A delightful time was had by all for the 2013 December event, in celebration of Jane Austen's 238th birthday! Below is a slideshow gallery featuring the potluck luncheon and the program that followed, "I Want My Mr. Darcy: Using Pride & Prejudice as Bibliotherapy." 

If you would like to submit more photos to share with the region -- or to add to or correct a photo's caption -- please contact Web Manager Jennifer Snoek-Brown directly.

Another successful AGM! Below is a slideshow gallery featuring some of our regional members in wonderful costumes -- and having a wonderful time! If you would like to submit more photos to share with the region, please contact Web Manager Jennifer Snoek-Brown directly.

There is a beautiful gallery of photos online at the Telegraph showcasing fans of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice who gathered at Chatsworth House. Chatsworth held a special dinner recently to celebrate the 200th anniversary of P&P. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/10137639/Fans-of-Jane-Austens-Pride-and-Prejudice-gather-at-Chatsworth-House.html 

Chatsworth, Derbyshire, served as the location of the Pemberley estate in the 2005 film adaptation, and is thought to have been the original inspiration for Pemberley, the residence of Mr. Darcy in P&P. You can see more about Chatsworth online here at http://www.chatsworth.org.

Here are some in memoriam messages from JASNA members, sharing personal memories of Anna Quillan, a longtime JASNA member who recently passed away. If you would like to contribute more personal memories of Anna, please click the add comment link at the bottom of this post to share your thoughts.

~ Anna was the greatest. ~

~ I send my heart-felt condolences to the family. Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting Anna Quillan, the shared love of Jane Austen shows me that she is an exceptional person. ~

~ I was so sorry to hear of this sad news. I do remember Ana languishing on our sofa here at home as Lady Bertram when we had a dress as your favorite character. ~

~ Oh, such sad news. I will miss her sense of humor so very much... Such a loss to our group.
Our thoughts are with her family who must miss her a great deal. She was always such a delight to me.
I remember one of our conversations went something like this: 
Robin:  "So Anna, I heard you attended the AGM up in Vancouver... "
Anna:  "I did. I couldn't tell you a thing about it, but I know I went."
(You see, she knew her memory was slipping, and she just went along with how things 
were going to be as she got older. She seemed a little amused by it all!) ~

Sixty people attended our May 12, Mother’s Day Program at the Holy Names Heritage Center in Lake Oswego! Mothers and daughters, friends and family members, and several students from nearby universities filled the hall. The venue was vibrant with potted herbs, hand embroidered tablecloths, and Pride and Prejudice memorabilia decorating each table. Members provided a sumptuous potluck luncheon with entrees to please any palate. Vintage tea cups and a decadent dessert bar added to the festive atmosphere. 

Thanks to the generosity of JASNA National, our chapter was able to fly Dr. Lynda Hall up from Chapman University in Orange, California. Her presentation was intelligent and humorous -- the perfect recipe for an enjoyable afternoon. Dr. Hall spoke about marriages in Jane Austen’s time, focusing on Charlotte Lucas Collins and her willingness to sacrifice her intrinsic value for a marriage which provided her with economic security and little else. She was also kind enough to tell us about her week spent with screenwriter Andrew Davies, and to provide us with some interesting tidbits about Colin Firth. She was joined by her parents from the Oregon Coast, and was grateful to be able to spend Mother’s Day with her mother!

~ Kim Higgins, Regional Coordinator

Below are some more photos captured from our Birthday Celebration event on December 1. If you have additional personal photos you would like to share from this event, please contact Web Manager Jennifer Snoek-Brown directly.

Our December celebration was a splendid event! Live period music filled the Oaks park Dance Pavilion throughout, and many beautiful items and costumes were made available to the highest bidders at our silent auction. After a delicious Regency luncheon, twenty dancers joined forty guests for a grand promenade, followed by an hour of English Country Dancing. 

Many guests came in costume to meet "Jane" and to wish her well. Jane Austen was radiant in green silk (see left), and charmed all those who came into contact with her. Also in attendance were several characters from her novels. I must say, Lady Catherine De Bourgh was much nicer that I ever expected her to be, and Emma Woodhouse just as charming as I would have expected. Sadly, Lydia hasn't changed a bit, but was looking well, despite her lack of income. I must admit, however, that her skirt was scandalously short, and her neckline much lower than is considered proper. 

After dancing, we invited all present to join together in a song to commemorate Jane's birthday, and afterward enjoyed a sumptuous birthday dessert of ginger cake topped with fresh cream. 

~ Kim Higgins, Regional Coordinator

~ Kim Higgins, Regional Coordinator

The May 12th gathering at The Little Church was a delightful event, with thirty people in attendance. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the courtyard was in full bloom. After arriving, guests strolled to the back porch and courtyard to shop at the "Jumble Sale", a bring and buy event. 

We did very well, and people went home with many new treasures. Below, our speaker, Dr. Anita Fisher, was our biggest customer! 

Thank you to Nan and David for setting it all up!

The sale was followed by a superb luncheon buffet, filled with food Jane would have loved! Lori Emch, from Tasteful Catering, outdid herself again, and shared her incredible smoked salmon recipe with the group. If you are interested in a copy of this recipe, just let me know, and I will email it to you. In addition to the salmon, guests were served chicken salad, a cold beet salad, asparagus, fresh baked bread, cucumber salad, and potato pancakes. For dessert we had our choice of small fruit tarts, lemon bars, and cookies. It was beautifully presented and delicious!!

Guess which part was my favorite? (see below)

Just after lunch, simulating the "bluestocking" ladies of the past, we gathered to listen to our speaker, Dr. Anita Fisher, from Clark College. Dr. Fisher discussed women's issues in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a realistic and enlightening look into the darker world outside Austen's sphere, and we all benefited from her insights. Her information on the industrial revolution, and how if affected the women of the 19th century, will aid us well in our upcoming discussion of North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell. She challenged us to think about the possible reasons why Jane herself did not become involved in women's issues or refer to many of them in her novels. Many thanks to Dr. Fisher for her wonderful presentation!

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who helped put together this event. It would never have happened without all of you!