Christmas Morning

It’s very early Christmas morning and all through the house…and outside…it is very quiet, as it should be. 

Soon the family will be up and the many gifts will be opened. But one gift is missing. Our younger son did not make it home from Chicago after testing positive for Covid two days ago. He says he feels fine, that it started with a cold. His brother came home with a cold but it seems to have run its course, but not before it passed on to me, apparently/allegedly. Son No. 1 did his second Covid test yesterday since being home. Both came back negative. 

Alesia and I yesterday afternoon attended a wonderful Christmas Eve Mass at our church, St. John the Beloved in Summerville. We were able to get terrific seats to really enjoy and appreciate the wonderful singer, her children’s choir, and the talented young violinist. Father Ray gave an excellent sermon about the true "reason for the season," though he was himself struggling with a cough and cold. 

I did receive a nice surprise a few days ago when Emma Lang contacted me to say she had completed the watercolor painting I had commissioned with her. 

Emma is a very talented studio art major at the College of Charleston and the daughter of Bob Lang, a good friend and longtime tennis partner. 

The painting was done from a photograph I took a few months ago of a sunset seen from the Citrus Club, which is at the top of the Dewberry Hotel on Meeting Street in Charleston. I am so pleased with Emma’s rendition. If you are interested in talking with her about doing a painting for you I will give you her contact information. 

Her Dad Bob brought the painting to me Thursday when we played tennis at Collins Park in North Charleston near the airport. 

And we did a holiday bottle of booze exchange! 

After tennis, I went to the nearby Michael’s craft store and found a frame for the watercolor. The worker there was very helpful. 

I put the painting in a prominent spot in our house inside the front door, replacing a nice framed Charleston-themed print that had been there for years. Emma's art will be a great conversation piece!

I was not expecting the artwork until January so getting it right before Christmas is an extra treat. 

Happy holidays to all and here is to a safe, healthy and prosperous 2022. It looks like we are in for another challenging year due to the pandemic that does not seem to want to ever end!