2025 TEANEURRING CONTINUES ;’-) Part 2

#2 10/20/2025 PICNIC TABLE AT PAINE FIELD AIRPORT

Rain is on its way and we will have it for days and days. Though I am not necessarily choosing a theme within the theme this year, I have started scouting potential picnic tables for my tea stops. This one is right at the outskirts of our local Paine Field airport (in Mukilteo WA). I ride through here a LOT and thought it to be a good place for an outdoors teaneurring stop.

First I looped through the airport for the photo of the flight tower, then headed over for tea by the decommissioned display airplane near that picnic table.

I continued on for just a brief time for a couple more photos before heading home. Weather is definitely turning from sunny, cool but not cold, clear sky to colder, grayer (to match my sad mood), and rain warnings. With my mood very low, I did not have the motivation nor will to do much prep for this ride, and opted for tea bag use (quite decent green tea) and cookies (pecan sandies).

On my way home, the red trees bending in the wind seemed to soothe my sadness a bit and I was quite glad to have done this ride that I almost did not do. And just as I was pulling into our driveway, it started to rain!

#3 10/30/2025 PICNIC TABLE AT A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYGROUND

As predicted and expected, we have had RAIN! For days. And wind that knocked out power for many. The next couple of days are expected to be dry until it’s not! More rain on the way … for days. So today is the day to get out for tea time ;’-).

Our weather has taken such a change that it is a challenge to find the motivation to go out for a ride in the colder wet day. But I do continue to have tea outside until I feel too uncomfortable to do so, and I dug out my heavier wear, put on a brave face and shortened my intended miles. Tea indoors is always there but until then – I have searched for and discovered picnic tables at many of our local playgrounds. Many are at schools so to use those for my tea stop, it must be on a weekend. However, there are a few other playgrounds and places that have inviting tables. I chose one that is fairly near home and stopped there on my return loop. Sencha Green Tea for KIST+ (cookies). The table and benches were wet but I fortunately had some drying equipment with me (rags).

I felt cold at the start of my ride, but my heavier gear helped me warm up just enough. The chill on my face really did feel good, so long as the rest of my body was warm enough. Though the recent high winds denuded many of the trees of their colorful leaf, there is still some great fall color around.

#4 11/2/2025 AIRPORT MUSEUM RESTORATION FLIGHT CENTER

It is only a few days since I did #3 but Sunday being the beginning of my week, I choose today as it is likely to be the rain free day for much of the week. We have a friend coming to our house to watch an early afternoon college (UW vs Wisconsin) volleyball game on tv. A slightly shorter ride today is just fine with me. I have been riding many days in a row, and even though the rides are no where near the distance that Susan Matthews pedals 🙄, my body still needs a little rest once in a while ;’—).

With the time constraint with no room for lollygagging, I brewed my Yukon Gold Black tea bag, added a dollop of milk and filled my mug. So off I go for some tea outdoors again, staying close to home for our game watching date. No rain and even some sunbreaks was the promise of the day.

This was not the place I had in mind for today’s tea, but when I spotted the table and chairs looking like they were set up just for me, I made a quick turn into the entry.

The time change afforded an earlier start for my ride this morning even if a bit chilly. It warmed up nicely for my return trip and I enjoyed a few sights along the way

#5 11/7/2025 EVERETT (WA) YMCA

Rain. Did I mention rain? It has been raining here. We have had rain. I don’t ride in the rain unless I have been caught in it by surprise while already on a ride. I try to avoid rainy riding.

Avoiding rain meant I needed to do two teaneurring rides this week. Poor me. This was the day for my second tea capture of this week as the sun was partially out, the temps were mild in the low 50s, and my energy and motivation were on the upswing. As I climbed onto the saddle, tea and paraphernalia at the ready in my pannier, I had no true idea of where I would see a good table to enjoy a tea stop.

Morning temps had not yet reached 50, and the clouds looked dark and ominous. I carried on and was rewarded with some sun breaks and light traffic on my route. I had stopped at the Milk House coffee shop to pick up a scone for me (apple and walnut was a little too sweet for my palate, but there were no cranberry orange to be had 🤨) and a molasses cookie to bring home to Susan (she loved it). Bond Street English Breakfast tea was a free bonus included in my last tea order. Way bitter! In future I will add milk, and maybe a little honey 😉.

It was a great day for a ride 🤗.

#6 11/9/2025 BUSINESS PARK NEAR AIRPORT

As beautiful as our weather was, I could not do a teaneurring stop on Saturday (yesterday) as it ends my week and I had already done two rides for the challenge. The weather today, though dry, may not be as nice as yesterday, but being the beginning of my week, I would do my tea #6. We have had (as I indicated in my last post) several days of rain, now a respite of a few days before several more days of rain!! November seems to be our wettest month, and I want to be sure to complete the challenge so I do feel I must, and want to, ride today. But where to stop for my tea break?!

It turned out that today was all as nice as yesterday and the temp got up to 60! And sun. I chose to once again ride through part, a different part, of the airport area.

I had in mind a table I have used in the far past but …. YUCK! I could not think of eating or drinking at that table. It was once rather nice.

I weaved around, took a few photos and entered a business park that I had meandered through once before. You see in the photo, it is a smoking area for employees. Sunday — no employees ;’-). Rather a nice one. I sat for while enjoying the quiet and the crows nearby.

White tea is not for me — another free sample from Upton Tea. I did detect a slight citrus, but nothing else really. I think my tea palate responds best to robust taste 🤨.

There were lots of crows around but this one posed for a photo.

#7 11/12/2025 NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYGROUND

I am so pleased that I have been able to complete the challenge with no rides in the rain!! I have enjoyed the riding and the motivation for riding that this annual challenge provides. So first off – thank you Mary for continuing this fall tradition. It has helped me become more aware of all there is to appreciate about Fall — more than I have in the past. And it is always such fun to read the stories and see the photos on everyone’s posts. I will miss reading those and seeing your photos from all around. I don’t usually post any ABC rides that I do (I don’t do many), but I read the ones that others post ;’-).

If I was going to continue to stay dry on my challenge rides, I needed to ride today! Rain is on the menu for much of the time remaining for Coffeeneurring 2025! I don’t like feeling like I HAVE to ride, and this morning was feeling that way as I am battling some respiratory stuff (hoping it is only a cold that will end sooner than later), but knew this is likely the final day that will have no rain. It was chilly and damp from earlier rain, and the clouds were dark overhead. I saddled up thinking I could simply ride to a spot, have my tea and come home.

I took my time with tea. I set myself up and sat for at least 15 minutes enjoying a tea that I like quite well, and watching the leaves fall from the nearby trees (I couldn’t really catch that in the photo), and I felt it just all of a sudden get warmer. The soft wind on my face felt soothing, my whole body felt dry and warm, the dark clouds scattered along and made room for sun to peer through the high light clouds. It felt like I had just dropped some burden as my shoulders relaxed. Need I say I continued on for more miles to round out my ride?

What a fantastic way to wrap up this year’s challenge. This is what coffeeneurring season does for me.

CHECK IN 11/21/2025

Not only did the weather deteriorate the day after I did my #7 (and deteriorate it did with days of heavy rain), but my oncoming illness came on as well! Basically bronchitis again. For several days i was indoors at home, sick with no desire to ride my bike (that’s rare). Finally I spent Monday morning at Urgent care with my favorite urgent care doctor who continues to say YES to my bicycling, had xrays that showed clear lungs, did an 8 minute nebulizer thing (he said to open my airways for my bike ride I was about to do ;’-)), got a new dispenser of albuterol for my inhaler, and some cough pills. The worse part of this illness is the unrelenting deep coughing spasms that happen through the day.

Urgent Care is ready for Christmas — which will come after Thanksgiving 😉.

After all that (an hour and a half) I got home, geared up and took my ride. There was promise of maybe some sun approaching the day.

Sure enough, I was able to appreciate a day on the saddle with some sun shining on me. Stopped for the mushroom “farm” I came upon. Since I was unable to stop for a tea, I offer the photo of the mushroom “tea set up table” in place of my actual tea. The ride was short by design, and it felt so incredibly good to ride my bike!

This ‘farm’ had so many different varieties.

I couldn’t stop for tea this day so found a tea table set up for gnome teaneurrers. 😉