Marathon weekend

A marathon weekend I should say the last one was.
My parents possess a Sri Rama Pattabhisheka Thanjavur painting that was my great grand father's (Late Sri Natesha Iyer). This picture that is more 85 years old, has passed 2 generations, and needed some immediate renovation and had to be framed once again. What adds to its glory is that Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal (the then Peetadhipathi of the Kanchi Kamakoti Shankara Matam) while camping at Kattumannarkoil in the mid 1940s, had this picture along with His pooja.
After many attempts we found an artiste (Jyothi) in Bangalore who said she would be able to take it up.
While we were pretty skeptical initially, Jyothi did a fabulous job, and we even got it framed at her studio.
Having completed this project, my mother wanted a Sundarakanda parayanam to be conducted for this picture.
It was decided as 16 August. We started at 7AM. It ended at almost 2PM. This was a non-stop reading of each and every sloka of Sundarakanda as in Valimki Ramayana.
I feel we did well, and are all extremely satisfied.
A couple days before this was Gokulaashtami, and we recited the entire Narayaneeyam (1000 odd slokas). This was for a new Thanjavur painting of Navaneetha Krishnan that Appa/Amma gifted Priya and me for our 10th wedding anniversary that falls in October. This picture is another gem.
We started the parayanam at 7PM on 13 August. By about 9PM we were reciting the part that describes Lord Krishna's birth. We stopped briefly here, performed the Krishna Pooja (it being Gokulashtami), and resumed the recitation. We completed this at 3AM the next morning.
Another satisfying exercise I should say.
All I can say is Lord Rama, Lord Anjaneya and Lord Krishna were with us all through and helped us complete these marathon recitations.