Back from Texas!

I'm back from Texas, where I attended the 2011 Jane Austen Society of North America's Annual General Meeting-- or JASNA AGM, for short. The AGM is held in a different city (and sometimes a different country) every year, and each year a different theme is explored for the benefit of the members' better understanding of Jane Austen and her world. Some years, the theme is broadly defined, allowing for study not only of Austen's novels but also of her letters and "juvenilia" writings. This year, however, marked the 200th anniversary of the publication of Austen's first novel, and so the theme was Sense & Sensibility.

It was a marvelous long weekend. I danced my heart out, found some remarkable teacups, took a picture with a celebrity, and joined the promenade in Fort Worth's Sundance Square, much to the amazement of the local party-goers. I also learned a bit about women's language in the Regency and the various "kidney-rattling" modes of transportation available. If I were a wealthy Regency lady, I might drive a phaeton, whereas the adventurous eldest son in the family would be most flamboyantly accoutered in a curricle. As a lady, it would be improper for me to gallivant about the country on horseback, but that would be my first choice in different circumstances.

Many more photos to follow...