5/3 The event begins

 Most JASNA Southwest events start with a buffet breakfast with registration and socializing going on.

Most of them look like this with bagels, and assorted pastries. Notice the Regency wear in the back left.

Today's program consisted of Mela Hoyt-Heydon, a retired costume designer, discussing all of the things that go into this.  She showed pictures from many of the JA films and TV shows and explained where the costumes may have come from, where the fabrics are now sourced (China) and how vision boards were used.  I really really enjoyed this.

Our next speaker was Jossalyn Emslie.  She is a doctor and told us all about the various ways that fainting was depicted and also the CURES for them.  (Which may have involved enemas.)

Jess House was the 3rd speaker.  She dealt with the Darcy Wars.  There are definite camps for the heros.   Colin Firth does seem to be the winner.  All of them are HOT.

Lunch was the normal hotel banquet lunch.  I chose chicken.  It was fine.  The dessert was different and tasty, a little bowl of fresh fruit with whipped cream.

After lunch there were classes that taught how to make things.  I chose the reticule class.  We sewed by hand, but glued on the decorations.  Mine is on the top.  The one on the bottom was knitted by the teacher.

     

That evening Liz and I joined some others at an Indian Restaurant a few blocks from the hotel.  The food was delicious, but it is geographically undesirable.

We did not go to the ball, but I took lots of pictures:

Jane Boltz in one of her many many dresses.  She is the outgoing chapter head and is now on the planning committee for JASNA events.

Syrie James writes historical fiction and has written a very funny play, "Jane Austen in 48 Minutes."
                                       

5/2 Arriving at Jane's Birthday Bash

 Liz and I decided to get to Pasadena and have lunch before checking into our “boutique hotel”. We left West L.A. at 1pm to beat the traffic. It still took us an hour to get here.  We wandered into Old Town and chose a Chinese Hot Pot.  We had a chicken broth and a medium hot broth.  My mouth is still recovering.

We had the meatball combo (beef tendons, beef and cilantro, and squid) the tofu combo (some slices, some cubed with skins, and some which looked like really wide noodles) and the veggie combo, (lettuce, bok choy, Napa cabbage). We cooked and ate and then walked back to the hotel. 

The Hotel Dena was the Sheraton the last time I was here.  The only change I see is some really bad artwork which looks like some one spray painted graffiti on it.

We read for awhile before going to a cocktail party across the street. 

No one was in regency wear yet.  We had wine and nibbles and are now back in our room relaxing and reading until bedtime.

10/26 -10/30 Hanging Out with Lorraine

 Lorraine and I met in 1966 when we both were programmers for Southern New England Telephone.  We just clicked.  I only lived in New Haven for 2 1/2 years but we have remained friends and really just pick up as though we had seen each other the day before.  She and Bob are fabulous hosts.

We have just been doing Lorraine’s regular life, so that includes things like sorting silver that was donated to Habitat for Humanity’s store.  The sterling goes to the scrap silver dealer, the junk goes Salvation Army, and the stuff that might sell gets polished.  We worked one afternoon and have another one to go.

A small portion of our efforts.

Lorraine polishing away.

Yesterday we went to Modern Pizza for lunch.  If you haven’t had NH pizza your life is sadly missing a real treat. The other local treat is Birch Beer.  My eyes were bigger than my tummy so we had a lot left over.  We had various leftovers for dinner, so I had pizza for dinner and again for lunch.  

Next on the agenda was a visit to the Peabody Museum. It has recently been totally renovated and the Dino’s have been restored to the latest knowledge about them.  It now is aimed at being more educational for the general public instead of for academics.  We also took in the Living Lab which had 9 kinds of poison dart frogs.  They are really tiny and very colorful.  The leaf eater ants were not marching along this time, but we did learn about their graveyard and that they seem to have an ant in charge of it who takes the dead ants in and keeps all others out.  

In the evening Bob makes cocktails and cheese and crackers for us to nosh on while we watch the news before dinner.  After dinner we all read for awhile and then repair to our beds to read some more.  L & B are my kind of people.

10/24 - 10/27 Visiting Sister Susan

 These days were filled with a wonderful visit with my little (17 years younger) sister Susan.  She now lives in Glastonbury, Ct with her younger son Luke.  This was my first visit since they got moved.  My brother David and his kids Carrie and Matt drove up to join in the fun.  This was the first time in a very long time that we have been together, so it was very special.  

I arrived on Thursday and Susan and I just hung out.  Friday we went for dinner with Luke and his girlfriend Ariel. 

David, Carrie and Matt arrived Saturday at noon.  Susan made Taylor Pork Roll for lunch.  (this is a very New Jersey thing and a real treat for those of us who have moved away.)

Basically we just hung out.  We walked down a nature trail near her house, 

played corn hole 

and watched football.  We also had a great FaceTime call with her new grandson, Maverick in CO.  His parents Ford (Susan's son) and Kaitlin are now “chopped liver.”

Our last picture Sunday morning just before they left. 

Sunday David's family left after breakfast and Susan drove me to North Haven to my friends Lorraine and Bob.

10/23 Last day in Cleveland

 We have done a lot this visit.  This morning we went to Kent State’s Fashion Museum. They had a great timeline of dresses and world events.  There also was a special quilt exhibit.

Then when we got home I started to get ready to leave. Janet brought my laundry up from the basement.

Janet’s yard gets a lot of wildlife.  She has red, gray, and black squirrels, chipmunks and sometimes just a convention.

The Ohio news said that this week was prime leaf peeping season.  I took a picture of the same tree when I arrived and again today.

10/21 & 10/22 Exploring Ohio leaf peeping

 I am so lucky with the weather this visit with Janet.  Last time I was here it was rainy and cold, this time it is warm and sunny and the trees are a riot of color.

On Monday we visited Olmsted Falls, walked through the woods to the falls, and had lunch at Clementine, a charming tea room.

How much time would it take to carve this?

Janet and Stacy in the woods.

Today we went to Stan Hywet hall and gardens.  Stan Hywet means stone quarry.

This was the home of the founder of Goodyear Rubber and the house was a combination of mansion with ballroom and great room and family house with kids bedrooms and swimming pool.  The grounds were lovely too.

On the back at every single bathroom stall door was a tidbit of information.  This one was the funniest.

On each drive we nominated the most beautiful trees and then groups of trees.

We are having a great time.

10/20 Goodbye to Mr. Darcy

 Our last day.  We packed up and went to the Sunday Brunch, which had a speaker who talked about the juxtaposition between Jane and the fossils that were being discovered in Lyme while she was setting a novel there.  Then the 2026 AGM Tucson plans were shown (going to be the 2 novels set in Bath).  2035 is going to be the 250 anniversary celebration in Baltimore.  Janet and I are planning on going if we can.  We had a really good time together.

We said a fond farewell to Mr. Darcy and moved on to Janet’s house.  Her daughter Stacy picked us up. She only lives about 20 minutes away along the lake.

This has been a busy weekend for Cleveland.  The Guardians played, the Browns played, the Rock and Roll Hall of fame had their induction ceremony, AND JASNA HAD THE AGM.

It was such a beautiful afternoon we had cocktails on the patio and just decompressed.

I slept very well, but have to remember to keep my bedroom door firmly shut or one or all of the 3 cats may join me.  In truth the are shut up with Stacy and John at night, but during the day, I am fair game.

10/19 Banquet and Ball

 Another day filled with learning and then the “main event” - the banquet and ball.  

The Southwest region had their group

The head of our region made a combo regency Rock & Roll dress.  The R&R Hall of Fame is just across the street and they were doing their induction ceremony at the same time.  Her guitar was a reticule (a little purse.). 

I met two others who had found the same great dress on Amazon.  We paid $50 instead of the ones for sale here for $400.

After dinner the people in costume promenaded down to the ballroom.  The others took pictures.  At the ball, Janet and I danced, rested, and danced some more.  Then we went back to our room to pack and sleep.