A perfect afternoon of Spring Tea in the Secret Garden!

A soft breeze, warm sunshine, the happy sounds of of tea being poured into glasses and teacups, and the lively chatter of dozens of women. These were my sensory experiences on Saturday when the volunteers in Senoia once again combined their considerable talents to host a tea benefiting the Senoia Area Historical Society. This one had the delightful theme of "Spring Tea in the Secret Garden," and oh, how I wish you all could have been there!

I was again asked to serve as a judge for the hat contest, and I eagerly said yes, knowing that tea with the SAHS folks is always a treat. A friend of mine who saw some of my photos on Facebook expressed amazement that they offer a plated tea for so many guests, but I've simply come to expect this from the hardworking volunteers in Senoia! In addition to Vanilla Caramel Hot Tea and an Iced Watermelon/Strawberry Green Tea (I had to try both), we enjoyed Chicken Salad en Croute, a Fruit Skewer, a Cucumber Sandwich, Grape Tomato, Cheese, Black Olive, and Parsley in a Filo Cup drizzled with Raspberry Vinaigrette, and Cheese Buttons.

The first table I noticed when I stepped inside the gardens was this one, and oh, how happy I was to realize this was the judges' table!

At each place setting was a charming iced cupcake with edible butterflies!

Homeowner Pat Thompson is the one who graciously opened her gardens to us all. In talking with Pat later, I learned that she did most of this work herself, hiring out only a few things like the bricklaying in the patio area where we sat. I'd love to have a garden like this but don't want to do that much work, and I haven't yet found a solution to this particular dilemma!

My fellow judges were Angela White, who is well known locally for her work with our county in planning and tourism (she also happens to be in my Sunday School class) and someone I met just last week, Sara Moore, who now works at the newspaper where I used to work. Here's sweet Sara, at left, with Nancy Roy, the tireless organizer of the tea and the dear friend who so kindly invited me.

I had a great time chatting with my fellow judges, and we oohed and aahed over all the pretty hats as well as our food. I had skipped lunch and was glad I did when I saw the dessert offerings! I loved coming home with the clever idea of the pound cake and strawberry skewers and frosted pretzels, and of course macarons are always a favorite sweet for me. (Now that I've had the pleasure of sampling macarons at Ladurée in Paris, I appreciate getting a good macaron here at home!) And if all that weren't enough, we also enjoyed a decadent chocolate pudding with whipped cream and an embellishment of chocolate, served in a perfectly Southern touch of a mini Coca-Cola glass. Loved it!

The organizers even had commissioned handmade fabric gift bags of tea goodies for each of the judges, and I got to choose first. Regular readers will not be surprised to hear that I chose the aqua-colored one (which I 'll show you soon), and all three of us were tickled with our gifts. You can see Sara's pretty bag in the photo with her above, and this is Angela White's. I loved all these great tea fabrics!

And just for fun, I asked Sara to take a picture of Angela White, at left, and myself with another Angela, Angela Munson, who was the Overall Winner of the hat contest. I can tell you on good authority that Angela, Angela, and Angela—among many others—all had a great time!