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!

Costume for JASNA Portland -Trying for the "Regency Look"

Regency dress for the Bal Masque

Amethyst cross

White ballet shoes

I am very excited and slightly apprehensive about attending my first gathering of the Jane Austen Society of North America next Wednesday in Portland Oregon.  I am excited because I will be away with my sister and among people with similar interests, all intent on having fun.  I am slightly apprehensive because I don't know quite what to expect.  So I am rather obsessing about being ready for the Bal Masque on Saturday Oct 30.  I am trying to get my costume as period as possible without paying too much.  Huzzah for Ebay.

As well as what you see above, all purchased from Ebay, the crowning jewel being the dress ordered from Marion May in the UK, who I can highly recommend.  I got a real steal on it as she seemed to be clearing it out on Ebay, and it just happened to be the right size.

I got very cute masks from the dollar store for $1.25 each, so I got three to chose from (we can give one away to someone who needs a mask at the Ball).

I have also been sewing evening bags for my sister and I (called reticules), which meant breaking out my sewing machine for the first time in years.  The results are above.  I tried to emulate ones from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, England as they were so pretty.

And the hair situation was an issue as neither my sister or I fuss with our hair too much, so I got fabric covered hair bands, white for me and black for my sis.  She is dressing up a regular black dress to look Period by adding a shawl, gloves, etc.  Oh, yes, I found us some long white gloves, 8 bucks a pair, to add the finishing touches.

Well, what do you think?  Will we pass muster?

Hugh Dancy as Grigg from The Jane Austen Book Club

I have to say that although I thought The Jane Austen Book Club was a cute diversion of a film, worth an occasional viewing but not a real favorite, the best thing about it was Hugh Dancy and his character Grigg Harris.
Grigg is the man whom all women readers of Jane Austen would love to have at their book club.  Gorgeous, slightly geeky in a sweet way, uber intelligent in an attractive way, a man who loves and understands women (having grown up with sisters), and who is romantic and charming.  And a man who will actually pick up a Jane Austen book without a look of terror in his eyes.
OK, the fact that this man does not actually exist in the real world is beside the point.  That is what makes him so fascinating to watch in this unabashed chick flick.  He is mesmerizing because we have never seen his like before.  Not only does he throw himself into the world of Austen with an open mind and no fear, he outdoes the Austen lovers in enthusiasm when he not only reads Northanger Abbey, but he reads The Mysteries of Udolpho referenced therein.  I mean only the absolute hard core Janite or lover of all things gothic has done this.  And not only that, but when he hosts the book club meeting about Northanger Abbey, he decorates his house in true Hallowe'en haunted house style to add to the atmosphere.  How do you find a guy with that kind of child-like enthusiasm for life?  The only man I have ever seen who even approaches him was my hunky, fabulous Grade 5 teacher Mr. Shea who helped us turn our classroom into a haunted house and was an amazing teacher to boot.  But I digress...

In my adult life, cynical as I now am, I don't believe this character of Grigg exists and if he did he would either be very taken or very very gay.  The chance of having a Grigg walk into your life or join your book club is about the same as bumping into Colin Firth at your local Starbucks and then not going all Bridget Jones over him!
In any case, this is my little tribute to the talented Hugh Dancy and a bit of happy anticipation for the JASNA AGM in Portland later this month which I will be attending with my sister and which has a gothic, Northanger Abbey theme this year.
So Happy Hallowe'en in advance and I think I have to go out now and try to buy a copy of The Mysteries of Udolpho.  Mrs. Radcliffe here I come.