Finally face-to-face with a longtime tea friend!

One of the highlights of my "year in tea" definitely happened yesterday when I had the great pleasure of meeting Marilyn and Jim Miller of Portland, Oregon, for lunch at Just Add Honey Tea Company in Atlanta! I've "known" Marilyn for years via her Delights of the Heart blog, and we both figured out one time that we might have crossed paths at the World Tea Expo in Atlanta in 2007, but this was the first time we can confirm that we met face-to-face, and I couldn't help thinking on my way home that the visit truly was a "delight of the heart" for me!

Since it was a Tuesday, I at first had trouble finding a tearoom that was open that early in the week, but Marilyn was fine with trying out Just Add Honey, more of a casual café and tea shop in Atlanta. We all had chicken salad croissants and various teas (I had the delicious Sweet Auburn rooibos blend), but honestly, I ran my mouth so much, quizzing her and Jim about their trip and every blessed thing that popped into my mind, that I hardly even focused on my meal! We sat outside on a sunny elevated deck with the perfect blend of sun, shade, and breeze, and before I knew it, we'd spent several hours talking and it was time to part. The shop had what looked like a nice selection of loose leaf teas, but I was focused on this precious time with a tea friend, so I'll have to book a "shopping" day there another time!

Marilyn was just as easy to talk to as I knew she would be, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Jim didn't mind the tea conversation at all (you never know with husbands!) and was equally lovely to visit with. At one point, I was asking Marilyn whether she travels with any tea paraphernalia, and I learned that she does, so Jim thoughtfully offered to go to their rental and get it for me to see. Here, Marilyn is demonstrating the set with its gaiwan, tiny cups, and glass pitcher. It all fit in a tidy little hard-shell case, which I thought was absolutely ingenious. The only thing I didn't like about the visit was that once they left, I realized once again that I sure wish all my tea friends lived close by! Still, what a gift to realize that a tea-loving friend on the other side of the country made time for little old me on her trip to the East Coast. Much as I love my teas and tea wares, I have to say that the tea "collection" I treasure most is the wonderful friends I've made!