Pre-Pandemic: Significant Trees

Posted on by Thor

On March 19, 2020, I did this last sketch for the Orlando Significant Trees series before settling in and isolating for the Covid-19 pandemic. This tree in Big Tree Park, (930 Thornton Avenue Orlando FL) is likely 350 to 400 years old. It is the oldest tree in Orlando. Live Oaks can live for centuries.

While doing this sketch a woman walking her dog approached to see what the sketch looked like. Because she got closer than 6 feet from me, I decided it was no longer a good idea to be doing drawings on location. The Covid-19 Pandemic had been announced on March 13, 2020 so it was rather foolish of me to have been thinking I could still sketch on location safely. Several other trees need to be sketched But I decided to wait to do these until after the new cases of Covid-19 infection level off for 14 days. That has yet to happen as new cases rise each day here in Florida.

On March 19, 2020 more than 14,200 people had tested positive in the U.S. and at least 187 had died. These numbers seem so small looking back. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a statewide order for residents to stay at home. Floridians would not be asked to stay at home until April 3, 2020. The State Department told citizens who traveled abroad they should come home immediately or prepare to remain overseas. This rush back into the United States would result in a huge spike in cases in New York City as people who went untested upon return, poured into the city airports.

Projections models at the time predicted a possible 1.1 million deaths in America assuming there was little to no social distancing. A better scenario envisioned Americans embracing drastic restrictions and school closures, which would reduce the  death toll closer to the thousands as the country prepares for a grueling but surmountable road ahead. We are today somewhere between these very different scenarios with almost 2 million cases and 111,390 dead and rising.

 

Pre-Pandemic Significant Trees of Orlando

Posted on by Thor

Before the Pandemic, I was doing a series of sketches of the significant trees of Orlando. The City of Orlando Parks department published a map of 7 locations in Orlando with Significant Trees. These live oak trees line the south side of Lake Eola on Central Avenue. The huge lower branches reach out an some touch the ground before reaching back up to the sky. These huge trees provide plenty of shade for people walking around the park.

It was rush hour while I sketched. Someone wanted to park in the spot next to where I was sitting. He asked it the meters were running after pm and I told him I think the meters are off after 6pm. I can;t be quoted on that however. I tend to park out in the suburbs and walk into downtown when needed for a sketch.

This series of sketches of Orlando trees were the final outdoor sketching project I was working on as the looming pandemic squeezed in on Orlando. As of today April 11, 2020 there were 923 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Orange County and 12 deaths. Central Florida has 2,300 cases. The number of cases in Florida has topped 18,400. I had to stop sketching trees on location when people started coming up to me to see what I was sketching. Adulation is fine, unless it might cause death. The latest projections show Florida may see 1,218 to 10,293 fatalities
by June 21, with the median projection at 3,999 deaths, according to the
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation out of the University of
Washington.The lower numbers of the projection assume everyone honors the stay at home at home order. Publix Supermarket, across the street from these live oak trees I sketched has made all of it’s aisles one way to be sure people shopping can maintain a six foot distance from each other.

Orlando area patients at Orlando Health are starting to get treated for COVID-19 with the blood of patients who have recovered. Convalescent plasma has shown promise as an early treatment for SARS, MERS and EBOLA before a vaccine could be developed.

#Stay Home, #Stay Safe, #Save a Life.