Tea Time Thursday #84 Orchard House

One of my biggest disappointments last year when I was in New England was that i didn't get to visit Louisa May Alcott's home~ORCHARD HOUSE. I didn't want to go home this year without a visit to her home in Concord MA. We made it the day before we had to return home. Oh, it was worth the wait!

I was so excited when we arrived, I just thought I was going to faint! It was just as I had hoped and imagined.  The tour was delightful. It began with a video where an actress speaks to you as Louisa! It was so charming and you really felt like she was being interviewed. Clever.

As we waited for our tour to begins, we snooped around the grounds. Lots of gardens and flowers and yes, an orchard.

Jimmy was sitting down and soaking it all in...so peaceful.

This was her father's school on the property. We didn't get to go inside but it was fun just to see it.

As with many of the museums we visited, we were not allowed to take pictures inside. The foloowing pictures are from the official Lousia May Alcott website at Orchard House. I am thankful to be able to look at the photos and remember the tour.

This is May's room. I just didn't know she was such an accomplished artist. She used to do drawings on the walls in this room and they have been saved! It is so neat to see them. One of the things that impressed me with this house is that it was a home. Of all the places we got to visit, this house felt like a home. I loved that about it. It just seemed real.

Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on Nov 29, 1832. She took several jobs to help her family as they struggled financially. She took in wash, was a teacher and was a nurse during the Civil War. Before she wrote Little Women in 1869-70, she wrote poems, short stories and even wrote some plays. She loved drama. She was an editor of a girl's magazine too. She died on March 6th, 1888. She had several sad loses in her family during her short life. Do take some time to read about her life and her work.

Cute note cards that I had to purchase for my pen pal letters. She wrote Little Women at the little white half desk in the picture above in her room.

I am always on the hunt for different copies of Little Women and of course her other books.

Oh yes, it is Tea Time Thursday! I had to buy some tea at the museum for this fall. It's just too hot right now for a good cup of afternoon tea! I am saving it. I did think it would be fun to feature these two teacups I found last year....just the right color!

The teacups are a Johnson Brothers pattern called Susanna. I have never seen it and I know it isn't too old, but I just like the pattern. Fun for fall and even Pumpkin Moonshine time.

I haven't read EIGHT COUSINS yet, but it is on my list!

And of course, as this is Tasha Tudor's birthday month and I am posting about her and our New England trip, I had to include Tasha's illustrated Little Women. It was published in 1969.

One week from today is the celebration of Tasha Tudor's 100th birthday.