As I was leaving work at 5PM yesterday, I got a call from Terry about a crane collapsing in downtown Orlando at the site of the Event Center construction. I had done a sketch at this construction site before. The crane had collapsed only about a half hour before, so I immediately headed downtown. As I approached the site I heard helicopters overhead from the news crews taking video of the location. On site were 2 news trucks and several anchors giving their reports to the cameras. I simply set up between two news crews and started to sketch. While sketching I eavesdropped on the anchors to get a sense of what happened. A cable snapped while lifting a load which led to the crane boom landing on the structure.
The operator was taken to the hospital in shock but there were no injuries. The Orlando Magic for whom the Center is being constructed reported that damage from the collapse was minor.
A former construction worker who was on disability stopped by to take photos on his cell phone. He explained to me that in order to up right the crane, workers would have to cut all the cranes cables which are tangled in the buildings exposed beams. Inside the construction area, the crane is surrounded by red warning tape. A reporter said work would continue as usual tomorrow.
Johnnies Hot Dog Stand
I must drive past this stand at least 3 times a week. I finally decided to go to sketch and get a hot dog. The stand is located in the parking lot of a Chevron gas station. I walked up to the gas pumps and sat down on one of the cement pilings. As I was sketching a woman drove up to the pump I was sitting next to and she got out and started to to fill her tank. She said to me “I thought you were going to pump the gas for me.” I said, “If you are a good tipper I will.” Another man pumping gas said “He needs to put some mustard up there, his bun is starting to bleach in the sun.”
When I finished this sketch I finally went up to the ordering window to get myself a dog. This stand is a one man show. Johnnie has a thick New York accent and the attraction of the place is how he chats up each costumer. He dropped a whole potato into a device and pulled the leaver down slicing the potato into fries which he then threw in the oil. The hot dog itself was huge, at least 12 inches. A costumer in line said “He has the biggest wieners in town”. I ordered a dog with yellow mustard and sauerkraut. It was delicious.
Kentucky Derby
I arrived at the Jai Lai Fronton at around 10:30AM to see what kind of crowd would show up for the Kentucky Derby. As I was walking in, a small group of ladies walked out with very exotic hats. I got excited figuring there must be a crowd inside all elegantly dressed and waiting for the race to start. When I got to the simulcast room filled with hundreds of TVs, I looked around and was disappointed to find that it looked like the usual crowd. Where were the men in suits and the women in flowing dresses? I decided to sketch the room anyway and half way through the sketch the race started up. Men were screaming and cheering. I never know where to look and honestly I have no idea what horse won the race.
Much later in the day I got home and Terry told me that the Kentucky Derby was going to start at 6:30PM! The race I had witnesses at the Fronton wasn’t even the Kentucky Derby. I did watch the race from the comfort of my living room and was thrilled that the underdog “Mine That Bird” won with 50 to 1 odds. I should have placed a bet at the Fronton, I could be rich right now. Would I ever have bet on a horse with 50 to 1 odds? I doubt it.
Spectators
When the battle was over, all of the participants lined up in front of the spectators and aimed their muskets straight up in the air firing then all off at once. With the show over, most spectators immediately filed off to the parking lot for the drive home. The soldiers marched back to camp where they sat around camp fires and reminisced about the days events. They would rise the next day to do it all over again. This ends Civil War week at Analog Artist Digital World.
The Fallen
An advantage of being a Re enactor is that you get to choose where you die. In a large field with cow patties and or mud everywhere a Re enactor will find the most pristine spot to die. Casualties a non existent in the beginning of the battle even though the two forces are shooting at each other from only about 100 yards. It is when the ammunition charges run out that men begin to fall. I found it interesting that following the troops were “Civil War Angels” women in uniform who would tend to the injured and dying. Note that the red was not found on the actual battle field that day, when I painted the red stripes on the American flag, I could not resist using the red paint elsewhere. When the battle was over, an announcer on a loud speaker announced “resurrect!” and all the dead rose back on to their feet. The audience then cheered.
The Heat of Battle
Field report from Captain Clay Kearney of the 2nd Florida Volunteer Infantry.
Your servant is honored to submit this report regarding recent activity in the Crystal River region.
On day one, the Fifth Company was summoned to support Colonel Robert Miepert’s 5th Florida infantry. Our morning orders were to reconnoiter a region 1-mile west of camp suspected of containing enemy patrol and if any of the enemy was found, to engage them and collect prisoners if at all practicable. I am delighted to report this action was completed with total success. Our patrol commenced operations at 10 AM and returned to camp at 11:30AM with an entire Federal company under arms. This was accomplished, by dividing the company into platoons and positioning them in a way as to draw the enemy into a devastating cross fire. Reinforcements under the captain Cody, 1st Florida infantry, arrived at the most opportune time blocking the enemy’s only line of retreat.
The leadership and brilliance of the enemy’s Captain Paul Cyras of the 97th Pennsylvania, can not go without mention. Although his command was outnumbered, his field generalship was superb. The rapid movement of his troops required my command to expend at least 40 rounds per man. Upon relinquishing his sword, he was respectful to his command as were the rest of his unit. On our return march to camp, I am not sure who won the contest between Federals singing “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and our boys singing “Bonnie Blue Flag” The roar of the voices was deafening but I felt it was favorable for the morale of the men.
The Battle Begins
Finally the moment of truth. The Union forces fired the first volley of cannon fire and the Confederate troops then followed suit. After the Union guns would fire, an explosion would occur right in front of the Confederate lines. One of those blasts caused a fire to flash up in the dry grass and suddenly the lines between fiction and truth were blurred. You can see a small group of Confederate soldiers trying to put out the blaze with buckets of water on the right side of this sketch. They did not have enough water and the fire started to spread. When the fire spread to about 20 yards wide I started to think that the tree might catch fire, then the woods. At that point a truce must have been called because Union Cavalry charged across the battle field also carrying buckets of water. With the combined forces forming a bucket brigade, the fire was finally put out.
The battle then started to heat up again as Confederate forces started to form back in the woods and they marched onto the battle field with a rebel yell. It was a sizable force and rather intimidating. As I said before, there had to be 5 Rebels to each Union Soldier.
Cannon Drill
Prior to the actual battle, the Union soldiers practiced firing the cannons. The officer in charge who shouted the order to fire is to the left. In front of him are two teen aged boys with large leather haversacks who seemed to be in charge of the ammunition found in the metal boxes. In this drill no actual rounds were fired but the unit went through all the motions of loading and setting the charge. They even covered their ears. The point of all the drilling seemed to be to reduce the length of time it took to fire off each round. To me they seemed like a well oiled machine, but the officer was not so easily pleased.
Seven Pounds of Bacon
The group, Seven Pounds of Bacon, entertained the reenactment audience just after the battle of , Narcoossee. The instruments were a washtub bass with a broomstick and a string, a mandolin, and a guitar. They made use of such modern contrivances such as microphones and a sound system. A small crowd of spectators stood around the stage and some folks started to dance.
Earlier in the day I had seen the group trying to set up the stages tent like canvas covering with some difficulty, since the wind kept whipping it around. They also had to dig a small trench to hide the electrical cords so people would not trip on them.
After the performance they came down and introduced themselves. They were quite tickled that they could recognize themselves in the quick sketch. They reminded me that as an artist I should have skipped drawing the the microphones since they are not very historically acurate.
97th Field Music Regimant
The 97th Field Music Regiment was playing as I continued to wander about the Union Camp. Setting up my chair, I noticed several dry cow patties that I had to kick aside. As is typical when I start sketching musicians, they immediately stopped playing. I waited them out drawing the tents and background. Then the drummer started by setting a beat and everyone started playing again. Later in the day I saw this regiment leading the troops into battle. It might be interesting to note that in the background of this sketch you can see a soldier talking on his cell phone. There is no escaping technology!