If you spend enough time at Queen Creek Olive Mill, Queen Creek, Arizona, you might need to avail yourself of the facilities. On the way, look to the side and enjoy the wall art. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to take a photo without reflections off the glass but I thought you’d appreciate them anyway.
for Six Word Saturday and Squares: trees
Who else remembers the Peter, Paul, and Mary song “Lemon Tree?” As with all their songs, the melody was lovey, although I had to disagree with the last line of the chorus:
Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat
Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat
Okay, perhaps you don’t actually eat a lemon on its own, but the fruit is pretty darn good! I start most mornings with a glass of warm water and the juice of half a lemon. I also sometimes make a ginger-lemon drink that’s very good and good for me. This lemon tree is at Queen Creek Olive Mill. They grow quite a bit of what they use/sell at the mill store.
And for “blue” this week, let’s venture to a completely different sort of surroundings, to downtown Chicago once again where there are plenty blues for today.
We had the best Christmas possible under Covid, Zooming with family who would have been here and sharing time with family we haven’t spent Christmas with in years. Tonight we’ll be FaceTime-ing with friends from Illinois, then tomorrow is not only another day, but another year, something I know we’ve all been waiting for.
Our daughter had some time off and slipped out of California to visit us, although her husband had to stay home and work. So yesterday we drove to Queen Creek Olive Mill for some coffee and mother-daughter time before she headed back to the west coast.
The outdoor area is in an olive grove shaded by olive trees and where there are several Christmas tree-shaped trees guarded by two lions. The trees are decorated for Christmas, the lion thankfully not. But this lion doesn’t look too happy, probably because…
…with post-dawn temperatures in the upper 30’s it’s not exactly the African savanna and it’s a bit chilly sitting outside even with a hot mocha. These gas fires are very cheerful and look nice and warm, but we found that they really aren’t, so we sat on the covered patio which had standing heaters as well as heaters above us. It was so toasty we were able to take of our jackets and just enjoy our drinks. It was lovely.
Yes, the trees have olives, but don’t eat one off the tree. Until they’re cured and fermented, they’re very bitter as my husband discovered in Provence years ago when his sister gave him an olive right off the tree. Siblings!
Since meals and snacks are served here, there are crumbs and where there are crumbs, there are those who try to help clean them up, whether or not they’re being paid.
Relaxing in the sunshine (with additional heat as needed), enjoying time with my daughter while sipping a mocha topped with whipped cream, surrounded by cute little birds and stone lions, admiring the bougainvillea…life is good. Let’s pray that 2021 will be the same.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I visited Queen Creek Olive Mill for the first time during a visit some years ago, taking home a large container of mixed olives. That made it one of the first destinations I wanted to visit after we moved.
Of course that didn’t take into account the COVID-19 restrictions, but as there’s a store on the premises, it was classified as essential, although until last week, the eating part of the operation and coffee shop were closed. Besides olives in their “plain” form, you can choose from a variety of olive oils and olive products as well as items from other Arizona producers, including eggs, cheese, meat, flour, and much more. We fell in love with the homemade pasta as well as the olives, putting them permanently on my shopping list.
Sitting among the olive trees is a lovely way to enjoy lunch or coffee and when you’re in the desert, shade is always appreciated! Last week there were people enjoying the morning outside, but on this visit, this area was still closed.
You’ll find flowers as well as vegetables and herbs growing in profusion. Bees and butterflies are happy, but the birds are frustrated by the covering on top of the veggie section of the garden.
I’ve been thinking about doing an “at home” post for some days, so this seems to be the perfect time, although choosing photos was a challenge. I decided to go with all iPhone photos, using only photos from our house or yard. We’re blessed in that we can go out and walk or bike and I walk regularly, but I’m not using any of those shots today.
This torch cactus bloomed the day after we moved in. One day there were no flowers, the next, splendor. The flowers only lasted a day or two, then wilted, dried up, and fell off. But earlier this week, I woke in the morning to round two, pictured here. Perhaps because of the heat (almost 100F), the following day they were already wilted But, oh, what a glorious day of flowers that was!
I love sitting outside, reading, hoping to see a hummingbird while I have my Nikon out, writing, or just enjoying the flowers. So far the hummingbird has eluded my camera, but one of these days… Anyway, the waiting isn’t definitely not a trial! And you know that “discussion” about real books vs. e-readers? Thank goodness for e-readers these days and virtual checkout from the library!!
(more…)A few days ago after running some necessary errands, we decided to drive a bit further to Queen Creek Olive Mill, a place I’d visited once some years earlier. They were open and encouraging social distancing, but there weren’t many people so we took our time browsing.
Besides the olives, they sell a plethora of olive products as well as products from local producers who share their values. They also sell some meals for two to take home and, as you can see, pizza. Wouldn’t you love to have an oven like this one in your backyard? 🙂 These doors are definitely in good taste!
for Thursday Doors
This, that and the other thing 