My First “Cranberry” Festival

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Hello, Welcome to Marcia’s Cottage by the Sea. ♡ I’m so happy to see you today my friend. ♡ Shall we have a little tea. ♡

I hope you have a little extra time today. Because, I have a feeling this might be an extra long post…it’s Friday, and I’m in a chatty mood!

Guess what? This is the last full week of summer. Wow! Please, someone tell me where the time went. It totally is disappearing! I had a fabulous summer. Hope you did too. Not that there weren’t challenges…of course there were…and of course,  the challenges were what made the good things even better.

When I was a young girl living in California I remember looking forward to the summer fairs, and festivals. One of them was in La Habra. I can still taste the hot butter on the sweet corn that we’d get there. And of course, in my tweens, teens, and forever 21’s living in Brea most summer festivals were spent perusing the Orange County fairgrounds.  Oh…such great memories.

So for me one of the great things about moving somewhere “different” is discovering how each place has it’s own vibe, and way of celebrating the end/beginning of the seasons.

Here on the Oregon coast it’s all about the cranberries. A.l.l.

Just recently I enjoyed my very first experience of the local festival. It’s quite a big deal here. A v.e.r.y.b.i.g. d.e.a.l. as in BOG big.

I started the morning off by walking to Old Town, which is just a hop, skip, and jump away. It is simple entertainment to be out in the fresh air sharing the bounty of the harvest with family on a beautiful day.

Along, the way I experienced the joyous celebration of the weekend’s every vibe.

It’s quite a kick for a city gal like myself to experience the warmth, fun, and small town community. I’m loving my new place more, and more.

Because face it, I’m a newbie, and don’t know many people. yet.

However, everyone appears to be really nice. And, I have to tell you…it’s the strangest thing…but of the many people I meet/see they seem to

remind me of people/friends that I’ve known before. I find myself forever saying to my husband Joe, “Don’t they look like so, and so?” or “Doesn’t that remind you of this, or that?” The thing is that no matter where we go, and how different the people, places, and things we experience seem to be….they are also similar. How odd is that!

So, okay, okay, okay….let’s get back to the festivities. There was a parade, crowning of the Cranberry Queen,

vendors galore

bagpipes, food, music, and just an all  around fun weekend for locals, and tourists alike.

Oh, and I almost forgot about the free rides in a crane, which were provided by the local utility company.

Later in the day, Joe and I went on a Cranberry bog tour. ( yes, my city friends, a bog tour! ) My first.

The Bowman family graciously opened up their cranberry farm for a tour of their grounds, and the equipment that is used to harvest cranberries.

There were approximately 10 bogs that at harvest time are filled with water,

cranberries extracted from their vines rise to the top of the water and, with the power of the wind, are gathered at one end of the bog. The Bowman family’s cranberry farm represents a small percentage of family owned farms, while large corporations operate the majority of the cranberry industry. We were both so impressed with just how much hard work and commitment it takes to harvest cranberries.

Of course, it’s no surprise, because as we already know…. that anything worth having is always worth working hard for. (wink)

Any adventures planned for the weekend?

Seek one out…they are out there…

Wishing you weekend wanders…

CRANBERRY BREAD

I have a suggestion for you dear reader. Before you begin… invite a friend, or two, or more…and have a bake day!https://marciascottagebythesea.com/advent-girlfriends-and-candycanes/

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 cup sugar

1/12 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

3/4 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cups light raisins  (if you choose, you may substitute cranberries for the raisins to have an all cranberry bread)

11/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg, orange peel, and orange juice all at once; stir just until mixture is evenly moist. Fold in raisins and cranberries.

Spoon into a greased 9x5x3

 

“Learn to wish that everything should come to pass exactly as it does.”