BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Patty Temple serves scones to Jan Rhoades' table at the Roberts House Museum in Carson City on Sunday. Rhoades, a resident of Gardnerville, selected a blueberry scone.
The hats were red and posture impeccable as Carson City's own high society "Royal Queens of Tea" and friends gathered to enjoy their annual St. Valentine's Day tea ceremony on Sunday at the Roberts House Museum.
In addition to traditional tea accouterments like caddy spoons, sugar tongs and tea cloths, candied hearts sprinkled onto red velvet doilies and Sharon Barclay's homemade chocolate heart lollipops added a festive touch to the red rose centerpieces.
Hostess and tea matriarch Paula Cannon held court as the dozen or so guests took their tea and chatted. "Peach-apricot" and "Bing cherry with almond" were the flavors of the day. Traditional tea sacraments like blueberry, raspberry and cherry scones and tea sandwiches made their appearance, followed by a round of desserts that deserved (and received) their own volley of gossip.
Dressed in fingerless Victorian lace gloves, feather-laden hat and matching dress, Jan Rhoades of Carson City stirred her tea, satisfying clinking sounds issuing from the spoon.
She says its fun to dress up in period costume. Her husband even partakes - not for the tea mind you, but in dressing up as a gunslinger in various Wild West shows.
"When I do it, I do it all the way," laughed the former Californian who, like so many others, has traded away the smog of the Golden State for the historic appeal and hometown pleasures of the Silver State in a recent retirement.
Paintings from the late Bob McFadden's diverse collection graced the upstairs walls.
"Bob was great," said Cannon. "We asked if we could borrow a few paintings for a show one time, and he came down here carrying 10 of them. A few weeks later, he took them back and brought 10 more. He had quite a collection, you know."
And tradition lives on.
"Bob's son Rob heard about the tea and brought over some paintings just yesterday," she smiled.
The art ranges from a Ponderosa Ranch-themed piece signed by the TV cast of "Bonanza" to picturesque Lake Tahoe landscapes.
According to Cannon, teas are held about twice a month at the Roberts House Museum, the oldest home in Carson, built in 1859.
As usual, the tea was a fund-raiser for the long-awaited, two-story carriage house organizers hopes to build behind the museum.
For details on Roberts House tea times or the Carson City Historical Society, call Paula Cannon at 887-8865.
n Contact reporter Peter Thompson at pthompson@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.
