A Stormy Day and A Perfect Cup of Tea

Today is actually starting to feel more like a traditional Pacific Northwest fall day. A Pacific coast storm is moving in bringing rain and wind. The rain is supposed to last into the weekend. Believe it or not that's a "long wet spell" for us. Since May it's been very dry here. Good news is the storm will bring much needed rain for the grass. In Tacoma we haven't seen much in the way of wind, but we have gotten a little rain for the grass. Further north there has been a great deal more rain and wind has brought down trees and caused power outages.

The cool weather and rain makes you want to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea. The perfect accompaniment for that cup of tea arrived today by mail ---Cranberry Sweets raspberry tea cookies! These were a gift, from someone who knows how wonderful everything from Cranberry Sweets is, and how much we enjoy it. These flavor packed tea cookies come in three flavors - raspberry, lemon and orange. Their "tart & messy" label on the front pretty much sums it up -- except they left out "delicious!"

Cranberry Sweets is an Oregon company based out of Coos Bay, OR. Several years ago we went through (ok, sampled our way through) their retail store in Coos Bay. From their fine chocolates, to cookies and soft chews -- everything they do is first class and delicious.

The gift shop at DeVoe Mansion Bed and Breakfast is stocked primarily with made in Washington products. Sharing and showcasing local Washington state artists is something we are passionate about. When we find truly outstanding Northwest products, that we feel our bed and breakfast guests will enjoy, we don't hesitate to add those to our inventory. Don't be surprised to find Cranberry Sweets added to this list of growing treats in our gift shop.

If you liked more information on Cranberry Sweets -- visit their website, where of course you can order their products online. Next time you are in Coos Bay -- stop in their store at 1005 Newmark Avenue, and sample their delicious creations. You won't be sorry! If you've tried Cranberry Sweets before leave us a comment and let us know what your favorite products are.

Spooners Farm Fun

Fall is one our our favorite times of the year. The cool crips nights and sunny days are invigorating. The garden starts to change colors as the summer flowers fade and the fall flowers bloom.


Menus at the bed and breakfast take on a distictive fall flair with everything from DeVoe Mansion Carmel Apple Pancakes to Pumpkin Bread and Chocolate Zuchinni Muffins.

Located in an area with several family farms, bountiful fall produce is easily accessible for us.


For us fall isn't complete without a trip to Spooners Pumpkin Farm in Sumner. For over 50 years the Spooner family has been growing raspberries in the Puyallup valley. The farm has continued to expand and now offers nearly year round farm fun.

For the fall season Spooners offers an incredible selection on pumpkins, gourds and fall decorating stuff (corn stalks, mini- hay bales). I have to admit this is our favorite place to shop for fresh pumpkins, squash and gourds to decorate the inn with. The variety they offer is very, very good.



Spooners gift shop features seasonal items and food. The candy shoppe (inside the gift shop) offers homemade fudge which is heavenly. Samples are free so be sure and try some. In keeping with the "seasonal spirit" we tried the pumpkin fudge. It was very good!

From the pumpkin patch, to the corn maze, pony rides, and pumpkin sling -- this is a great destination with or without kids. If you don't have kids, visit during the week when they aren't as busy. Sure there are lots of school field trips, but those still make the gift shop and pumpkin selection areas generally less crowded. If you have kids, brave the weekend traffic and just be ready for the farm to be busy, but fun! The photo ops here are terrific. We went last weekend and the crowds hadn't yet come out. We stocked up on pumpkins, squash and gourds and a locally made Pennys Pico De Gallo sauce, which we sampled in the gift shop. Be sure and get a free copy of Spooners pumpkin receipes - they provide just the inspiration you need to create some new fall favorites.


To get there:

South Bound Directions to Ken M. Spooner Farms
Traveling South on I-5 through Seattle Washington:
Exit from I-5 at the Kent #149 East exit onto #516 heading East,
Exit from #516 onto #167 heading South,
Exit from #167 onto #410 heading East (Sumner, Yakima exit),
Exit from #410 onto #162 heading South (Valley Ave., Orting exit),
Travel 2 miles to Ken. M. Spooner Farms. Farm is on the right. Look for our sign!





North Bound Directions to Ken M. Spooner Farms
Traveling North on I-5 through Olympia Washington:
Exit from I-5 at the Puyallup exit onto #512 heading East,
Exit from #512 onto E. Pioneer Ave. heading East (Orting exit),
Drive about 3 miles, turn right onto #162 at stop light,
Travel about 1 mile to Ken M. Spooner Farms. Farm is on the right. Look for our sign!

Fair Fun Doesn't Have to End

Sunday was the end of the 2009 Puyallup fair. If you went you were one of the 88,699 people who attend the 27 day fair. Attendance was up almost 11,000 over last year. Pretty remarkable given the current economy. No doubt the incredible Pacific Northwest weekend weather helped push attendance over the top. That's good news for the fair and everyone who works there.


If you didn't to make the Puyallup Fair this year, that means you may have missed your annual Fair Scone fix. So we thought we'd share one of our favorite scone recipes. Cheryl made up this recipe using of course "Fisher Fair Scone" mix. You can find the scone mix in grocery stores, or check Costco for a better deal - hurry though they generally don't carry it for long after the fair ends. Not sure why -- people love scones year round. These scones make a great Christmas morning treat.




DeVoe Mansion
Coconut Cranberry Scones








18 oz. Fisher Scone Mix

3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

1/4 cup flaked coconut

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup white chocolate chip

Raw sugar


In mixing bowl combine scone mix, cranberries, white chocolate chips and coconut. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Combine water and extract and add to dry ingredients. Stir with fork until blended.


Knead dough 5-6 times on lightly floured board, folding dough in half on top of itself each time. Roll into log and divide dough in half. Pat each piece into a 5 inch diameter dome with center slightly higher than outside edge. Cut dome into 4 pieces and lightly brush water on top of each scone. Sprinkle each lightly with raw sugar.


Place scones on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10 -1 2 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm -- delicious when served with cream!

DeVoe Mansion Launches Travel Blog

Welcome to the DeVoe Mansion Bed and Breakfast Blog. As Innkeepers we've developed this blog to share what is going on in our community as well and the state of Washington. For over fourteen years our guests have asked us for cool local things to do. We love sharing our community with them. We decided to start a blog so we could share some of these cool things with our current, past and future guests. If you haven't had an opportunity to stay with us, we hope you will one day soon.

A little bit about us. DeVoe Mansion Bed and Breakfast is a historic Tacoma, Washington bed and breakfast inn. Formerly the home to Emma Smith DeVoe, (Washington State's only National Women's Hall of Fame member) this grand bed and breakfast Mansion is listed on the State and National Historic Register and is just minutes from all that Tacoma and the Seattle area have to offer.

Come visit this lovely bed and breakfast inn where you'll the find private setting on over 1.5 acres the perfect choice for your next romantic getaway or a relaxing business stay. Don't be surprised when you find the convenience, amenities, value, service and location surpass local Tacoma Hotels.

What are you interested in? If you have areas of interest you'd like to see us address in future posts, drop us a comment.