Just came back from a foodie trip in Monterey/Carmel CA for three days. Just before we left, we had a fun lunch at the Culinary Academy of Monterey, on Cannery Row. They were doing "soup day" with 11 different soups and a basket of bread, 'bottomless bowl' (you could have as many/as often as you wanted) for a mere $10/person. They have a lovely outdoor patio overlooking the Bay. The day was sunny but the wind was cold, so I asked for hot tea instead of my usual iced tea. They brought the usual basket of pre-bagged teas, and there was one I had never seen before. The brand was Ambiance, and it was an Orange Jasmine Green Tea. I don't usually care for green teas, but this was very strongly flavored with orange and very nice! My DH who does like all kinds of tea, also liked it. If you ever run across it I recommend trying it. It reminded me of a variant on the old standby Constant Comment tea.

(Had to scroll back to find the "nude dude". I like 'em.) I'm not a minimalist so all the "stuff" I would find interesting to visit. I'm not a fan of red rooms but so many over stuffed rooms I've seen pictures of are red so maybe that's part of the formula? The massive numbers of pillows on the sofas drive me nuts! I can imagine sitting down (daintily) and having them fall over my shoulders onto the floor, knocking the snifter of cognac out of my hand on the way down. Damage to expensive carpets be damned - I hate to waste cognac!

Interesting the impressions some have :-) There is a big difference between a department store......of which very few exist these days.....and large clothing stores. Nordstroms has never been a department store!! It started as a shoe store.....period! I remember shopping there in my late teenage years, as they were one of the few places around that sold Capezio shoes (which I loved and had a vast collection :-)) It wasn't until it combined with a woman's apparel store (Best's Apparel) that it became a clothing store, known as Nordstrom-Best and finally just Nordstroms. But it only sold shoes and clothes. That is NOT a department store!! Back in the day, Seattle had two, semi-upscale department stores - The Bon Marche and Frederick and Nelsons. The sold everything from soup to nuts....clothes, toys, furniture and antiques, appliances, kitchenware, fine china and crystal, linens, fine art, etc. And food.....both already prepared food, imported goods, a bakery and several restaurants. The Bon was acquired by Macy's in 2003 but still remains as the largest department store in the area. Frederick and Nelsons was even larger than The Bon and a step or two up in both quality and price. And F&N was where Frango's originated. F&N was acquired by Marshall Fields in 1929 but always operated under the F&N name. It was a huge store...12 storeys and occupied a full city block. It had multiple restaurants, a fantastic bakery, a candy kitchen (where Frangos and other candies were made), a post office, beauty salon, infirmary, a daycare facility and a reading room. It was known for its fabulous, animated Christmas windows and was where all the best Santa photos were taken :-) It was a Seattle institution! It closed with the demise of Marshall Fields in the early 90's. But that massive store is still there in the heart of downtown Seattle and is now the Nordstrom flagship store and corporate office.

Sorry Kitty, after rereading my post I am afraid I have mislead you. Ballerina is a rose which has hydrangea type flowers. I hope you are well and covid free. Frankly my garden is the only thing that's keeping me sane at the moment. I am trialling alfalfa pellets as a season long feed for my roses this year. They are not as well known as a soil improver over here as the appear to be in America. I always wear gloves when gardening. This was after a friend contracted weils disease which he caught after cutting his finger while in contact with the soil. As the symptoms initially are similar to that of a cold the illness wasn't diagnosed until the poor man collapsed and then spent the next six years in and of hospital whilst waiting for a heart transplant. I enjoy reading the New York Times its in depth analysis keeps me informed and is way ahead of the scandal sheets available here And the best part is the cost..I have just checked my account to be sure,its £2 every two weeks. Here's hoping for some normality, Kitty,bye