored tide pools at Larrabee State Park, kayaked at Baker Lake, danced, played, and shared yummy time together.

Overnight Guests ~

The first thing I do when greeting overnight guests is to take them to the kitchen and show them how to prepare a tray of tea like the one pictured above. That way, anytime day or night, they can enjoy sipping a cup of tea. It’s part of the enjoyment of staying here at Willowbrook, and I encourage multiple tea trays in a day.

Guests take their tea trays to their rooms, the summer tea tent, the garden (sunny days), the greenhouse (rainy days), any of the comfy chairs inside the manor, or, like the Gibson family, around the fire pit on the back covered porch. Regardless of the location, enjoying a pot of tea with a china teacup, cream and sugar, and a pressed napkin is a gentle form of self-care. It makes you feel a bit better about the day. (This is one of those things that you CAN try at home.)

My 61st Birthday ~

Summer is constant go-go, working the farm and hosting tea guests. But I blocked off several days to celebrate my birthday with biking, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.

The highlight of the week was our day-trip to Snowgoose Produce and then out to Kraft Island

Snowgoose Produce is a must-do summer destination with local food, flowers and artisan gifts.

My favorite part of this outdoor market is its ‘immodest’ scoops of ice cream.

Just around the corner from Snowgoose is a magical trail that winds through about 3/4 mile of marshland to Kraft Island.

This craggy outcropping is a fabulous place to explore, fly kites, look for shells, and visit on the beach. Some of my kids even went for a swim. It was a splendid day – the kind you hold in your mind and heart as a treasure.

Chamber of Commerce Luncheon ~

Every September the Sedro Woolley Chamber of Commerce luncheon is hosted at Willowbrook Manor. It is typically under the summer tea tent, but this year the weather forced us indoors. I served my signature butter chicken and pilau with garlic naan and mango chutney. We finished up with tea, of course. It was a cozy-connection luncheon with lots of visit time. I’m always on a high afterwards.

Woolley Tea ~

Our September High Tea was a sheep-themed event, and I fashioned little lamb cupcakes with Tootsie Rolls for a delicious sheep-sweet.

I wanted to showcase the artwork of Rhonda Potts, a local tea-lover who now works for me. So, ‘ Woolley Tea’ seemed like the best way to accomplish that.

Rhonda’s sheep-collection of nine oil paintings was on display for tea guests to enjoy, and prints were available for purchase. You can view her paintings and order prints HERE. I’m proud to know such a talented and gracious artist.

Skagit Woolen Works ~

I invited Skagit Woolen Works to have a pop-up store with all things wool at our Woolley Tea. Anna Hosick-Kalahan, co-owner of this feel-good business, brought an array of wool products.

Mom and I both stocked up for Christmas gift giving. You can view their amazing products at Skagit Woolen Works online store HERE.

Anna even brought her portable spinning wheel to Woolley Tea and demonstrated how she spins wool. I remember when I was a teenager, my mom would spin wool in the evenings. It was her time for calm and peace. Perhaps that is why I have such a connection with sheep and the wool they produce.

The Sheep Detectives Movie at the Concrete Theatre ~

For the Woolley Tea grand finale, tea guest took the scenic drive to the historic Concrete Theatre to watch The Sheep Detectives Movie. Jim and I had the best date, and I got to wear my sheep-like sweatshirt for the occasion. All in all, it was a super fun event and an uplifting day for me.

Guests Who Come for Tea ~

The Allens came for Woolley Tea. I was delighted to see them again and asked if I could share pictures of their visits to my farm.

They came for U-pick Chamomile in July as a summer date-night experience.

I enjoyed hosting them then and was delighted to welcome them back for Woolley Tea. Making a space for people to connect with each other over tea is a beautiful thing. I love my job.

Labor Day Bike Camping ~

My family’s tradition is to bike-camp in the San Juan Islands over Labor Day weekend.

We load up the fleet of e-bikes and bike trailers with all of our camping gear and meet in Anacortes to bike onto the ferry.

This year we went to Shaw Island County Park and had 23 people on bikes. With all of the little ones, we didn’t have enough hauling capacity, so Jim drove his truck full of camp gear and food onto the 5:30 AM Ferry. He parked his truck at the campground, then biked back to the ferry to meet up with us in Anacortes as we were boarding. Jim is always the facilitator, quietly going about making things run smoothly. “Love is an action word,” he says. And it is true. We all feel his love.

Sunday henna painting is a camp tradition. It is creative together time. My three daughters are artists and spent the afternoon painting personalized henna designs on each family member.

I had Addy write DAVKAJ on my wrist. It is the first-name initials of my six children, written over the blood vessels that flow from my heart to my hands and back.

It’s a lot of work to get 23 bodies on bikes for a family campout. But island camping is worth the effort. We made great memories this Labor Day. Next year Lopez Island!

Family Reunions at Willowbrook Manor ~

The theme for this newsletter seems to be spending time with family. To be honest, that is the most important time we have during our sojourn here on earth. So, if you are wanting to gather your family together, consider coming to Willowbrook Manor for a reunion or weekend getaway. Winter months are actually a great time to stay and sip tea in the cozy warmth of the manor. Guests consistently tell me that staying at Willowbrook is both relaxing, and rejuvenating.

Click HERE to request itineraries and pricing for family reunions at Willowbrook Manor.

Have You Got Your Scone Subscription?

I have so many requests for shipping my scone mix that I decided to create an annual Scone Mix Subscription. It includes two shipments of five large bags of Willowbrook’s signature scone mix (makes 24 scones per bag). One shipment arrives before the holidays in December and one before Mothers Day in May. You can either stock your pantry or give scone mix as gifts. Everyone LOVES Willowbrook Scones. Find more information and subscribe HERE.

Harvest Tea ~

Our last Harvest Tea is coming up this Saturday, October 24th. There are a few tables still available. Click HERE to book.

Halloween Tea ~

Our first annual Halloween Tea is October 31st. The morning tea session is fully booked but the 2:00 tea still has plenty of seating. Book Here for Halloween Tea.

Holiday Tea ~

We are taking reservations for Holiday Tea. Click HERE to book.

AND – we are also encouraging families and businesses to schedule their own private afternoon Holiday Tea during one of three Fridays in December. Click HERE for more information.

Time For Liz ~

This is where I turn the pen over to my mother, author Liz Adair. Here she is:

Liz Sez ~

안녕 That’s Korean writing for the word annyeong, which means hello.

I stumbled upon a Korean TV series on Netflix a couple of years ago, and that sucked me into a film-odyssey through Korean culture. It’s fun learning about other lands and seeing what is important to them. I had previously spent several years watching Turkish series and films, listening to Turkish music, and practicing Turkish through a Babbel app on my phone.

In all my Turkish and Korean drama travels, one thing I find is universal, and that is the importance of families. The same family dynamics play out, no matter the culture: the need for love, sibling rivalries, old wounds from destructive parents, ungrateful children.

I’ve been interested to observe, in watching Korean series, how often the question comes up with new acquaintances of, “How old are you.” Establishing birth order sets the pattern for speech and using honorifics—special speech forms used to show respect based on age, social status, or relationship. Honorifics show up in verb endings, pronouns, nouns, and vocabulary choices.

Another thing I’ve observed is the importance of the apology. If you have wronged someone, it’s important that you own up to it face to face and apologize. Then it’s incumbent upon the other person to accept your apology.

Drinking is present but not overly so in the Turkish series since Islam is the dominant religion in Turkey. Tea is omnipresent instead. By contrast, in Korean series, drinking soju almost seems to be the national sport. Co-ed, at that. The amount of acceptable public drunkenness made me blink and wonder if art really is representing reality.

The extreme competition for jobs is evident in every Korean series. This translates into student competition and before- and after-school extra classes to get an edge on passing requisite exams for employment.

There are some really great Korean series out there, and I’d like to recommend my favorite five, though it was hard keeping it down to that number. All are in Korean with subtitles.

Crash Landing on You is about an heiress—though illegitimate—who is a successful businesswoman. She goes paragliding, is caught in a tornado, and lands in North Korea. She is rescued by a North Korean army captain, and instead of turning her in, he helps her get back home—but not before lots of adventures ensue. It’s funny, heartwarming, heart-stopping, sad, and romantic. One of the things I liked about it was that this South Korean TV show was respectful of the North Koreans’ characters’ dignity and did not show them trying to defect. All were anxious to get back to their lives in North Korea. This series can be found on Netflix.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is about a young woman on the Autism Spectrum who was raised by a single dad who, with an infant on his hands, left law school and opened an eatery so he could raise his child. She gets her law degree, passes the bar, and is hired at a prestigious law firm. All her colleagues are wary about working with her, but she wins them over—and she wins her cases. Korean actress Park Eun‑bin does a great job playing Attorney Woo. This series is on Netflix.

My Dearest. What a beautiful series this is! Of course, any series with Namgoong Min as the lead is going to be good. According to writer Hwang Jin-young, it was inspired by the 1936 novel Gone with the Wind, and I could see many parallels. Set in 1636 when Qing China invaded Joseon (what Korea was called at that time), it’s the story of common folk surviving when they are at war. Namgoong Min plays the Rhett Butler-ish character, but he fares better than Rhett. The female lead proves to grow better in character than Scarlett did, and they are finally together at the end. This series is on Prime.

Romance is a Bonus Book is a friends-to-lovers story set in the world of a small publisher. It has some nice literary sub plots. One of the points of conflict is the female character, Kang Dan-I, trying to find a job after leaving her successful copywriting job a decade before to raise her child. Now divorced from a deadbeat husband and with her child away at school, she’s homeless, desperate for employment, and can’t find a job. She solves all her problems with a bit of subterfuge, but it all works out in the end. On Netflix, it was one of the first Korean Series I watched, and it’s still one of my favorites.

I’m sitting here waffling because I can’t decide whether to recommend Her Private Life (a romance set in the art world) or Reply 1988 (a slice of life about five teenagers and their families in a small neighborhood during the time the Olympics were in Seoul)—both on Netflix. I think I won’t do either one of them for #5. Instead, I’ll recommend my favorite Korean musical group. Nope, not K-pop. It’s a crossover group.

Forestella has two members who are classically trained; another is a chemical engineer who had a rock band on the side, and the fourth came from musical theater. They formed during a competition in about 2017 and have won a gazillion competitions since. I have heard them sing in English, Spanish, Italian, French, Zulu and, of course, Korean. In trying to pick which YouTube video to choose to introduce them, I couldn’t decide because their playlist is so eclectic, so I chose a sampler. Their Killing Voice video (Click HERE to view) has snippets of lots of their songs. If you like them, you can find live performances of these songs and others on YouTube.

If you try any of my suggestions, tell me what you think. And if you have a favorite Korean series let me know. Click HERE to email Liz.
–Liz

Now back to Terry

This Month’s Winners ~

Last month’s giveaway was a digital PDF of my mom’s songbook that she created for the singalong at her birthday. Anyone who wanted it was invited to ask for it. Mom was AMAZED at how many copies of her song book she emailed to people, and how many ukulele players there are out there! She is talking about having a ‘Sabbath Sing’ next July during our Chamomile Festival. We will keep you posted.

This Month’s Giveaway ~

This months giveaway is a six-inch square print of Rhonda Potts’ oil painting called The Branch. Click HERE to enter to win. Make sure to let Mom and me know how things are going with you.

That is it for this issue of The Willowbrook Word!

I appreciate you reading to the end. This was me trying to hand-spin wool at Woolley Tea. Sending love!
-t

PS: I’m already being asked about tea in 2027, so here are a few that can be booked: