Day 3.5 in Portland at the JASNA AGM

Blogger ready for the ball

Well, back to reality now.  I am back from Portland (with a bit of jet lag) and the Jane Austen Society of North America AGM (annual general meeting) is over.  It was a ton of fun, and I got to spend some valuable time with my sister (away from our families).  Portland is an amazing city, funky and quirky and just downright gorgeous.  The lectures/breakout sessions at the AGM were informative and fun.  I've never had so much enjoyment at a conference before.

    The highlight was definitely the Bal Masque, a fancy dress party where I believe fully half of the attendees were in some sort of costume.  I have posted some random photos above to give you an idea of the variety of dresses/costumes.  It was a visual feast.
    So, no more Powell's books or Voodoo Doughnuts but instead it's back to work this week.  Next year's AGM is in Fort Worth Texas and apparently Andrew Davies (screenwriter of Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones, Northanger Abbey, Little Dorrit, Daniel Deronda, The Way We Live Now, Wives and Daughters......etc) will be there.  That alone is reason to go, never mind the rest of the fun.  Are you going to go?

Day 3 in Portland at the JASNA AGM

Reproduction costumes from the Georgian era

 There was a lovely display of reproduction gowns at one end of the "Milsom Street Regency Emporium" which was set up all during the gathering so that if you had a few minutes to spend, you could browse the gowns, or shop from some of the vendors.

More gowns....

...and more gowns...

...and more gowns.  Lots of eye candy here.

Reticules for sale, amongst other fripperies

A bit of antique china for sale, if you have room in your luggage

One gown for sale, the other seeming to be worn by Charlotte Palmer

I really didn't have to sew those damned reticules after all!!!

Gorgeous gown but it was over $300, so I'm happy with my eBay buy.

This photo doesn't do justice to the cute spencer jacket.

Lovely handmade cards done in watercolours.

Display of books for sale from Jane Austen Books

 Jane Austen Books has a lovely website if you want to visit.  Here it is : Jane Austen Books

Many JASNA chapters had their own items for sale for fund raising.

Yes, I quite agree.

Cards and T-shirts for sale all over- and cute too!

Care for some jewelry?

This was taken at the end of our first breakout session today.  Susan Jones and Kathleen Anderson on the left, did a very entertaining dramatic presentation by Mrs. Allen and Catherine Morland respectively, on "Avoiding Mayhem on your First Trip to Bath".

Rebecca Morrison-Peck and friend (looks like Sir Walter Elliot to me).  Rebecca owns The Thatched Cottage, a vintage and reproduction clothing store.  I got a fan from her to go with my gown.

My fan from Rebecca's store (The Thatched Cottage) which she got from Versailles on a trip to France to buy vintage clothing and a pin made out of an ivory counting chip (used for genteel gambling!).

Two other great breakout sessions today were firstly one by Sarah Parry of Chawton House Library, touring some more outrageous English Country Houses and converted  Abbeys.  The second of the afternoon and last of the gathering for us was our friend from yesterday, Allison Thompson, on the "Rules of the Assemblies".  What a great presentation with people from the audience demonstrating how a few of the more popular English Country Dances were performed.  Much better idea of the real thing than you get from the films.  Well done Allison!

Well, must iron my dress and yes, my shoes arrived at last, so my shopping at Nordstrom's was just for fun, and not out of neccessity.  Stay tuned tomorrow for the photos from the Bal Masque tonight.  I hope I can blog from the airport...

Day 2 in Portland at the JASNA AGM

Rev Henry Tilney at the Team Tilney event.

"Look at Darcy.  Now look at me.  Look at Knightley.  Now look back at me."  You know an event is going to be fun when it starts out with an English actor with a very posh accent, doing a hilarious parody of the Old Spice Man a la Jane Austen.  The first event of the day for us was a panel discussion called "Team Tilney explains it all" and was very funny and quite persuasive.  I am now quite willing to at least put Henry Tilney up there amongst Darcy et al although I may not rank him at the top of the list.  He would need a wet shirt for that methinks.

After this we spent some time outside in the glorious Portland sunshine, which I understand is quite rare.  Mount Hood and it's snow-capped peak was visible in the distance and the trees are just starting to change color.  We had a great lunch and then sauntered back (slowly) for the afternoon sessions.

The first lecture was Stephanie Barron, a writer of Jane Austen mysteries, speaking about "Elements of Mystery in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey".  Made me want to buy her new book Jane and The Madness of Lord Byron.


Then we all went to different breakout sessions.  Our first was on Magic and Muslin, a very entertaining presentation by an unlikely speaker, James Ashley of the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State.  A thoroughly intriguing subject, even if the Austen connection was a stretch.  Didn't matter a whit.  Lots of lively ladies ready for some fun, including the one of whom I took a photo, as her dress was so pretty (her own design).

Sherrean Rundberg, of San Mateo, CA

The next session was by James Nagle, a Washington lawyer, on Regency England's rules on succession and inheritance of property (entail, jointure etc.) which was highly entertaining as the speaker was so good.  He certainly made it clear where some family friction came from in Regency times!

We then went out in the gorgeous sunshine on a special mission for my niece, to get photos of Beverly Cleary's neighborhood in Portland where she set her Henry Huggins and Ramona Quimby books.  Photos will follow in a special "Why I now love Portland" blog.

Finished the day with a trip to the famous Powell's book store, where I found this lovely lady on sale for only 10 dollars.  Who knew there was a Jane Austen action figure.  Only in Portland.  Keep it weird Portland!

Day 1 in Portland at the JASNA AGM

We are back in our hotel room, after a full first day at the JASNA AGM in Portland.  After a long flight from Toronto and waking up with a pillow on my head (due to my dear sister's snoring!), we took a day long bus tour of the Oregon Coast.  We learned more about Lewis and Clark than we ever thought possible.  Apparently they were really tired and ticked off by the time they reached the coast as the places they named at the end of their 4,000 mile trip bear witness: Point Distress, Dismal Nitch and Cape Disappointment!!!  I am not making this up.

Thankfully, our day was much better.  Although the weather was a little bit Sense and Sensibility-like (great for tumbling down hills), we walked on Cannon Beach, shopped for hats and candy in the rather Carmel-like town, and had lunch with two charming men from Philly with great taste in literature.

Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast-misty and gorgeous

After returning to the hotel fairly late, finally registering for the gathering and getting our badges, swag, etc. we ran off for a wee bit of supper at a lovely Portland restaurant called Mother's Bistro.  Very appropriate name for two mothers on the lam, away from their families to become rabid Janites for the weekend.

Made it back to the hotel just in time to hear the theatrical keynote address by English actress Angela Barlow- "Jane Austen & Character: An Actor's View".  She was highly entertaining with voice characterizations that brought a host of Austen characters to life and discussed Jane Austen's genius for creating memorable people in her stories.  She ended her talk with one of my favorite scenes from Pride and Prejudice, where Lizzy comes upstairs to inform her mother of her engagement to Mr. Darcy.

"Good gracious! Lord bless me! only think! dear me! Mr. Darcy! Who would have thought it! And is it really true? Oh! my sweetest Lizzy! how rich and how great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! Jane's is nothing to it -- nothing at all. I am so pleased -- so happy. Such a charming man! -- so handsome! so tall! -- Oh, my dear Lizzy! pray apologise for my having disliked him so much before. I hope he will overlook it. Dear, dear Lizzy. A house in town! Every thing that is charming! Three daughters married! Ten thousand a year! Oh, Lord! What will become of me. I shall go distracted.''


After leaving the Grand Ballroom, we proceeded to the front desk to collect two packages.  I had ordered a few items from eBay to complete our costumes for the Bal Masque, and had them delivered to the hotel, as it was much faster than shipping to Canada, and I had left it too late, as usual, the great procrastinator that I am.

Great idea, however, as it is sooooo much fun to get packages at a hotel.  My pashmina shawl was waiting for me upon check-in, and today it was hairbands and our lovely gloves modeled above.  I got the shorter gloves which end just below the elbow to avoid "snausaging" of the upper arm, which would undoubtedly have occurred with the longer version.

My lovely ballet slippers better arrive tomorrow, or it will be off to the Payless Shoe store up the street for me.  Cinderella with no slippers......

See you tomorrow for more fun at JASNA!