Yesterday Terry and I drove down to Yeehaw Junction (that is the real town name, honest) and we spent the day listening to Bluegrass bands. The music went on all day until 9:30 at night. Once the sun set, the temperatures plummeted and you could see your breath. The drive south on a small country road was enlightening. There were miles and miles of nothing but flat grazing land for cattle and horses.
War and Peace
Terry is almost finished reading Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”. She says it is a very modern novel. When Tolstoy discusses the waste and futility of war or the quirks of socialites he could very well be discussing people and events of today. Zorro our cockatoo is perched on Terry’s shoulder.
Jack Kerouac House
I decided to go to the small house where Jack Kerouac wrote “The Dharma Bums”, he was living here when “On the Road” was published and became an instant classic. Kerouac was compared by some critics to Ernest Hemingway. Where Heminway was the voice of the “Lost Generation”, Keroac was the voice of the “Beat Generation”. The interior of the house has been renovated to its 1950’s state. I saw one of Keroacs manuscripts once at the History Center. The entire book was written on one large scroll so Keroac never had to interrupt his thoughts by replacing paper in the typewriter. The writing poured out of him as one long stream of consciousness. The home is now a refuge to young authors who apply for a grant to write there. The Writers in Residence Project sponsors four different writers who live in the home each year rent and utility free. While I sketched a young man came out and sat on the porch and called his dad to tell him how things were going in Orlando.
Post Script: I have recently discovered that the young man on the porch was resident artist Michael Hawley.
Church Street Station
My ongoing fascination with Church Street Station has to do with its gradual decline in the last 10 years. The property has undergone foreclosure procedures and is now in the hands of the bank that lent Cameron Kuhn $34 million dollars to buy the property in 2007. A court date for a public auction will probably be set in 60 days from today. If no one bids, Tremont Realty will become the owner of the 260,000 square foot facility.
Zembower’s Again
Sadly my automotive woes continue. After returning from a relaxing weekend away, my truck started flashing its bright yellow “Service Engine Soon” warning light. I also found the gears would lurch into place causing a rather bumpy ride. So the truck went back to Zembower’s for another checkup. Sigh. I must say that the mechanic resolved the problem in less time than it took me to do a sketch. A sensor was loose and since they did dismantle that area to do the previous work, I was not charged today. Zembower’s has definitely earned my full trust.
Well’s Built Museum of African American History and Culture
Since I was not invited to attend the inauguration in Washington DC, I decided to honor Obama by sketching the old Well’s Built Hotel. Built in 1926 this building provided lodging to African Americans during segregation when rooms were not otherwise available. Today the building is a Museum of African American History and Culture. The building was strangely deserted, perhaps folks were at an inauguration party in another part of town.
Coco Beach
Terry and I are now back from our weekend away at Coco Beach. A quote from the book I was reading this weekend seems appropriate…
“I think it’s important for people to just sit still and look out at nothing. I mean, always having buildings and condos and skyscrapers blocking your line of sight, its not healthy.” From Remembering Blue by Connie May Fowler.
Coco Beach Dusk
We got to the coast in the late afternoon. I drew the view with the tablet. In the evening a Delta rocket was to launch. We waited on the beach for an hour but the countdown was delayed because of a glitch. We gave up and went out for sushi. Just as we finished eating, we heard and felt a loud roar. Everyone including the chefs ran outside to see the huge orange trail rise into space.
Old Orange County Courthouse
Built in 1927 the “Million Dollar Courthouse” is a fine example of Beaux Arts architecture. The building was designed by architect Murry S. King. Today the Orange County Regional History Center is located in the building. An exhibit of Jim Henson’s Muppets is now on display. While working on this sketch I kept getting bombarded by acorn shards from a squirrel that was sitting on a branch about 10 feet above me. I shouted up to him to cut it out but he just kept munching away. I finally had to accept the fallout in order to complete the sketch. A yellow smudge in the upper right hand corner is from particularly gross half eaten bit of acorn.
Today I searched the web for images from Andrew Wyeth figuring I could learn something from his loose high contrast watercolors. As it turns out Andrew Wyeth died yesterday at the age of 91. He seems to have been producing art right up until his final days. He will be missed.
Construction on Central
Today is the final day in my 3 day oil change saga. I picked up my truck at Zembower’s Auto Repair and I find that it only cost $500 to do the repairs. That saved me $3000. The folks at Zembower’s now have a loyal costumer. Driving back from the shop I decided to go downtown and sketch on top of a parking garage that is overlooking a construction site. A photographer from channel 13 news also was taking in the view. He is composting a number of shots together to get a panoramic photo. For me this may be the start of a construction time lapse series of sketches.