Dateline Dayton – Last Friday evening we drove over to one of our favorite sites at this time of year, the lighted Christmas tree that has been constructed using the Carillon Bell Tower. A beautiful addition to the Dayton skyline, the tree can be seen from Interstate 75, our main north-south thoroughfare.

I am glad we chose Friday night. Two days later high winds heavily mangled the tree. After trying to repair the damage on Monday, the tree came down on Tuesday. It will not return until next year.

Well, Merry Christmas.

We were planning to enjoy supper at the Carillon Brewery. Facing a 45-minute wait, we moved on to a small burger place in a shopping center on the way home.

Saturday found us at the Breakfast Club. Afterward, we took down our Christmas decorations in the garage. Pauline already had gone through them, determining what to keep, what to put up.

However, I found another box, which I didn’t even bring down. Pauline went though the boxes and put up what she wanted. I combined what was left, so I will only need to bring down empty boxes in January.

When done, we brought out the decorations for Pauline’s brother who is not in good health. We drove them to his place, put up his crib set and tree, along with a wooden manger set that a parishioner had made for him.

We attended Mass in Piqua on Sunday with my brother, my sisters and their spouses. My sister Sara paid for breakfast for all of us, and here is why. She had won $10,000 the week before. We had a great time at Buffalo Jack’s, good food and fellowship.

We were invited by our friends to attend the Dayton Rotary Holiday Program on Monday. The food was good and the entertainment, provided by the Ruskin Elementary Orchestra in the Q was outstanding.

The Q music is a daily, tuition-free, after school orchestra program that supports the musical, academic and social growth of at-promise youth in the Dayton community.

The program began two years ago at Ruskin Elementary. Each Q music day includes academic tutoring, small group rehearsals, by instrument type and full orchestra rehearsal.

Pauline and I went to an open house at the British Car Museum last evening. The museum, which just opened, is the only one of its kind in America.

The museum building is old and needs work, but at least the British operators have a site to display the many cars they own or have on loan.

The British Car Museum president told me they have many new goals and a very old problem, lack of money. He invited our Cash Register Collectors Club to visit next September.

We drove to the Carillon Brewing Company for the hamburgers we did not get on Friday. So tasty, as usual.

On Sunday, I will again be Santa Claus for the Dayton Women’s Club at its Victorian Christmas Buffet. Ho! Ho! Ho!

And Merry Christmas.

Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net