From Louis

………………This weekend my nephews Chris, to the left, and Matty to the right, along with Matty’s lady Michelle paid me a visit. Just to put things in proportion, and you don’t think I’m such a shrimp!, Chris is 6’3″, and Matty is 6’6″ tall. We had a wonderful weekend together……lots of eating , drinking [no one had to drive], stories and laughs. We watched movies on NetFlix and made it to bed by 2am…….I had just made a Stollen and a big bowl of fresh fruit salad so we all had a delicious breakfast. Matty and Michelle left about 1pm and Chris stayed. We went shopping and decided that Chris would make me his special hamburgers on the outside grill. He used his special secret ingredients, and I must say it could possibly be the best hamburgers I’ve ever had!….He left about 8:30pm and still had a 1 1/2 hour drive to get home. Like the good boy that he is he called me to let me know he got home safe. Chris and I are still planing our trip to Africa this August if Covid doesn’t stop us again!!!. The boys are my oldest brother Mauro’s two boys. They have a sister Jeanine who is the middle child.. Matty looks like my brother. They both have green eyes, and Chris looks like his Mom’s father. He has bright blue eyes…….very sweet, good-hearted boys….When Chris was very young, 7 or 8, he had a big crush on Jac and she had one on him. He was just too beautiful for words with his long unruly blond hair [all gone now}, and those sparkly blue eyes. He also had a somewhat deep raspy voice that just sealed the deal….He was also super skinny [not his problem now]. She would always take him on “a date”, just the two of them. She would take him to Carvel, a local ice cream store, for a cone. He loved those special times with Jac. We reminisced about their dates……….They are always welcome to pay their Uncle Lou a visit.

…………………………May 2002 ended the Spring /Summer collection for the year. The famous SILK WINDOWPANE shirt/jacket was first introduced. A solid was also offered, but it was the windowpane that was the star. Stripe sweater, and a V-neck sweater with a shirt collar and 3/4 sleeves was new and fresh and still looks great today. Silk Dupioni was introduced and used for shirts. At the bottom left a linen/rayon topper with high side slits was the start of many toppers to come. A Silk print bordered shirt was done in the colors of the group. At the bottom right a TULIP print shirt and long pull-on skirt in poly georgette finished the group.

……………………………March had two messages…..one was ANIMAL and the other was graphic red/white and black……This animal prints, on silk georgette, were some of the prettiest animal prints I have ever done. They had a water color effect that could only be achieved on silk. There was also a long lined georgette animal skirt with a high slit. A wide V-neck, 3/4 sleeve sweater  was the perfect coordinate to all of the bottoms………A two color ombre print sweater in khaki and aqua added soft coloring.The drop should jacket was in rayon and linen. The V-neck sweater in red/black and white had an insert vanity piece bib. 3 additional print shirts , a floral, a color block stripe, and a Crest print with a stripe border were wonderful separate pieces..

………………………..This morning the sunrise was so beautiful. As the sun came up the colors on the clouds got deeper and more orange and pink. God’s wonder. For my Long Island Ladies do you know the smoke stacks in the pictures?…………………….Have a beautiful day!…………………..much Love……………..Louis