Terry and I drove to my sister’s home in Punta Gorda on Christmas Eve. The roads through the center of the state were quiet. We drove through large orange groves and past large juicing factories. 16 wheel trucks were loaded to overflowing with oranges. Some of the fruit actually rolled down the pyramid peaks and down to the street gutters when the trucks hit rough pavement. My sister Pat Boehme and her boyfriend Mike Napalitano had a beautifully decorated artificial tree in their living room. On Christmas Day, Pat gave me a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. It was basically an artificial twig mounted on two planks and one red Christmas bulb.
On the day after Christmas, Pat and Terry wanted to go shopping in downtown Punta Gorda. Our first stop was Pat’s Chiropractor’s office. This large Community Christmas Tree was right across the street. I sat on a public bench and started sketching. Some of those ornaments were the size of basketballs. After Pat’s adjustment, she and Terry drove to a railroad station antiques store. I had sketched the railroad station before so I stayed behind studying the Christmas Tree and sketching as fast as I could. I figured when they were done shopping, my sketch would be done. Some guy exiting the chiropractors office looked over my shoulder and said, “You certainly found a wonderful way to relax this holiday.” I was anything but relaxed.
A beautiful illustration. Thank you for the blog and for sharing. Lorah Steiner, director of tourism, Charlotte County, including Punta Gorda)Florida.