We’ve Got News!
Big things are happening at Willowbrook Manor. (Big rainstorms for one.)
Mom and Me ~
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. (This picture of the two of us is on Memorial Day.) Mom has her own corner of this newsletter. We always have a giveaway, so make sure to read to the end.
Debut of Red Falcon Road!
Last Thursday evening we celebrated the launch of Red Falcon Road at the Concrete Theatre in downtown Concrete, WA. We had guests from Seattle all the way to the Canadian border town of Lynden. Everyone loved it, and by the end, many sang along with the jingle, “Good people and good livin’ down Red Falcon Road.”
A Family Thing ~
We took pictures with many ‘Red Falcon Roadies.’ This one is my favorite. It’s mom and me with my youngest son. I still can remember him riding in the back seat strapped into his booster.
My Minions Came ~
Can I say how much it warmed my heart to have some of the Willowbrook workers (affectionately called minions) attend the debut? Zane and his sister Lilly drove an hour and a half to get there.
Victoria and Cait also came, bringing sisters Guenna and Beatrice. Ice cream at the Act One Ice Cream Shop was part of the experience.
Watch All 3 Episodes ~
I haven’t figured out how to select a good thumbnail picture for each YouTube episode so I have to be content with what the auto-select chooses for me. But you can watch any or all of the first three vignettes. Click HERE to view. Please subscribe and give us a thumbs up!
I would especially like to thank the Skagit Lodging Tax Fund that made Red Falcon Road possible.
Rain Rain Go AWAY!
The very first picture in this newsletter shows the rain-created moat around Willowbrook Manor. That was from the torrential rain which caused the downtown bike-ride tea tent to crumple.
Lucky for me I have an extra tea tent and five AMAZING interns from Western Washington University that are helping rebrand the Woolley to Willowbrook Bike Ride and all NEW Woolley Walk History Tour. I call my intern the Dream Team. They came down from Bellingham to help set up the extra tent, then we all headed out on a filming spree to promote the new bike tour. Click HERE to view a 60-second promo.
Blast from the Past Town Celebration ~
The Woolley to Willowbrook Bike Ride and Woolley Walk debuts this coming Friday and Saturday, and it just happens to be at the same time as the Sedro Woolley Blast from the Past town celebration. If there is any time to try out the Woolley to Willowbrook Bike Ride and Woolley Walk it is this weekend. The town will be alive with artisans, street vendors, food trucks, live music and a classic car show. Click HERE for more Blast from the Past information.
Make a Bike Ride Reservation ~
These WWU interns agree that the Woolley to Willowbrook Bike Ride is a must-do summer activity. Complete with a picnic of tea and scones to enjoy in the gardens of Willowbrook Manor, it is something you will want to share with friends. Click HERE to book a bike ride.
Make it a ‘Staycation’ ~
You can have the flavor of a trip to the English countryside right here in Skagit Valley. Willowbrook Manor has the charm, seclusion and tranquil tea retreat. Outdoor adventurers have found it to be the perfect place to rest and rejuvenate. Willowbrook is where the kettle is ready for tea anytime, day or night. Click HERE for availability and rates.
Summer Garden Tea ~
It is just a week and a half until the first Summer Garden Tea of the season! The tea tents are up and waiting for you to come for a lovely high tea experience. Choose to be seated inside the manor or under the charming tea tent. Summer Garden Tea is June 14th, August 9th and September 13th. Book Summer Garden Tea HERE.
U-Pick Chamomile ~
Chamomile Harvest and Tea is July 12th and 26th, where you can pick all the chamomile you would like and take it home with you to dry for tea. I drink chamomile tea every night before I go to bed because I have learned that I can count on it to help me get a good night’s sleep. Book your table HERE.
Time for Liz ~
This is where I turn the pen over to my mom, author Liz Adair.
Liz Sez:
When I was a teenager, I wished I was short and petite, the kind considered cute.
My friend Nayna, small and blonde with a dusting of freckles across a turned-up nose, fit the definition. Joyce, with her dark hair up in a perky ponytail and wearing an oversized button shirt and worn Levi’s was the very essence of cute.
I, on the other hand, blessed with Northern European genes, got left out of the cuteness pool. I have been called statuesque, imposing, commanding, in-charge, sophisticated, urbane, but never cute.
Until the other night at the launch party for Red Falcon Road at the Concrete Theater.
If I had a nickel for every time someone came up to me after seeing the first three episodes of Red Falcon Road and called me cute, I could have bought an ice cream cone at the adjacent ice cream parlor. What happened to statuesque? Sophisticated? Urbane?
Maybe it was my pink ear warmers or my yellow boots. Maybe it was because I couldn’t pronounce Tecalitlan. Okay, none of those register under sophisticated or urbane. And I agree, I no longer qualify for statuesque or even imposing.
All of a sudden cute doesn’t seem too bad.
It just came seventy years too late.
-Liz
Now back to Terry for the giveaway!
This Month’s Winners ~
This month’s winners of a set of Ball salt and pepper shakers are:
- Sarah S, from Toronto, OH
- Janet W from Bellingham, WA
- Mary Ann Brown, from Williamsburg, VA
- Diana G, from Sedro Woolley, WA
- Mary S from Ogden, UT
Congratulations winners! For those of you who didn’t win this time, continue to watch my newsletters because I have more of these that I will be giving away some time in the future.
This Month’s Giveaway ~
This month’s giveaway is one of my favorite teacups from the Willowbrook collection. The idea for this giveaway came to me when Sally messaged me after attending our Red Falcon Road launch party. She sent a picture of a lovely teacup filled with steaming tea. “You inspired me,” she wrote. “It made me wonder why I don’t do it more often.”
So this month’s giveaway is an antique teacup along with the invitation to slow down and make time for a cup of tea. Enter for the drawing HERE. Don’t forget to include a little note to let Mom and me know how you are doing. We love hearing from you!
That’s All For This Month ~
A special thank you if you have read to the end. I’m grateful for your support of my newsletter.
-t