Weekend Top 6 Picks for November 26th and 27th.

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Saturday November 26th, 2016

7:30pm to 9:30pm. Free. Glendaliz Camacho’s Farewell Reading. Kerouac House 1418 Clouser Ave, Orlando, Florida 32804. Please join as as we bid farewell to our Fall resident writer, Glendaliz Camacho. Bring something to drink if you like and listen to what Glendaliz has been working on while living in the Kerouac House.

8pm to 11pm. Free, but get food and drink. Jazz Saturdays. Cork and Fork American Grill5180 S. Conway Road, Belle Isle, FL 32812. Cork & Fork American Grill Takes Their Fresh & Tasty Cuisine To The Next Level With Exciting New Menu Items – Plus Saturday Jazz Entertainment And Sunday Brunch Launching This Month.

8:30pm to 10:30pm Free. The Geeek Easy with Amy Watkins and Open Mic. Open to all: Musicians-Lyricists-Artists-and Poets of all kinds

Bring out the cape and have some fun.

Sunday November 27, 2016

Noon to 2pm. Free, but get food and drink. Florida Gospel Jam. Fish on Fire 7937 Daetwyler Drive Belle Isle FL. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday.

2pm to 4pm Free, but get coffee. Irish Music. Olivia’s Coffee House, 108 N Bay St, Eustis, FL.

10pm to midnight. Free. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Orlando Opera presents Don Pasquale.

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I went to the sold out opening night performance of Gaetano Donizetti‘s Don Pasquale at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Opera Orlando keeps presenting incredible performances with work class talent. Peter Strummer as Don Pasquale is perfect for the part. From my second-row seat I could see the sweat drip from his brow as he reacted to his nagging and abusive young bride Norina (Brigitte Gan). Brigitte gave an inspired performance as his young bride.

I was hired by Orlando Opera to illustrate a poster for the show. The concept was inspired by an Al Hirshfeld illustration done for My Fair Lady. The concept is that Dr. Malatesta (Dennis Jesse) is the puppeteer orchestrating the false marriage between Norina and Don Pasquale, and the pitiful love lorn yearnings of Ernesto (David Margulis). Unfortunately my illustration was replaced by a photo of Peter Stummer in his role as Don Pasquale for the Metropolitan Opera. The photo is bolder and simpler, so it makes sense.

The set was simple and straightforward, acting first as an outdoor garden where Ernesto pursues Norina and then as Don Pasquale’s opulent living room. One playful scene between Norina and her maid had a pillow fight, and feathers littered the stage for the rest of the show.

The plot is simple: Don Pasquale plans to disinherit his playboy nephew Ernesto who loves Norina. Pasquale wants to marry a young bride, and his doctor offers up his “sister” played by Norina. She acts as a simple country girl in a black veil when she is introduced to Pasquale. A fake notary marries them and then Norina turns into a demon of a wife spending all of Pasquale’s money. He is driven to the brink of madness and is only offered freedom when the doctor suggests that the nephew get a small inheritance and marry his love. Pasquale is shocked to discover his wife is actually Ernesto’s true love.

The Orlando Philharmonic had a 17-piece ensemble that performed live on house right. The music was perfect for the intimate Pugh Theater. I was delighted by the production, but mortified to discover that I had been humming to myself as I sketched through the whole first act. I have to stop that nasty habit. I am a bit low-class when I am happily working.

New Paintings by Victor Bokas and Donne Bitner.

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On Third Thursday, I went to Art Gallery at Mills Park (1650 North Mills Avenue, Orlando Florida).  This art gallery is located on the ground floor of a brand new apartment complex right near Orlando’s theaters. Since I am hunting for an apartment, I looked at the plan with a discerning eye. I suspect a place this gorgeous is out of my price range. I had seen artist Victor Bokas just a few nights before at the Maitland “Art Under the Stars” event. I got a chance to meet him in his tent, filled with his vibrant abstracts, as the event wound down for the night. Tonight he had a pink beard, probably left over from the Orlando Pride Parade the week before. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to pride, but I heard over 100,000 people showed up.

Victor worked as a graphic designer at Tupperware for about 19 years. His early paintings done while he was still at Tupperware are y bit more graphic and controlled. Once he left his colors became more vibrant and he experimented more with his compositions. Victor was at the entrance to the gallery when I arrived. He stood in from of a flaming fireplace and was talking with friends. He gave me a warm hug and then I explored the gallery.

Most of the artwork is hung down a long hall that faces the glass facade, allowing pedestrians outside to get a good look at the art. Snap Downtown has a similar layout in the lobby of a new, modern  apartment complex. Victor and Donne Bitner‘s paintings look good side by side. They share a similar palette of war and cool colors Donne’s colors tend to also incorporate many shades of grey. Donne’s work is often inspired by landscapes that become vehicles to push toward abstraction. As she stated, “My intent is to follow the mark to layer and strip away and find the hidden texture and meaning of a piece.” Some of Victor’s painting are inspired by Florida pools surrounded by rich vibrant foliage. Water and leaves have a fascinating play of vibrant abstract shapes.

Lael Dewahl, one of the gallery owners asked me if I needed any help. I was lost in the process of searching for a nondescript spot Where I could get my sketch done. A tall supermodel in a red dress, Alexandra Philco, showed a couple one of the paintings, offering a personal tour. Boris Garbe, another partner in the gallery, in his excitement, would stand on the furniture to get closer to the art. He gestured like a circus ring master as he explained the artists intentions.This show will remain up for three months, so stop out this holiday season.

Maxine’s first price fix 3 course winemaker dinner.

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I was invited to be part of the first winemaker dinner at Maxine’s on Shine (337 Shine Ave, Orlando, FL 32803). Jeff Meyers, the GM, Vice President, and head winemaker at Terra D’ Oro was on hand to introduce each wine that went with each of the three courses. We arrived a bit early, and I found my spot at the end of a long table to take in the scene. People mingled near the bar, as I blocked in the scene lightly in pencil. As people took their seats I inked them into the sketch. 1+1, a jazz duo performed live. Their music hearkened back to the 60s and 70s with a very nostalgic and consistent play list. I tried playing, “Name that Tune”, as everyone got seated for the first course.

The first course, was Saku Block Tuna, seared rare, with a black and white sesame seed crust.  There was a ginger cream sauce to dip it is. There was also Meatballs Wellington in a phyllo pastry on a bed blue cheese and spinach, with Jalepeno cilantro aioli for dipping. The wine paring was a white Terra D’ Oro Miscato. This sweet wine was my favorite of the evening and I indulged in a second glass. 

 

The second course was a southern citrus salad with a mix of fresh fruit, gorgonzola, spiced almonds and vinaigrette. This was paired with a red Terra D’ Oro Barbara. The sweet salad was perfect with the smooth tasting Barbera. Jeff explained that Terra D’ Oro means land of gold. Wines were first created in this area of California starting in the 1850’s by Italian Immigrants. The weather is perfect and the sunshine plentiful.

The opening act was a Florida red grouper with mango salsa and cous cous. It was paired with a Terrie D’ Oro Chevin Blanc Viognier Blend. This pairing was absolutely delicious. My sketch perch was pretty far from my plate, and I had to lean way forward to scoop up fish a cous cous with my fork. I would use my palette as a safety net, as I leaned back and delicately moved the fork to my mouth. Cous Cous kept spilling off the fork onto my palette. There is no refined way to flick food off of an art palette, so I left it where it was, hoping no one noticed. I did another painting today and the cous cous was still there, but now covered in blue paint. Now that I’m writing this I realize I need to take a writing break and get the food off my palette right now. 

The Main Event was a Petite Filet Mignon, medium rare,  with Winter Hunter Sauce, a twice baked potato, and chef select vegetables. The executive chef, George Vogelbacher was on vacation on a cruise ship, so his well trained staff prepared the dinner without him. The woman to my right felt that the meat was over cooked, but it tasted fine to me. After four cups of wine any thing would taste like heaven to me. The filet was paired with a Terra D’ Oro Petite Sirah. This was the wine with the most tannins and it left a dry lingering full bodied after taste. 

Desert was an “Ode to Elvis” with a triple chocolate brownie with bacon pecan brittle, a spiced anglaise, and a fruit compote. This was paired with a Terra D’ Oro “Denver Vineyard” Zinfandel. Kirt Earhart thanked everyone for coming with his signature rhyme that he improvised on the spot. Before the right wound down Maxine took up a microphone and sang with the band. There were selfies and smiles with hugs all around. The evening was a true epicurean delight that celebrated passion and life. The cost was $70 per person all inclusive of tax and tip. 5 courses including wine pairing. Maxine’s will be hosting similar wine pairing events in the future and trust me this will become one of the most sought after evenings in town. This intimate neighborhood venue offers the best in southern urban hospitality. 

Marla E. Artist Opening.

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The Maitland Civic Center on Lake Lilly is trying to change it’s image. It has been renamed “Venue on the Lake” (641 South Maitland Avenue Maitland FL 32751). People perceived the Civic Center as being run by the city. The venue is however privately owned. It has undergone a major face lift recently, including, Linda’s Corner which was the east wing’s catering area. They considered calling it Linda’s Bar, but that was vetoed as being too low class. The outside landscaping was redone along with the patio and decorative outdoor lights.

George Williston gave everyone a quick lesson in chairs. The Center used to be full of simple folding chairs. It turns out folding chairs have a butt life of at most half an hour. New black banquet  chairs have a butt life of about an hour, and the new green banquet chairs have a butt life of several hours. I was pleased that I was sitting in s green banquet chair. Danial Jordan performed on flute and saxaphone as patrons sampled the banquet food and free drinks. The evening was mostly a fundraiser to continue the restorations at the Venue. There is a theater in the Ivanhoe district called The Venue, so perhaps a better name is needed.

The gallery area between the east and west wings was also re-modeled. Artwork by Mark E. Artist was on display. Her large abstract painting incorporate en-caustics to create three dimensional patterns on the surface followed by bold colorful brushwork. Marla has a face designed for smiling. Her wide eyes were magnified in her 1950s styled eye glasses. My favorite painting had a blue and green field on the upper two thirds of a vertical panel.  An simple brown arching line seemed to define a ground plane with encaustic squares filling a grid pattern. Circular “planets” floated above. I believe the show is up for several months, so stop out.

A day at Manasota Beach.

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I visited my older sister Pat Boehme, in Port Charlotte Florida for a weekend to getaway from the stress of my pending divorce. Pat has a home on a traffic circle and that circle was enlarged over the past year. She lost some of her property to the expansion project and had to live with her front yard being a construction zone. Now my life is a construction zone.

We decided to get away to Manesota Beach which is north of Port Charlotte. The beach is accessed by a small coastal road that has water visible on both sides One side had mansions on the inter-coastal waterway, and the other side had mansions on the ocean. We joked about which mansion would suit our lifestyles the best. Pat had a cooler, beach umbrella and beach chairs, so we were set for the afternoon. Getting all that from the parking lot to the beach was it’s own adventure. The cooler had wheels, but that doesn’t help much in tall grass or sand. I ended up hugging it to my chest to get it to our beach oasis.

The water was warm and comfortable. We swam and floated for hours. The water must have been super saline, because I was able to float on my back for the first time ever. Usually my 12 inch big feet sink like lead weights. The two women next to us were debating about exercise and diet. The woman in the pink bikini top outlined her extensive daily exercise routine, while the other woman felt it was more important to simply watch her calorie intake.

Foreigners waded face down with snorkel masks just off shore looking for sharks teeth. Apparently fossilized sharks teeth are a common find at Manasota Beach. One Australian was face down in the water the entire time that Pat and I were there. When he final sloshed out of the water, we could see that his back was a bright fire engine red. He was going to be hurting that night. A little boy lost hold of his inflatable mini canoe. The wind caught it, sending it out into the ocean. He chased it until the water got too deep, and then watched it until it became a speck on the horizon.

Satellite brings advanced imagery to forcasts.

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This is a snow bird who works out of a condo she bought in Florida. She comes to Central Florida to get away from the North East snow storms. Her work station is a white table from IKEA set in front of her sliding glass doors. Three different computers sit in the work space. She works 9am to 5pm for Atmospheric and Environmental Research writing code that interprets data from a new high resolution weather satellite. This coding represented seven years of work on her part so far. Part of each day is spent on phone conference calls so she can stay in touch with the team of coders in the northeast.

The satellite successfully launched on Saturday, November 19 at 6:42pm from Cape Canaveral. After a series of maneuvers, conducted using the satellite’s thrusters. It has placed itself in its
designated 89.5 degree West longitude checkout location where it will
undergo an extended checkout and validation phase for approximately one
year. This month the first high resolution images from the satellite have returned to earth. This next-generation geostationary satellite offers a glimpse of the
future of weather forecasting. These incredibly sharp images from the Advanced Baseline Imager will enable scientists to explore the
Earth’s atmosphere and weather like never before, and usher in an era
of new weather forecasting possibilities.

The satellite will provide continuous imagery and
atmospheric measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere, total lightning
data, and space weather monitoring to provide critical atmospheric,
hydrologic, oceanic, climatic, solar and space data.

This is a game changer. Here is why!

  • Improved hurricane track and intensity forecasts
  • Increased thunderstorm and tornado warning lead time
  • Improved aviation flight route planning
  • Improved air quality warnings
  • Improved solar flare warnings for communications and navigation disruptions
  • More accurate monitoring of energetic particles responsible for radiation hazards to humans and spacecraft
  • Better monitoring of space weather to improve geomagnetic storm forecasting

The environmental data products
will support short-term 1-2 day forecasts and severe storm
watches and warnings, maritime forecasts, seasonal predictions, drought
outlooks and space weather predictions.

Although years have gone into writing the code for this satellite, the real work has just begun now that the data is flowing. Usually code doesn’t work as expected when first written. There is usually a need for many tests and tweaks. Once this snowbird wrote code for 6 months while another coder wrote the second half of the code over the same six month period. When the two codes were run together, they miraculous ran perfectly. That almost never happens.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for November 19th and 20th.

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Saturday November 19, 2016 

5pm to 10pm Free. Magic Beyond The Mouse. Art of Fitness 5154 Dr Phillips Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32819. Join us as we celebrate the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida Family. The studio may have closed, but the family we have lives on.Less than 2 weeks until this very special event.

7pm to 11pm Free. Jingle Eve Boat Parade. Lake Ivanhoe. Boats with elaborate Christmas light decorations.

7pm to Midnight. Free. Crazy Harvest Blue. The Imperial at Washburn Imports-Sanford, 116 E 1st St, Sanford, Florida 32771. this little pop up pops up again! Right above our amazing host bar The Imperial,and hosted by The current-sanford magazine.

Featured fine artist, Don Moon in the round room..

Featured fantastic sounds by DJ Spank! (out of this world talent)

A world of originality and inspiration created in the Installation Gallery by local “People in Light Creations” and a crew of 10!

Erotica Art, Bodies in color motion, images of the physical law of body attraction! -Light installation from Frankie.

Installations in question by co-directors and resident artists Rawko, Brian Barnett, and Kimme Prindle…! (always intriguing)

The current galleries permanent tenants will be open for business,and having an open house, there is surprise entertainment around every corner all night!, Live acoustic performance (TBA) in the intimate main gallery,9pm.

We support the Sanford art Walk at all the other galleries in town,and there are incredible local restaurants, food trucks, and excellent craft bars to create an enchanting evening in the beautiful Historic Downtown Sanford.We always end the night at one of the local live band stages, vibing on the local music scene… Support local music,art, and culture,and it will support you…

Any other questions, comments? Please ask on this site, or contact Frankie Messina at apartmentefrankie@mail.com Check back here often as we will be adding more entertainment details..please help spread the word for us.. thank you.

*** This is a mature art party with mature erotic art involved and we do not censor our submissions.. Please no children allowed,

Sunday November 20, 2016 

Noon to 3pm Donation. Music at the Casa. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Vocalist Holly Sahmel.

2pm to 4pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL. Near the red gazebo.

10pm to Midnight. Free but get a coffee.  Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Beemo Performed at Space Bar.

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I was sketching at Pints for Pulse, a fundraiser held at Festiva1 Park (2911 Robinson Street, Orlando FL). in the Milk District. The fundraiser had every micro brewery offering samples for a set admission price. Local bands performed on the main stage. I sketched The City Song Players as they performed “Finger on the Pulse” for the first tin in public. After hearing that song, I decided I had to use it as the soundtrack for a three minute short film I assembled using all the sketches I did of all the vigils and fundraisers after the Pulse tragedy. I’ve been documenting Orlando’s attempts to heal. The arts community has bee instrumental in helping the community heal.

Wendy Wallenberg whisked in behind me as I finished up my sketch. She insisted that I needed to sketch a note event in the more urban and hip area of the Milk District. Her Porsche was parked nearby and she offered to drive me. The drive was only three or four blocks, but it was the scariest drive of my life. Wendy is a frantic speed freak of a driver. It felt like we made the whole trip on two wheels after we careened through the first curve. When skidded to a stop in front of the Space Bar. She told me that I needed to sketch an artist that does paintings with his teeth. I wandered among the tents in the parking lot but didn’t notice anyone painting with their teeth. So I went into the Space Bar and watched Beemo performing. The lead guitarist’s parents were there and the watched as I did the sketch. It was a fun, upbeat performance. Then I walked the few blocks back to Festival Park.

Election Nightmare.

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I had amazing luck finding a short term apartment in Thornton Park after a Boston snowbird terminated me lease two months early. The place is vacant because a divorcee got back together with her husband, so she left early. The god of irony keeps poking me in the ribs. My new place is gorgeous and just a short walk to The Abbey (100 S Eola Dr #100, Orlando, FL 32801), where a Democratic Election Party was being held. Red and blue lights illuminated the crowd. I’ve never seen the Abbey so full. A line of TV news cameras at the back of the room caught my eye for the sketch. News anchors would stand in front of the cameras periodically as election result were announced for different states. When Hillary won Vermont , the room erupted. Hillary also won Orange County in Florida, so I felt that perhaps, my vote counted. 

I had spent all day moving heavy boxes to my new place and then, sweaty and tired, I went to stand in the Winter Park voting line. I pulled my artist stool out of my car, figuring I might sit in line, and do a sketch as I waited to vote at around 5:30pm. The poles closed at 7pm so I figured there might be a rush hour after work crowd. The two volunteers laughed at the entrance. ” You don’t need the chair, you can walk right in.” Inside I showed my drivers license, picked up my ballot, and found an empty screened table to do my civic duty. 

Wendy Wallenberg, has been campaigning for Emily Bonilla as the new Orange County Commissioner beating the Incumbent Ted Edwards. Emily launched her campaign after Edwards backed two
mega-developments in her rural east Orange neighborhood. Sometimes democracy it exciting to witness. Maria Bolton-Joubert, a local artist also won for the soil and water of District 1. It felt so good to vote for someone who I know who is a hurricane when it comes to issues she believes in.

The rest of the night didn’t go so good. After speeches from various democratic elected officials, the room became quieter and quieter as each new result came in. I felt dread. I didn’t want to stay to the bitter end. The worst was about to happen, an I could feel it. The next day there were tears as we read the presidential election results over a cup of Starbucks Coffee.