GimletBlog

Part the Second: In which Team Tilney Explains It All, including the mystery guest mentioned in Part the First.  Mojo, voodoo, mist and magic abound!

Friday morning Team Tilney met in the hotel ballroom, instructed our Extraordinary Gentlemen to bar the doors, and rehearsed in earnest with our mysterious guest panelist:  a local Portland actor we hired to play Henry Tilney.    During a brainstorming session, the idea was tossed around to have a “real” Henry join our panel.  Team member Lynn Marie got in touch with her Portland theater contacts, and in short order we had our Henry on board and familiarizing himself with our presentation.

As he would be sitting in the audience prior to his introduction, Maggie warned him that as a young man in costume at the AGM, he would be an unusual sight and the other attendees would be drawn to him. (“They will come up and pet you.”) But despite this, and despite overhearing at least one very shocking assessment of his charms, what followed after the presentation was a surprise even to Team Tilney.  But that is getting ahead of the story just a little.

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Part the First: In which our heroine has a most distressing adventure, but all ends happily, if wearily.

This year the Things had several must-attend activities scheduled at the same time that Your Humble Narrator absolutely had to be in Portland, so Team Gimlet divided and conquered:  I rode the train down to Portland Thursday afternoon, and when the evening’s events were done, The Gimlet loaded up the barouche and drove south, arriving in Portland at 1:30 in the morning.  After the stress and bustle of preparations, the train ride was relaxed and scenic, and had I but known it, Laurel Ann of Austenprose was riding the same train!  We did not discover this until we were introduced in the hotel lobby.  But that is getting ahead of the story just a little.

A Northanger Abbey-inspired journey would not be complete without a Gothic kidnapping of the incompetent heroine, and so it happened that when I found the MAX light rail station, I very stupidly got on the wrong train, which promptly whisked me away from downtown Portland and over the Willamette River.  However, rather than scream or faint (although the inclination was there, as I watched downtown disappear into the distance at an alarming speed), I managed to ask a Local Young Person for directions, and she very kindly helped this Befuddled Older Person to the correct MAX station.

I was then hopeful that the return trip would be uneventful, but I had forgotten about the possibility of banditti, another popular Gothic motif.  After a conversation with a potentially aggressive panhandler, and the concern that I might miss my stop again, I decided that a walk was in order.  Happily my chosen point of disembarkation was not too far from my final destination, and soon I was within the welcoming walls of the hotel and met by old friends and online acquaintances (who feel like old friends even if this was our first face-to-face meeting).

The first of many visits to the Milsom Street Emporium was in order, and not because the rigors of the journey demanded retail therapy.  Rather, the Antique Fashionista and her husband (also known as Aunt M and Uncle C) had secured a booth in the Emporium and I wanted to meet up and find out how the day had been for them.  The Antique Fashionista was hard at work, as she would be for the next three days, stepping away from her booth only when it was absolutely necessary.  The Fashionista Dogsbody had already been sent on several errands to procure nourishment and art supplies (an excellent shop just happened to be close by).  Team Fashionista was fatigued from travel and their labors, but were happy to report that sales were brisk, even at this early pre-AGM stage.

I was a member of a group of ladies called Team Tilney, which would be presenting a panel discussion Friday morning, before the official opening of the AGM.  We had planned to rehearse our presentation Thursday afternoon, but all of us, including our top secret mysterious guest panelist, arrived late for one reason or another.  When we finally assembled, we had less than an hour to work, but the first run-through went well.  After rehearsal we adjourned for a much needed dinner at the Heathman Restaurant.    The food was exquisite (the desserts were especially heavenly) and the conversation delightful.  Even when jet-lagged and travel-worn, Janeites are the best sort of company.  My evening was far from over as I had to wait up for The Gimlet to arrive, and when he finally did, we were both glad to get a few hours’ sleep before the big day.

Next:  Mystery

Visit the Gimlet Gallery to see more photos from the AGM.

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The 2010 AGM is almost here!  JASNA’s annual meeting will be held in Portland, Oregon over Halloween weekend.  The theme is “Jane Austen and the Abbey:  Mystery, Mayhem, and Muslin in Portland”.   I’m looking forward to a reunion with fellow Gothic Gotham fangirl Kelley and my partner in mayhem and muslin from the Vancouver AGM, Maggie.  Aunt M, the Antique Fashionista, will have a booth at the Milsom Street Emporium where people can watch her working on her beautiful watercolors, then purchase one to take home as a souvenir.  Meanwhile, The Gimlet has plans to sample the local donut scene and see if it lives up to the hype.

Of course there has to be a new dress for the Bal Masque, and Tamara has graciously agreed to design another amazing creation.  No pictures to share yet, but think crushed red velvet, black lace, and especially think Gothic.  Wretched Mathildas and Emily St. Auberts, all of whom swoon at the drop of a hat, would surely swoon for such a gown.

It promises to be a weekend of great fun.  We hope to see you there!

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We aren’t sure how the distance to Anacortes compares with Ushant and Scilly, but it was certainly close enough to spend last Saturday touring the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain.

The brig Lady Washington is a a full-scale reproduction of the first American vessel to visit the west coast of North America in approximately 1788.  Now the Lady is Washington State’s tall ship ambassador and the state ship.  She has been seen in several films, perhaps most notably as the HMS Interceptor in Pirates of the Caribbean:  The Curse of the Black Pearl.   (And like so many celebrities, she is much smaller in real life than one expects from her grand presence on the big screen.)

The topsail ketch Hawaiian Chieftain is a replica of a typical European merchant trader of the turn of the nineteenth century. Her hull shape and rigging are similar to those of Spanish explorer’s ships used in the expeditions of the late 18th century along the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts.

First, we toured the Hawaiian Chieftain.

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Thing Two is not known for being restaurant friendly yet, but we believe that can be accomplished with enough training under appropriate circumstances.  With that in mind, we opted for an early Friday dinner at Ivar’s Salmon House on Lake Union.  We arrived just ahead of the weekend crowds, so the restaurant grew progressively busier (a noisy restaurant is good for hiding children’s activity) and while we were allowed plenty of time to enjoy our meal, service was prompt (also necessary for the impatience-prone Thing Two).  The variety of water traffic just outside our window kept Thing Two entertained, and the menu met with his approval.  Success!

We had so much fun watching the boats during dinner that instead of returning home, we decided to drive to the Ballard Locks.

The tide was fairly high, and the locks opened and closed quickly to let all the waiting boats out of the lake and into Puget Sound.  We saw a great variety of boats, from sleek racing powerboats to beautiful wood cruisers.

The fish ladder was full of sockeye and a few of the immense chinook salmon.

A harbor seal pup under the bridge attracted a lot of attention.  Judging from the large and frequent splashes in the bay, we think the pup’s mother was not too far away, busily catching salmon.

Regardless of the weather, the Ballard Locks never disappoint:  always relaxing, always interesting.  And on a warm summer evening filled with salmon and boats, who could ask for more?

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While Thing One is away at the National Jamboree, Thing Two could use a little cheering up.  We were glad to be invited by some friends to spend a day at the zoo.

One of our friends’ favorite places at the zoo is the Willawong Station.  During the summer, one can purchase a seed stick for $1 to feed the birds.

We discovered that height is a definite advantage when trying to attract a bird, so perhaps we can convince Uncle Q to join us at the zoo when he visits next month.

The snow leopards and the tiger were sleeping (not surprising to those of us who own cats) but climbing on the snow leopard sculpture, and the other animal sculptures around the zoo, is fun.

Thing Two’s favorite animals were the Gila monsters and the Komodo dragons.

He was also fascinated to watch the snakes during their feeding time.  Sorry, no photos, but rest assured it was quite exciting!  In all our years visiting the zoo, we have never seen the snakes so lively.  However, Thing Two avoided the pond turtle next to the snake exhibits because, in his words, “The pond turtle is kind of creepy.”  Would the pond turtle have seemed less creepy to Thing Two if it had been swallowing mice?

A few exhibits are all these four year-olds can handle, so after visiting the penguins, it was time to take our very tired little friends home.

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Editor’s Note: Just because we haven’t been posting lately doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy:  so far this month Thing One has attended an NYLT staff training campout at Camp Parsons, the Aurora District Camporee at Camp Pigott, the National Jamboree shakedown campout (also at Camp Pigott), and the Chief Seattle Council Eagle Scout recognition banquet.  At the banquet, he entered a drawing to win a seat on a Boeing 737 delivery flight to Alaska Airlines … and won!

Fifty Eagle Scouts enjoyed an approximately one hour flight as their Eagle Scout pilot flew the scenic route from Boeing Field to the Alaska Airlines hangar at SeaTac Airport.  Even without a barrel roll, it was a very cool adventure.  Many thanks to Boeing and Alaska Airlines for giving the council’s newest Eagle Scouts the opportunity to fly!

Thing One’s entire collection of photos can be viewed in the Gimlet Gallery.

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Uncle B and Aunt H have entered the blogging world with their new family blog, Curly and Bee.  The blog brings everyone up to date on the past year of newlywed life, with great photos from their honeymoon near Tofino, BC, moving into their new home (which some of you may recognize as the “cute half” of the duplex Team Gimlet used to live in … we lived in the “not cute half”), the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, and Bobblehead Night at Safeco Field.  Welcome to blogging, Curly and Bee!

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