The Grove – Analog Artist Digital World

The lot on the corner of Conroy Windermere Road and Apopka Vineland Road is referred to as “The Grove“. Of course it once was a grove of trees and natural landscaping, until all the trees were cut down and everything living was removed. Weeds have reclaimed much of the barren sandy dirt. A Pannera’s has popped up so that residents can get a sandwich at this spot or at the Panerra’s a quarter mile down the road. Dentists offices and a fitness center are the newest additions.

The strip mall continues to expand with this newest aluminum shell of construction. The parking lot also continues to expand. A single stop sign marks the entrance to the barren lot. Mall construction in Orlando always seems like it is intended for a theme park. I’m sure this shell will be polished off to look like a Mediterranean plaza. Of course real Mediterranean villages use ancient stone and granite and have stood for hundreds of years. Here, a little speckled spray paint will have to do to create the false appearance of stone.

Of course Terry and I get our groceries at the Publix Supermarket that has been in this strip mall for decades. It’s red tile roof is faintly visible in the distance in my sketch. Yet I’ve never gone to any of the other shops that crop up around it. That is probably because I’m always going downtown to report on events there. Though we live in the ever expanding suburbs, my heart is in the city.

The week following Christmas, my event calender was empty. I had to get out of the house. I took my sketching supplies and just started walking north. I stopped when I saw a sign that said, “Sidewalk Closed”. A large piece of land, on the corner of Conroy and Apopka Vineland, once covered with trees and foliage had been stripped bare. Ironically the name of this development moonscape was, “The Grove”. When Terry and I moved into this neighborhood fifteen plus years ago, we used to bike on the rural side roads. There were orange groves everywhere. Today groves are rare.

I pulled my art supplies out of my bag to start sketching. My watercolor palette landed on a large ant hill causing a sudden surge of activity as hundreds of ants started moving grains of sand, changing the landscape. On the construction site there were a dozen or so bulldozers, escalators cranes, graders, and continuous tracked earth movers. An escalator’s claw scraped and grabbed at the sand. One truck was used to moisten the sand so it wouldn’t blow away causing sand storms. C&C Silt Fencing was tacked down all around the scared lot. The construction company was JR Davis Construction from Kissimmee Florida.

A sign of the corner at the stop lights announced the wonders that were to come. There would be retail stores, restaurants, and office space. Specifically there would be a Panera, an LA Fitness and Windermere Village Dentistry. Ironically there are several deserted store fronts in the strip mall adjacent to “The Groves.”

On the walk back home, palmetto leaves rustled in the wind sounding like rain striking a tent. The horizon was a dark steely blue. I heard the distant rumbling of thunder. A snow man made of white metal mesh had blown over, his head separated a few feet away. In an inflatable nativity, Mary’s veil had blown down over her face and all the wise men and animals vibrated in the wind. When I got home, Terry was in the driveway scrubbing rich green moss off of rocks I had used to build a waterfall in the garden. I rather liked the moss, it made the waterfall look overgrown and ancient. Oh well, it will all grow back in time. As I relaxed on the back patio it began to rain.