That is Priceless by Steve Melcher for April 19, 2023

John McEnroe’s great-grandmother. The first member of the family to yell:

YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS?!

Mable had heard that playing tennis was a good way to meet guys, but so far she was at love = love.

For some reason field tennis never caught on.

So, are we going to sit here all day bellyaching, or are we going to go out there and play some tennis?

“I knew this “sitting for a portrait” thing was going to be just another racket."

I know that face … Tig Notaro! It could be that her great-grandmother was the model.

“I do know how to play tennis.”

Tennyson, anyone?

/// For Impressionists, critics now rave,

earning kudos that all artists crave.

Mary Holland, his wife,

causes Otto some strife.

At least, that’s the impression she gave.

MacEnroe wouldn’t put up with this crap.

They met at the Art School badminton tournament. Mary was at first suspicious and wary when Otto invited her up to his studio to “see his etchings.” This was apparent in the above painting (with obvious Freudian undertones) of her returning his below-the-waist serve. Eventually, though, he smashed the bird, and gave her three sons.

The look in her eyes says it all……“I’m too butch for this dress!”

“Take one step closer and I’ll whack your balls.”

“Yes, I have the world longest fingers. But I can whip your butt at tennis.”

Never date a tennis player. Love means nothing to them.

She was not impressed when Bob explained the rules of strip tennis

Mary was dumbfounded when she realized she didn’t have to sit over the hole in the wicker chair anymore because she had the solution to her chair problem right in her hands!

I suppose we should all be impressed/ by her game- though she’s much overdressed/she will be soaking wet/ by the end of this set/ and badly in need of a rest.

She wondered if she should have came commando?

Lady Mary tried her cross handed putting grip on her tennis racquet. Didn’t work.

“This blunt object says we’re not doing a nude portrait today, Mr. Bacher.”

You cannot be serious man! Chalk flew! Answer the question jerk!

" If this ace hole thinks I’m gonna play with his balls on this court, he’s in for a big let down! "

Stewing over the fact that her opponent was wearing a polo shirt and shorts and tennis shoes instead of button-up boots.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, the early years.

In a pinch, she uses her hat when she plays badminton…

One of Serena William’s new line of retro tennis outfits.

Looking at her surroundings? I’m more “piss-ed” that we have to spend so much time doing yardwork instead of simply enjoying the beauty of untamed nature.

Puzzled about why men ‘manspread’, she decided to try it herself — and discovered it really is more comfortable on a hot day after brisk exercise. Now if she could just shed some of those petticoats…

YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS! Lady MacEnroe.

Ma Barker, before she was arrested for racketeering.

/// I must say first before I proceed,

Ish has given us MORE we can read!

See the Ish Profile page.

It’s been nearly an age,

well… a fortnight since we’ve seen a screed.

" When we said you were Wimbleton material, Miss Hargrave, we were talking about your dress style not your athletic prowess. "

If tennis players had to wear clothing like that today, it would probably slow them down enough for us to follow the action.

“Why don’t they replace that fuzzy ball with a pickle?”

Mary Holland Bacher: 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otto_H._Bacher_-_Mary_Holland_Bacher_-_1966.388_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tif 

has info and links that point to more info about this roughly jumbo envelope size painting. Unless your browser (or whatever) can handle .tif file images, or you want to download the 106.26 MB image to your device, don’t click the image there; click one of the image sizes under the image instead to view it on your device.

Again, a larger strip image is shown by (Ctrl- or right-) clicking the image in Mr. Melcher’s MASTERPIECE #3117 (April 19, 2023) blog entry, accessible by the Check out the blog! box after the last comment, and using the dropdown menu (even larger, if you trim what’s after .png from the URL). I have added a comment there (awaiting Mr. Melcher’s approval) pointing to info about this artist I used to point to here. First work by this artist used here.

You think you could do better?…

Marybell thought if i can’t get a tennis partner, maybe i can get a sex partner, long Waite Marybell.

Sadly, Harriet had to unstring her racquet to repair the chair.

Over time, Mary experimented with quick release tennis clothing, in short order discarding sleeves, petticoats, and corsets, until by 1893 she was so lightly clothed she was able to beat Otto in two short sets. (https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.387)

Eunice just because it is called Pickleball you don’t have to make a sour face..

What do you mean they are adding a “Serve clock”?

Oh. I see. You only want me to wear the rubber fetish suit at night.

John McEnroe ’s Great Grandmother….

Lady Mary Hollander tries to figure out how to play tennis while imprisoned in those clothes.

Just shut up and finish your damm painting! I smiled two hours ago.