Mad Tea Party

Posted on by Thor

On February 8th, Kathryn Sullivan celebrated a very happy not-so-un-birthday at her Winter Park home with family and friends.  I was one of the first to arrive at the Alice in Wonderland  themed party. Kathryn and her boyfriend Mike Underwood know how to throw a party.  Kathryn was in a fabulous Victorian red dress with black lace and Mike was dressed as the mad hatter.A long table was set up for guests.

At the head of the table was a large flat screen TV with a digital camera above it. Mike explained that this was a  PhotoMingle that he had invented from scratch in his garage. The TV interface was just like the touch commands on an iPhone. Images on the screen could me moved, rotated and sized with the swipe of a finger. It was also possible to draw on the photos with your fingers. Mike is marketing this device for weddings, parties and all social gatherings. The uniqueness of the interface makes it an instant hit with guests. This device is pure genius and Mike is bound to make a fortune if he can increase his market before others create cheap knock offs based on his idea. As guests arrived they would pose before the TV for a fun photo session. This thing should make photo booths obsolete.

William Mabery trumped every one’s costumes when he arrived as Alice. Derick Taylor took a seat next to Alice with his Top hat and a bright red ascot. LeAnn Siefferman Busdeker wore a pillow case adorned with black spades. It was an ingenious and quick way to become a playing card. Her husband John’s costume had me stumped for a while. He hopped into the room in a sleeping bag. I later learned he was a caterpillar.

Playing cards were placed on the table to play, Kings, a drinking game. I had never played a drinking game before in my life, but since I was sipping coke, I didn’t mind playing as I sketched. One card involved everyone at the table raising three fingers. The person who drew the card had to mention something that they never did before. If you did that thing then you could fold a finger down. Once someone folded all three fingers down then the next person picked a card. I never fully understood the rules but it was a fun way to get to know people.

Summer’s Fortieth Celebration

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Summer Rodman‘s husband, Steve McCall threw a huge surprise birthday party at their gorgeous modular Winter Park home. Summer turned 40. This wasn’t your average party, this was the kind of party you only see in the movies. There was valet parking out front and the entire home was illuminated with bright magenta stage lights. There were two food trucks handing out samples near Summer’s garden. The house itself is constructed of corrugated steel and the block shaped structures fit together like a puzzle. It is an amazing design that is apparently popular in New Zealand. There was dancing behind the house with a DJ on the second floor balcony spinning the mix. There was even a “Summer’s Fortieth Celebration” logo that was above the stage, on glassware and even printed on pink and white M&Ms.

About midway through the party, I found this perfect perch in Steve’s Den to sketch from. Employees from Summer’s family business, Amazon Hose and Rubber got up to the Mic to talk about and roast her. Then the dancing heated up on the dance floor. There was a large flat screen TV that could take photos of guests and allowed them to interactively sigh birthday greetings on the screen. Everyone got a swag bag that contained a CD with a Summer’s 40th mix of music, as well as a jar of Summer M&Ms.

The Homestead

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 There was a birthday potluck for Julie Norris and Amber Melendy at the Homestead on East Pine Street August 11th. Terry and I went bearing red wine, some humus and a small present for Julie. It had poured that day so there was little chance the outdoor fire pit would light up. The living room of the homestead was warm and inviting. Toddlers played as people chatted. Slowly people moved out to the porch. For the longest time I sat in a comfortable rocking chair On the porch. Terry was resting on Julies bed inside. Several women were discussing the results of a sexuality workshop. I met Russell Kramer who does custom bookbinding and he offered to make me a custom sketchbook. I hope to sketch him at work someday.

Greywolf agreed to kick things off with a Gong Flow at sunset. A Gong Flow involves vibrational energy cleansing in which participants
experience the deep transformational opportunity provided by prolonged
exposure to these therapeutic vibrations. Supplemented by singing bowls
and sacred rattles, the core of the sound emanates from a 40” Chau
Gong. The most mesmerizing sound came from the Buddhist bowls which would sing as Greywolf circled the rim with a wooden dowel. Everyone sat on the porch in the cool evening air as the flow began. Some sat quietly and meditated and others joined in with their own instruments and voices. The warm light from inside the home spilled out onto the porch. It was an epic journey of sight and sound.

Pink Hair

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Denna Beena and Travis Fillmen had Denna’s sister and her husband over to meet folks before the wedding for an evening barbecue, and screening at their place. When Travis started up the grill, the flames leaped up and then the thick billowing smoke followed guests.

After eating, my wife Terry, decided she wanted a pink streak in her hair. Denna always has a supply of pink die, so they went up to the kitchen for the procedure. It only took five minutes so I didn’t catch Terry. Another girl decided she wanted streaks in her long blond hair and I managed to catch her. Terry’s hair is a dark brown now and the pink was barely detectable.  That was actually good since she works in a fairly conservative business.

 Denna and Travis have two cats and they set up an aerial boardwalk for the cats up in the rafters. The boardwalk was designed like one of the zip line aerial obstacles at ZOOm Air Adventures at the Sanford Zoo. Their black cat watched the hair dye operation from on top of the cabinets.

A large TV was rolled out of the garage onto the side lawn for the outdoor matinee screening of The Muppet Movie. Once it was dark a second darker film was put in, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. Terry had no interest in that movie so she drove home and I stayed to watch. It was a very strange, sick film about two hicks on vacation who find themselves in situations where college kids die in violent bloody ways by accident. Tucker and Dale though innocent, always end up looking like psycho killers. It was shocking and funny. Everyone sat in their lawn chairs screaming and laughing.

Kevin Hing’s 50th Birthday

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50 years is a major milestone and cause for celebration. Kevin  Hing had me do a sketch of him and his dad at the traditional Irish music session at Claddagh Irish Pub (4308 Curry Ford Road). Since I needed to scan the sketch before I gave it to him, he suggested I drive out for his 50th birthday celebration in Clearwater which is just south of Tampa. This was a chance to see how my Toyota Prius performed on a longer road trip.  This was a chance to stretch out her legs on the open road. I drove for an hour or so in the quiet cabin towards the setting sun. A draw bridge raised leaving me waiting for some time to get on the island.

The home was right on the Inter coastal waterway. There was a very diverse crowd. There were conservative politicians out by the pool and plenty of musicians mingling in the kitchen. Vicki Gish and Scott Vocca thanked me for the print I had given them. They had it framed and it went on the wall for the first time that morning. I arrived a bit late because of the drive, but my timing was perfect because the food had just been put out. There was plenty of BBQ and I loaded my plate. I got a soda from outside, but when the Irish music started, I switched to the thick rich Guinness beer. Kevin thanked everyone for coming. He was happy to share this island paradise with so many of his friends. He got a bit choked up  as he spoke about how lucky he was and people filled the silence with applause.

Irish musicians from all over the state of Florida came to Kevin’s birthday celebration.  Besides the Orlando Klan, there were musicians from Tampa and Clearwater. As they started to play, the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky burned orange. I sipped my Guinness between reels. As the evening grew darker so did my sketch. I’m half Irish on my mother’s side. Her grand parents came from Corr Ireland and the music seems to be in my blood. When my sketch was done, I packed up my supplies. I have never stayed to the bitter end of a traditional music session. They must play very late into the night. Kevin confided, “Sometimes it’s hard to tell if your playing really well or if you’ve just had too much to drink.” My sketch seemed to take form without effort, then again I might have had too much Guinness.