Root Ball Blaze

Posted on by Thor

Dan, my neighbor across the street from the Yalaha studio has been offering me advice on how to handle Hurricane Milton recovery efforts. Two large pine trees and a large part of a fallen pine next to the studio were removed.

The fallen pine left a huge 6 foot high root ball which Paul the tree service guy was going to grind down to the ground. He was paid for the job of grinding the stump and roots but her never showed up to finish the job.

I decided to hand cut roots each day and then set a small fire in the fire pit to gradually remove the 6 foot high monolith. Progress was slow but steady.

With half of the roots cut away, there was a hobbit like hole under the dome of dirt. Dan suggested I set the root ball on fire and stand by with a hose. I finally decided his suggestion had merit. The smallest roots ignite like gun powder so having them exposed beside the studio was an ongoing hazard.

It rained hard the day I decided to try the root burn. I liked the idea that the outer shell of the mound would not go up in a blaze. I wanted to keep the fire contained on the inner hollow underneath the root ball.

I just used a couple of pieces of paper as kindling and then the smallest roots ignited in an instant blaze. I stood next to the air conditioner unit with a water hose in hand. Flames started licking out towards me so I decided to water the outer edges to keep the flames contained under the root ball.

The blaze became hot and steady and burned for several hours. Once mosquitoes started buzzing my ears I decided the blaze had gone on long enough. I wanted to get inside and get some rest. I hit the mount with a shovel and dirt fell into the increasing hollow. then I started throwing dirt on the remaining flames.

This would be a multi night controlled burn. Dan saw the smoke and came over to see how the burn was going. He seemed impressed with how contained and ferocious the fire was. He also suggested I place charcoal on the other two stumps to burn them out as well. That is a project for another day.

The monstrous pine root mound is waiting for another night of acting like a wood burning pizza oven. After the fire was out, I noticed heat lighting on the horizon. The tall bamboo creaked in the gentle breeze.

No Bites

Posted on by Thor

A rain storm knocked out the power at the Yalaha Studio, cutting me off from the online student I was instructing. A message from Duke energy said the power might not come on again until 10:30pm that night.

Rather than stick around the studio, I took the energy outage as an excuse too go out and search for a couple of sketch opportunities.

The sun was getting low on the horizon, but would likely not set for another hour or so. I went to Hickory Point Recreation park with the hope of sketching fisherman that Stella Arbelaez told me I might find there. I had gone to the park once before hoping to catch the fisherman but I got side tracked by all the boats being unloaded from the river.

This time I did find several fisherman. They had about a dozen fishing lines in the water between the two of them. They were fishing for Crappies, locally known as “Speckled Perch,” and were quick to point out that the crappies were not biting. They suspected that the fishing season had come to an end. Peak crappie fishing season is November through March, and this was March 31. The intrepid fishing couple packed up before my sketch was done. As I was finishing up the sketch, a large fish jumped out of the water and splashed back down to my left, sending out endless ripples. It might be nice to head out in a kayak and try to go fishing, even if it is just after peak season. Clearly this one large lone fish didn’t get the memo.

Yalaha Road

Posted on by Thor

While online teaching a student, a thunder storm rolled through Yalaha and took out the power. Since I need power to be on the internet, I called the student and suggested we add an hour to the next weeks class.

Suddenly I had time on my hands and I decided to drive to the neighborhood behind the Now abandoned General Store. Stella Arbelaez had given me a diving tour of several neighborhoods including this one, and I am glad she did.

This is a largely black neighborhood. Folks were sitting curb side and gathered as the sun set. There was a definite feeling of community. Maybe my sitting curb side to do the sketch helped me blend in. Two young boys were riding a small motorcycle up and down the street. I could sense they were curious about me since they kept buzzing by. The loud buzzing of the engine was distracting. Finally one boy stopped and asked me if I was taking a picture. I showed him the sketch and joked that I was taking a picture, just with my hands. He seemed to like my explanation and he buzzed off.

I was seated near a light pole. A knot of wires were hanging down from the top of the pole and splayed out on the ground. I considered leaning against the pole but decided I might get electrocuted, so I sat a short distance away from the knotted pile of hanging wires. I was probably sitting on someone’s lawn. A woman cane out to see what I was doing. Herr name was Mia Gandy,and she is an insurance agent. She sells medicare plans, Life insurance , dental and vision plans. She explained that the pick up truck belonged to her father in law who lived directly across the street. The building I was sketching was once a church. The steeple was lying on the ground next to the pick up. Vines covered more than half the front face of the building. the giant live oak had one of it’s branches leaning on the now slightly sagging roof. The church has a red door which is a sign of good luck.

The building right next to the church is a community center. It isn’t a large building in fact it only has one parking spot which my Prius now occupied and one handicap spot. Since there was a sign warning of a $500 fine, I didn’t park in the handicap spot. Mia explained that there was once a early start school where the community center now stood. It resembled the church I was sketching with old wood weathered with time. It was torn down to make room for the center. I explained to Mia that I liked the character of the old places in the neighborhood. She expressed that she hoped the neighborhood could remain the same but developments have been going up at an exponentially fast pace.We both knew that change was inevitable. My hope is that I can catch some of old Florida before it is all gone.

Duke energy had sent out a note saying power might be out until 10:30pm so I had plenty of time to finish the sketch. The sun had set however and it was getting dark. When several mosquitoes buzzed into my ears, I decided the sketch was done. When I got back to the Yalaha studio the lights were back on.

The Lodge

Posted on by Thor

The Crater Lake Lodge (Crater Lake National Park, 570 Rim Village Dr, Crater Lake, Oregon) offers sweeping views over the lake from the dining area. the place feels a bit like a Swiss chalet or Hitler’s  Berghof, located in the Alps of Berchtesgaden.

Built in 1915 the lodge is a 3-minute walk from the Sinnott Memorial Observation Station. It  is a sheltered viewpoint built into the caldera cliff 900 feet above Crater Lake in southern Oregon, United States. It is located near the Rim Village Visitor Center in Crater Lake National Park. The structure includes a small natural history museum with exhibits that highlight the geologic history of Mount Mazama and the formation of Crater Lake.

The Great Hall in the lodge, has a large native stone fireplace, tall windows, and accents of Ponderosa pine wood. 

The lodge is close to many back country hikes, like the West Rim Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. Since I didn’t have a backpack or supplies on this trip, I settled on a less strenuous hike for the day.

Bicyclists are allowed to ride the rim of the lake which is a vehicle free adventure across East Rim Drive. Registration began April 1st. Getting to experience a bike ride without the roar of constant traffic is a real luxury.

Crater Lake Oregon

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Crater Lake, the namesake of Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, is the deepest lake in the United States, it is a large, bowl-shaped depression formed when a volcano Mount Mazama collapsed into itself, after a massive volcanic eruption that emptied its magma chamber. 

Crater Lake is known for its stunning blue color and exceptional water clarity.No fish inhabited the lake until William Gladstone Steel decided to stock it in 1888 to allow for fishing. Regular stocking continued until 1941, when it was evident that the fish could maintain a stable population without outside interference. Two species survived: kokanee salmon and rainbow trout, with the former being the most plentiful.
The waters of Crater Lake are some of the purest in the world because of the absence of pollutants. The Klamath tribe of Native Americans, whose oral history describes their ancestors witnessing the collapse of Mount Mazama and the formation of Crater Lake, regard the lake as an “abode to the Great Spirit”. Klamath oral history tells of a battle between the sky god Skell and the god of the underworld Llao. Mount Mazama was destroyed in the battle, creating Crater Lake, called giiwas in the Klamath language. The Klamath people used Crater Lake in vision quests, which often involved climbing the caldera walls and other dangerous tasks. Those who were successful in such quests were often regarded as having more spiritual powers. The tribe still holds Crater Lake in high regard as a spiritual site.
Wizard Island in the foreground of the sketch, marks the peal of the volcanic dome prior to its collapse.

New Mural in Downtown Orlando

Posted on by Thor

I learned from the Bungalower that a new mural was in the works in downtown Orlando across from the Orange County Regional History Center. It is being painted on the back wall of the historic building at 1 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando Florida.

The mural was commissioned by Launch That, a digital marketing and branding firm that owns the building, and made possible through a partnership with City District Orlando Main Street and the Downtown Development Board. The mural depicts a female astronaut and a rocket launch.

I once did a sketch of this building for the Orange County Regional History Center to help promote a show that had some of my sketches on exhibit. The show was called The Accidental Historian. I like the name of the show since the Accidental Tourist is one of my favorite films. I identify with William Hurt who was upended by divorce and slowly learned to start living his life again.

The Red Tape Studio team was hired to install the multi-story mural. What I sketch was just the initial plan of what is yet to come. I was hoping I might sketch someone on scaffolding, or hanging out a window, with a paint brush in hand. But I had no such luck. Individual colors and values are all outlined in blue line just like one of this paint by number kits my brother Art used to use as a kid. We used to have his happy and sad clown paintings in the basement of our childhood home.

Mower Medic

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Across county road 48 from the Yalaha Florida General Store is the Mower Medic (8721 FL-48, Yalaha, FL 34797) which is a lawn mower repair shop offering fast turnaround times and is recommended by customers.

I sketched a rusty truck yesterday so I decided I should sketch another rusty truck and a rusty metal roof. The Mower Medic does a brisk business. During the course of doing this sketch 4 or 5 people drove up to drop off or pick up mowers.

Besides working on mowers, the medic also helps out with automotive issues. The red jeep to the right of the building needed work and two men were working on it. One of them shouted out to me, “Is that going to be a famous sketch someday?” I shouted back, “It is famous now!” He chuckled and got back to work. Finally one of the two decided to walk across the street to see what I was up to.

We shook hands and he introduced himself. He was Steve Russel the owner, head operator-head surgeon. He pointed out that he didn’t own the property. That was owned by his next door neighbor. Steve has a daughter who loved to draw. She had a poster of a movie actress and she drew her twice. once with her left hand and the other with her right hand. I kind of wish I had that talent, I could be doing two sketches at once. When not working on mowers, Steve likes to work on jig saw puzzles. He had a huge collection of puzzles, and he sold them all for $300. While sketching, I was attracted to a vintage car parked behind and the the right of the building. It had a rounded rear window and round red wheel wells. It was a classic car and clearly well loved and cared for. It resembled a 1950s Chevrolet classic. The exact make and model I can not be sure of since all the online photos show the cars from the front and I only sketched this car from behind.

Moonshine

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Down the street a block from the Yalaha Studio is Blue Bayou Farms, ( 8222A County Rd 48, Yalaha, FL 34797), the home of Yalaha Bootlegging Company. If you get three bottles of moonshine there you get the fourth bottle free.

This classy rusty truck sits roadside to attract the attention of passers by. The road is 48 which has constant traffic including 18 wheelers. As I was sketching a truck driver fired off his horn, perhaps expecting a wave or just trying to distract me.

I know that in the farm stand there are many flavors of moonshine. I imagine that a redneck margarita is a special blend of moonshine.

Blue Bayou Farms is right next to the infamous Yalaha Bakery. A large fence was put up between the properties I suppose to avoid cross pollination between the two venues. I should think that someone ordering a German pastry might want to wash it down with moonshine. Yalaha Bootlegging Company is now serving craft cocktails at the distillery. You can enjoy award-winning moonshine, brandy, and rum while you visit and shop.

Rather than using grains to make their moonshine the Bootlegging Company used blueberries, watermelons, peaches, and cranberries. The fruit, sugar and yeast are combined in an airtight tank to make the mash needed for distilling. That large garbage can sized tank is distilled for 8 to 10 hours to get about 5 gallons of moonshine. I was told that in blueberry season they offer people the option to pick their own blueberries. That sounds fun but it would be even more fun to distill your own moonshine.

Pioneer Statue

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In Portland Oregon, I sketched the pioneer sculpture which reminded me of my first ancestor who settled in Grand Island Nebraska in the 1950’s named Augustus Thorspecken. He thought that Grand Island, Nebraska would likely become the nations capital since it was in the center of the country.

Augustus came to America in his 20s, studied to be a doctor in Saint Louis and met his future wife, Lucinda in Iowa. The town he met her in flooded when the river changed course. He was a founding member of a German singing society in Grand Island and he is mentioned often in the town newspaper.

The tongue in cheek stories are fun and not always factual. In one, the doctor found a man sawed in half in his saw mill. Augustus  assessed the situation and simply sewed the man back together. He was described as a man who offered advice but that advice would often do more harm than good. He died in his early 40s, likely from an airborne virus he picked up from a patient. He gave a lecture on virology to local doctors at a conference, but masking was just not a thing that was practiced in those days.

Boo Boo

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While Stella Arbelaez was down in Miami trying to get into the Colombian Consulate for three consecutive nights to get her Colombian ID and passport, I got to watch Boo Boo at the Yalaha Studio.

On the third evening she went there at about 9:50pm the night before. She was 4th in line and stayed overnight for when the consulate opened at 9am the next morning. Ultimately her 3 nights of perseverance paid off and she got both her Colombian ID and her passport which would be mailed to her when completed. In crazy uncertain times having the right documents offers peace of mind.

Boo Boo is an adorable hand sized pup with tons of personality. He joined me on my walk each morning, then we would have breakfast together. Since I work at my desk all day long, he was good about letting me know when I needed to play. One day he had the zoomies like I had never seen in him before. He reared up on his hind legs resembling a mini grizzly bear. I threw his small aqua colored stuffed rabbit and he went wild in pursuit. Each day I looked forward to his high energy play time.

Since my princess and the pea bed is so high off the ground, Boo could not safely jump off. I decided to sleep on the couch so Boo could get up and off each night. He slept curled up in the nape of my neck while lying on his little sheepskin rug. The added warmth helped me drop off to sleep. I grew attached to him so quickly.

Today I will be driving to Orlando to sketch a theater performance. I am feeling guilty leaving Boo on his own for a little bit. I have been given very specific instructions on turning on music for him to listen to and to reassure him and say good by when I leave. I know that he once tore a hole through a doorway when he was left alone. Despite the assurances and instructions it breaks my heart to leave him. He has been stuck to my side like glue for the three days we have spent together. Leaving him seems like it will break the trust that we built.

That evening after catching up with Stella, I went to my bedroom to sleep in my own bed again. There was a tiny brown blob on the floor. I couldn’t figure out what it was. I poked it with my finger and it moved in a gelatinous way. Then I noticed a small clear puddle nearby. I looked at my finger and it dawned on me that I needed to wash my hands and get some paper towels. Boo Boo had expressed his annoyance that I had left him alone by leaving his calling cards. I feel his dissatisfaction with me was justified. I had let him down and broken our trust. Since he is such a tiny pup, the cleanup was simple.