Tuesday, August 6, 2019

T Stands for Happy Meal

I wanted to take pictures of meals and drinks while I was at the Sacred Art Retreat on Enders Island in Mystic, Connecticut. It's just that a lot of people don't get blogging or taking pictures of food. However, Tuesday night at dinner, I couldn't miss the opportunity that presented itself.


My salad smiled at me! It was too good not to share and my table mates found it amusing, too.


After dinner, we can go back to the studio to work on our own if we want. I don't do my best work at night and I need time to decompress from the day and relax. While meandering through the grounds, I came to the gazebo.


I thought it would be the perfect place to have my evening cuppa and to do a little work in a journal of the trip.


The scenery and sunset were amazing until the yacht club across the way startled my peace with the boom of a cannon announcing sunset and the lowering of the flag. 😺

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

38 comments:

  1. Love the smiling salad! People often look when I take pics of my food or shop windows or the sky, but in the meantime I am immune! Happy Day, I'm off to make my own happy salad now. Valerie

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    1. That works when you're out and about and anonymous, but sometimes difficult in a work or social situation

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  2. That is a happy salad. It would make me smile if I was served that. I get the same questioning look when I take photos of my food (even the hubby sometimes does) but I still take them. A quick lift of my phone and snap and if I am in a crowd,unless someone is being really watchful, they don't even notice. But usually I get talking or listening and forget to take photos. Happy T Day.

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    1. I do that when I'm out and about, but in a setting like this it was hard without having to explain things. :-D

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  3. Love your smiling salad too-Hubs always shakes his head when I take photos of food haha Such a lovely place and seems so peaceful too Happy T hugs Kathy

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  4. Yes, your salade looks a happy one, I'm sure it will have been delicious.
    I can relate to what you said about taking photos, you get a look and often a stare here in the UK from folk close by.
    It looks a lovely area for your Art retreat.
    Happy T day wishes.
    Yvonne xx

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    1. The food on the island is delicious. There is a chef on staff, and she cooks things fresh daily. One morning stuffed French toast (stuffed with cream cheese and blueberries). Hard to come back home because no one made the Little Princess stuffed French toast for breakfast. :-D

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  5. I like your version of the happy meal best ;) Most people who see me taking photos assume I'm doing it for FB, and they're partly right lol But I've never gotten a comment or funny look for it. Happy T Tuesday!

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    1. With friends and family, I just say for the Blog and get an eyeroll 🙄

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  6. Who cares what other people think!!! Take all the pictures you want! Just remember what Dr Seuss said: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

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    1. I guess I was just shy around my classmates. I'll remember this when I return in October.

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  7. It's always too bad when people don't get that you are photographing your food. I don't ever let that intimidate me, but I've never been on a retreat. That smiling face was too good to pass up. And luckily it was NOT an emoji, either.

    Nice way to decompress with a cup of tea, and your journal, too. thanks for sharing these with us for T this Tuesday, dear CJ. I'm off to vote for mayor.

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    1. The weather was gorgeous last week and nature put on a lovely show at sunset

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  8. I don't know what a sacred art retreat is but it sounds like fun! I know what you mean about not being at your best at night. I too need to relax and unwind. That gazebo looks like the perfect place.Especially with that view of the sunset.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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    1. Enders Island in Mystic, Connecticut is a retreat center run by priest of the order of St. Edmunds. There a 3 programs . Retreats where people go to pray or meditate, a substance abuse recovery program for young men, and a Sacred Art Institute. The Institute is keeping alive arts from becoming lost. The Institute offers intensive classes in Manuscript Illumination (what I was there for), Gregorian chant, stained glass, mosaics, and iconography.

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  9. Loved the smiling salad, CJ. I hope you'll tell us more about the Sacred Art Retreat. The gazebo looks like the perfect place to decompress. That's where I'd be after a long intense day with lots of people.

    Happy T-day! Eileen xx

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  10. A smiling salad! I love it. Darn yacht club.

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    1. My thoughts when I jumped and almost spilled my tea ☕️ 😺

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  11. That smiling salad looked good. The gazebo looked like a lovely place to unwind at the end of the day. I meant to tell you your cannon story reminded me of Agatha Christie's Evil Under The Sun, where there was a "noon day gun" that was fired every day at noon: it was a cannon also. Happy T-Day!

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    1. Fortunately for us, the "noon day gun" was the ringing of the chapel bell. A cannon at noon might have been a disaster in the studio😱😺

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  12. Yes, that is a happy salad! Looks delicious!
    What a lovely place to relax in the gazebo.
    It sounds like a wonderful retreat. Was it purely art or did it have a spiritual dimension too? The retreats I have been on were all spiritual around a theme (like photography or crafting or pottery).
    Happy belated T-Day,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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    1. Art and spirituality went hand in hand. There was Mass every morning before class, if you wanted to attend. After the Monday Mass on the first day, we had our hands blessed by the priest. Sr. Eugenia was the spiritual leader for the class. She began each class with a devotion/meditation with a theme of finding beauty around us. At the end of the last class, she gave us a blessing using Spikenard, an essential oil. Mass, blessing of the hands, and good bye blessing were all optional.

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  13. Your salad made me smile too, how wonderful! What a beautiful view looking out over the ocean, you found a lovely place to relax and watch the sunset - perfect 😁. Happy T Day wishes! Hugs, Jo x

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    1. There were so many little niches to sit pray/meditate and watch the scenery all over the island.

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  14. Oh what a lovely spot to do some journalling! Love the smiley salad! I generally don't look to see whether others are around, and my family are just about used to it now! Belated Happy T Day - I had friends around yesterday to try and finish the book we started in a workshop! Hugs, Chrisx

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    1. Usually, I don't worry, but in a such an intimate setting, I guess I didn't want to explain.

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  15. OOhhh I also smile when I saw your salad !! :) happy and yummy food! Happy belated T.day ( sorry I´m late visiting you) What lovely photographs you have shared CJ , thanks so much. They are very beautiful, so nice place.
    I wish you a very nice Thursday,
    Big hugs, Caty

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    1. Gracias, Caty. I hope you had a lovely day, too

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  16. Time to go to Richie's Diner. they have the best salads.

    To sit in a gazebo and watch the water--how good is that?!

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  17. That smiling salad is so cute! LOL!
    This place is so beautiful and peaceful CJ! Would love to go one day! Big Hugs!

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    1. I think you would like it. No crows, but you get to see the Holy Gully! 😺

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  18. HAHAHA...smiling salad indeed. The art retreat sounds fun!
    Happy T day!

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  19. Don't you just love your smiling salad!
    How wonderful to sit in a gazebo and watch the water … so relaxing.

    All the best Jan

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    1. The smiling salad made me laugh. And the gazebo is the perfect spot to watch the world go by

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