Victoria Bliss was Bliss! Part 2

Welcome back, Gentle Friend.

I'm so glad you were able to come again this morning to hear about the rest of my Bliss event. I'm sorry that I couldn't get together yesterday. But we are together again and I will share the rest of my adventure with you!

Sunday morning came early for my friend, Sharon and I. Checkout time coincided with the end of the last event, so we had to pack our bags before heading out to morning's functions. We got up at 5 am and were downstairs by 7:45! Breakfast was scheduled for 8 am and we just made it in time to get seated near the front.

Just look at these roses! Aren't they beautiful? Each day, the tables were set for eight and adorned with an arrangement like this one. (I purchased and brought a similar one home afterwards!) Let's see, where did I leave off? Oh yes, Sunday morning...

We were treated to a wonderful breakfast. There was a glorious buffet of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and pastries, plus an omelet and french toast station. Then, while we were eating, the waiters brought plates of a special cheese and bacon scone prepared by our guest speaker of the morning, Rebecca Rather. Rebecca is a restaurant owner/ cookbook author. She shared some of her experiences in the restaurant business. She was delightful!

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Following breakfast, the staff of Victoria took the stage for a question and answer session. Once again, they were gracious and listened to comments and answered questions. What a joy to listen to comments from ladies from all over the country as they told how Victoria had inspired them! Many suggestions were offered and taken note of by Victoria's editorial staff.

Following a brief break, the morning continued with a lovely Power Point slide presentation from Gayle Driggers of Crane Papers. She explained the importance of writing letters for posterity, gave us an overview of the history of Crane Papers, and showed us some of the products available.

The last speaker for the morning was Steven Porterfield, pictured above. He gave us a look at some of his extensive collection of Victorian dresses. It was facinating to see how the styles changed over a period of about 60 years. He has a wealth of information and seemed to truly enjoy sharing his passion with us. Steven has sold vintage clothing to individuals and museums all over the world! Here are more of his dresses:




The final session of the morning was one last question and answer time with the Victoria staff. More lovely comments form the audience were listened to and then it was time to bid farewell. There was an overwhelming collective feeling that we had just participated in an event that would be talked of for many years to come. It was almost sad to bid farewell to the new friends we had made, but we were told that this would become a yearly event, so we parted with a promise to keep in touch until next year. Our exciting weekend had come to a close.

After a few minutes spent thanking some of the staff personally, it was time to collect bags and head to the airport. There, Sharon and I parted ways--she to a long flight home to South Dakota, and I to a short drive to my home on the northern outskirts of Dallas. We had come together as good friends and had parted even closer. And I had a sweet gift to remind me of our journey together and of our friendship--a sweet pink tuffet that I will treasure forever!

I know that I will never forget my journey to Bliss...

I'm so glad I was able to share it with you. I hope you enjoyed hearing the details.

Until next time,

Karen