80 Feet of Destruction

Posted on by Thor

By Thomas Thorspecken

An otherwise quiet morning was interrupted by the sound of a chainsaw and a loud thud that shook the ground. A lot was being cleared that had been a dense forest for hundreds of years in the quiet suburbia development in Lake County, Florida.  Dense forest had been a perfect source of shade in the sweltering summer. I had looked at the lot on Zillow and it sold for $96,000. If a $400,000 home were built, there, was plenty of profit to be made.

My friend, had set up a bench near the street that relied on the shade of the trees to offer a resting place for people walking through the neighborhood. It was about to be drenched in endless blazing sunlight. The workers used it to store equipment and drinks.

One worker, known as the climber, had sharp metal cleats on his boots and he was the one who would cut off branched high overhead, and then fell the tree trunk half way up. A large backhoe would push over what remained of the tree trunk and dig up the roots.

The climber was almost pushed off the tree by the backhoe which was pushing over another tree. The tree branches narrowly missed the climber and he shouted down to the ground for them to take more care. In the haste to flatten the lot quickly, they were being reckless.

One of the crew had once been a climber in his youth. Back then, he was up in a tree 30 feet in the air, and the tree snapped at the base, falling to the ground with him in it. A tree branch punctured his upper thigh and didn’t stop until it hit bone. He never climbed another tree.

A large osprey, clutching a fish landed in one of the few remaining trees on the lot. He ate his breakfast as the devastation happened below him. The next day, the osprey returned and could not find the tree he had landed in the day before. Confused, he landed on the grass in the back yard for a moment. He was magnificently large, only about 10 feet from me. He spread his large wings and took off with the fish to find another branch high above the ground to feast upon his catch.

As I sketched, a dragon fly hoovered next to me looking at the habitat being destroyed. He hoovered in place for about five minutes, curious and perhaps horrified. The dragon fly didn’t notice me, we both stared in disbelief. It was a surreal scene. I could see the wheels turning in his little insect mind. Perhaps the dense forest had once been his home. It had also been home to owls, snakes, several ducks, and squirrels who played among the branches. At night that lot had always been full of mysterious noises. Now it would be silent.

A worker explained to me that they were only clearing about two thirds of the property, about 80 feet back from the road. A stake with a small orange strip of fabric marked where they would stop. The lot had been purchased by a developer who was going to quickly build a house for profit. The dense forest growth would fill the back yard of the new home being built. After one day of cutting, only a few trees remained in the front 80 feet of the property. It took hundreds of years for the trees on the lot to grow, but absolute devastation happened in just a few days.

KFC

Posted on by Thor

By Thomas Thorspecken

I drove to Crealdé to drop off a painting for a show happening at Casa Feliz (656 N. Park Avenue, Winter Park Florida). That show, titled In Good Company is happening from August 5 to August 28, 2025. the hours are Tuesday through Friday and Saturdays 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.

On the way to Crealdé, I passed a Mediterranean restaurant I used to go to religiously with a friend named May Hill. I decided I should order lunch there and sketch the interior. However when I got there, there was a sign on the door that said, “Dear friend, I am sorry but we must close for a few weeks due to family matters.” Ugh, so disappointing.

So, on the drive back to Lake County, I just looked for fast food options. I stopped into KFC. I can not resist the original recipe.

There is no human interaction anymore inn fast food joints. If you want to talk to a person you must use the drive through. KFC was a staple that got me through the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I used to order chicken all the time at the restaurant across from Macy’s.

Today you have to order using a computer kiosk. I got lost in an endless loop trying to order my meal. The kiosk kept adding cherry pastry bites to my meal and there was no way to remove the offending item from my order. Frustrated, I finally gave up and took the bloody sweets. A gentleman was trying to place his order next to me. After my order was approved, I helped him out. He kept ordering $20 and $30 family meals but he just wanted a few bites for himself. I guided him through the choices I had made. I was essentially doing the work for the KFC corporation with no paycheck. Annoyed the guy next to me said, These kiosks are here so we do the work the employees used to do.

The woman who handed out the meals was doing a stellar job. She apologized any time a meal was late and she addresses the woman as mama. “You wait right there moma, your order is coming right up.” she said.There was a major rush of orders as I was sketching. The woman must have been a manager, because once the rush had subsided, the clapped loudly and shouted, “You all did an amazing job.” That woman deserved a a tip, but tips are not an option with human interaction stripped from the ordering process.

As I was sketching I watched a young couple struggled with trying to order on the kiosk. I have no idea why a KFC chicken bucket was hanging from the ceiling as decoration. It makes for a very odd chandelier.

Soap Box Derby Kart Race

Posted on by Thor

By Thomas Thorspecken

I drove to Fruitland Park in Lake County Florida for the Soap Box Derby Kart Race. I found a small shady spot behind a sign for the Connection Point Church.

Fathers and sons were instructed to gather spare parts from around the yard to assemble their karts. No kit karts were allowed. The derby karts had to be designed based on a Little Rascals division design.

About a dozen karts were arranged in an assembly area for spectators to view before the racing began. Each kart had to pass an official inspection. Each karts closed floor had to have a minimum clearance of three inches from the ground. There could be no motors and the drivers head could not be enclosed in the kart design. Karts had to have working brakes. Fox Trot Hill empties out onto 48

The young jockey wore the most advanced protective equipment, including, but not limited to, Eye goggles, knee pads, elbow pads and motorcycle helmets.

A DJ played music under the Fruitland Park tent. Then everyone was instructed to rise for the Star Spangled Banner. I took my hat off and place it over my heart.

Dads, pushed the karts up to the starting line with the drivers at the steering wheel. Karts took turns being gently pushed down Fox Trot Hill. They roared down the hill at the pace of an average quick walk. A yellow ATV was used to tow the karts back up the hill. They probably moved faster being towed than they did at full speed down the hill. Each driver had three attempts to improve their time going down the hill. There were three trophies at the final assembly area.

Clayton Watts won 1st place and $250 at the Fruitland Park Soap Box Derby Race!  Weston Johnson finished 2nd and earned $175 and Tyler Watts finished 3rd earning $125.

Princess and the Pea Bed

Posted on by Thor

By Thomas Thorspecken

The studio I am renting in Lake County Florida already had a bed frame and mattress. Since I have a mattress and box spring, I simply stacked them all on top of one another. To get into bed I have to step onto my flat file and then roll on in.

When I had my surgery several months ago that neutered me sexually, my sister came to the studio to be sure there were no horrible side effects. We agreed that I shouldn’t be performing a high jump to get into bed so she slept in the Princes and the Pea bed.

My sister is a bit older than I am and it took some coaching to convince her it was easy to get up into the bed. Once she was up for the first time, she felt more comfortable. Getting out of bed is far more easy, you just slide off the ledge and end up in a standing position. She enjoyed the process of getting out of bed, it makes the morning routine more of an adventure.

I work all day at my Disney desk, or out on location sketching. I just return to the bedroom to collapse and sleep. Drawings and art keep stacking up on top of the flat files. The stack hasn’t reached the ceiling yet so there is plenty of room for more art. To do this sketch I sat in a small reclining chair that I was using for the first time. It has a back massage settings, but I turned that off while sketching since it would have been distracting.

My life is in a strange limbo right now, so there is no reason to unpack every storage crate. Everything might go into storage in an instant, or I might commit to finding a home/studio of my own. I am committed to renting the Lake County Studio through the end of May. In June I need to decide where “home” might be. I have been working non stop since I got here and haven’t had the time to discover the local arts scene. Home could be anywhere I decide to start sketching next. My life could literally turn in any direction. I have no ties. I am a tumbleweed.