Summer Squash

HERE

THEY

COME!!!!!!!

By the Lemon Tree

Blessings this Lord's Day

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living


Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Psalm 27:13-14

Between the Sets

At the punch bowl...
Between the sets there was time to visit the punch bowl. Some dainties were set out that looked yummy, but I could not imagine eating at such a time. One of the punch bowls contained ice water; that's what we all drank. I discovered why it is advantageous to have a gentleman bring the lady her punch- it is tricky pouring it into your cup while keeping your gloves dry!

Dear Friend and I. Here is a view of the back of her dress. All four of our gowns were made from the same pattern, but all so very different with the variations we dreamt up!My dashing Son #1. We had the final waltz together. See? He is taller than me!

How did people pass time at balls when they weren't dancing in Jane Austen's day? Well, probably like this! We stood around and talked. Here, we have found a friend we made through our dance classes. There were several people we knew from there in attendance that night.

This is Marcie. She has enough personality for TEN people. She is always fun and never dull or predictable. We like Marcie:)

Marcie made her own gown. We all compared notes on garment construction.


Another good view of Dear Friend's gown. Here she discusses with Marcie her husband's vest or jacket.

A good time being had by all!

I saved my favorite two pictures of the night for last. They will make up my next post. And here's some bait -they were both taken by Son # 1!


Blessings,
Suzanne

Yes, I am still alive

Just a hello to let you know I am still alive and do have plans for the next three posts at least. Please pray I may have clarity of mind that I may focus long enough to sit down and do it. Life is all consuming right now. I also know I am overdue in updating you, my dear friends and readers, about my current situation. That is another post all on it's own that I will have to compose soon.

For now I have added some fun updates to the margin, be sure and take a look.

If you all would be so kind as to leave a comment and say hi, it would go a long way in encouraging me to get back in the blogging saddle again.

with love,
Suzanne

On the Dance Floor

This is where the fun REALLY was! We had been learning and practicing these very dances for months leading up to this night. Some of the names of the dances included: Shewsburys Lasses (the "Wrong way, Mr. Collins! "dance) Mr Breveridges Maggot (The dance shared by Emma and Mr Knightly, as well as Elizabeth and Mr Darcy) Irish Lamentation, The Spaniard, Duke of Kent's Waltz, and for my friends on the east coast- Sutters of Selkirk and Rakes of Rochester :)


This photo only shows about 1/3 of the room.

A good view of line formation.

A good view of the closeness of the crowd when you were in the midst of it.

I couldn't help but think of Mr Collins every time I saw this guy!

Lovely ladies.




Here, Dear Friend managed to catch 5 members of our party in one frame though there were hundreds on the floor!


There were four sets in all, each consisting of about five dances. There was precious little time between dances to find a new partner, and there were no dance cards. The floor filled up quickly. The level of genlemanliness varied greatly with the amount of knowledge and experience of the gentleman. Although it is customary to escort the lady off the dance floor at the end, not all do. Some just walk away and leave you there. But one partner I had actually went the extra mile and not only escorted me, but offered to find a new partner for me!

"Who would you like? I'll get him for you." he said. And I believed he could. With his impressive officer's uniform and grey hair, he seemed to command the clout of a colonel.

Wow. My pick of anyone? ooo- There's someone I know from our dance group- how about him? Too late, taken. What about... oh, too late. (I told you the floor filled up quickly). "Well, I believe we will just have to dance the next dance as well!" he concluded. That was fine with me. I would have surely been left out had he not brought me back onto the floor. As we waited for the music to begin, we had the chance to introduce ourselves. His name? Fritz.

Oh, Perfect!

That just makes it all the better!

Back in the car, Dear Friend mused, "I wonder if that's just a stage name he uses for the balls." My response? Hush! Don't spoil it- so what if it is? I choose to play along.

Fantasy... That's what this evening is all about:)

The Hall

The Jane Austen ball was held at the Masonic Temple in Pasadena. The beauty and formality of the hall greatly added to the experience and gave one the impression one was stepping back in time. Above, you can see the instrument my daughter affectionately referred to as the "piano forte."

"Jane" and "Lizzy"

The architecture was stunning. Note the columns and ceiling.

Dear Friend's daughter in an elegant profile shot

A lady crossing the lobby

Son # 1 waits patiently for the ladies to emerge from the dressing room. I think he was born in the wrong time period. These clothes suited him- he took my breath away all night!

Eldest daughter armed with her camera.

Poor Son # 2 was struck with a bad headache that affected his ability to participate in the evening's festivities. Here he is trying to "brave it."

Men in tails and stockings everywhere!

A lady waiting...

Next post will bring us to the dance floor! :)

What do you think so far??? Leave a comment!