Ahoy 'Mate-Teas'! ~

It be International Talk Like a Pirate Day!!

 
 Shiver me timbers! What treasures there be at Willowbrook!

Hello Hello!  
How are you? 

Talk Like a Pirate Day has been an annual thing for me.  Perhaps you read last year's newsletter with the picture of me and the dogs in a rowboat on the reflecting pool here at Willowbrook?  (Click HERE to read.)

It is something I look forward to every year. I'm not that good with pirate lingo, but I do love the wench outfit.  

First Mate on Board ~



My first treasure to share is Willowbrook's newest acquisition.  Paityn McCutcheon is coming on board as my assistant and the manor's new general manager. I couldn't be more thrilled to have this hard working, can-do lady assist in making Willowbrook the premier destination location for tea-lovers, bike-lovers, and nature-lovers.  I am excited for you to meet Paityn.  She is practically part of the family, being best friends with my youngest daughter Aliece. She has graced our home with her adorable smile for many years. Can you see how having her as my first mate is kind of like discovering hidden treasure?  

 Tent Trailer Joy~



The next treasure I have to share is my beloved tent trailer! I purchased it 12 years ago and since then, I have hauled kids and dogs and kids' friends to places like Baker Lake, WA, Beverly Beach OR, and Cape Disappointment.  On a pirate note, one time we took the parrot camping with us  because we couldn't find a parrot-sitter. (Arghh!)



The more the merrier was my moto, and I always required each kid to bring a friend. There was method to my madness in that, if each kid had a friend, they entertained themselves, and I didn't have to work so hard.



We especially loved to camp on the Pacific coast in November when it was windy and sometimes rainy.  The tent trailer always kept us cozy and warm.  Nothing brings a family close like a cold weekend camping at the beach! 



My job was to keep the food coming and the fire going. I love all of the memories I have with that trailer. I thought I would keep it forever, but I actually sold it last week.  I have a fun purpose in selling it, but you will have to wait for another newsletter to find out what it is.  (So exciting!)   

A Room Fit For a Pirate ~

My youngest son Jens got a job with Amazon and moved out this month, so the crow's nest is empty!  (Meaning I'm an empty-nester.) This pirate is doing a jig!  I didn't waste time in transforming his room into another guest room.  He still comes home on weekends which I love, but he prefers to sleep on the couch in the rec. room. 


Whenever I host events at the manor, I typically have a sign at the stairs saying "upstairs is private'. But that will soon change now that the kids are gone. I am getting the upstairs ready to host overnight guests for special occasions.  



Many of you know about Tea and Tulips, the English Tea experience I host during the Tulip festival.  Covid permitting, I will host Tea and Tulips every Friday and Saturday during the month of April 2021.

I am pleased to announce that the manor will be open for overnight guests Sunday through Wednesday nights during the 2021Tulip Festival. Tea and scones will be served every morning in the luxurious tea room of Willowbrook Manor.

Watch for reservations to open in December to book for the month of April. Thereafter the manor will be available for corporate events, writers conferences, women's  retreats, etc.  If you have been looking for an unique place to hold a special event click HERE to enquire about availability and rates.  

My Personal Treasure ~



In preparing the upstairs of the manor to accommodate overnight guests, I gathered up all of the pictures and artwork of the kids that I had hanging on the walls of my room and bathroom. I hung them, instead, on the stairs that go up to the attic/craft room.  

These stairs are now a place that makes me smile. I love the memory of when the kids were little.  It was an age of innocence.  It was a time when I looked at life through the lens of a child and saw the world with a touch of magic.  It was a time to love in a manner so powerful as to push me far past my perceived ability.  I love the gift that raising these children gave to me.  



When you come to Willowbrook if you go to the second story and peek up the stairs to the attic, you will see my most valued treasure. Those six people that came into my world as tiny infants, each carried under my heart before they took their first breath, have filled the walls of my home and mind with beautiful memories. I love it now when they waft in for the weekend, or for dinner, or to watch a movie on the big screen. I especially love to walk up the stairs and be reminded of when they were children.   (It shivers me timbers!)