Beefy King Reopens

Beefy King (424 N Bumby Ave, Orlando, FL) is a family owned restaurant that has been an Orlando landmark since 1968. They have been serving the best roast beef sandwiches in Orlando for over 50 years. They offering a variety of mouthwatering Roast Beef, Ham, Turkey, Pastrami,
Corned Beef, Bar BQ Beef and Bar BQ Pork all served hot, fresh and made
to order.

The restaurant had to close down after a fire behind the property. The manager of Drunken Monkey, the coffee shop that neighbors Beefy
King, called police officers about a man disturbing customers Tuesday
night. One Drunken Monkey employee told police she also saw someone behind Beefy King holding lighters.

Police arrested a man they say started the fire at 1am Tuesday November 11, 2019 at Beefy King. John Huff, 36, was arrested after police said video from a nearby business showed
him behind the building at around the same time the fire was reported. Huff admitted in an affidavit that he set the fire. Police found him at the Drunken Monkey. He uttered twice that he set the fire as he was being transported in the police vehicle. No one knows why he set the fire.

Beefy King owner Shannon Smith – Woodrow could not understand why someone would want to hurt a small local business. The fire caused an estimated $3000 of damage. Luckily most of the damage was outside along the back wall of the building. Huff was booked into the Orange County Jail early Wednesday and was being held on a $3,500 bond. He was expected to appear in court o the same day.

Beefy King reopened on Wednesday November 20, 2019. Contractors offered to do the repairs and the city of Orlando sped up inspections. Customers were waiting in line before the restaurant even opened. Hundreds of dedicated costumers went to dine there on opening day.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for November 30 and December 1, 2019

Saturday November 30, 2019

Noon to 9pm Free. FusionFest. Seneff Arts Plaza, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

FusionFest is
coming back to downtown Orlando on Thanksgiving weekend. Come share a
smile and your heritage and “you may discover just how different other
people really aren’t!”
Discover the world through interactive
experiences and contests for food, fashion, spoken word, music, dance,
short-films and more.

10am to 4pm Free. Orlando Elks Vintage Faire. Elk Lodge 1079 12 N Primrose Drive Orlando FL. 

10:30pm to Midnight. Get some food and drink. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL 32801. Passionate flamenco dancing set to acoustic guitar.



Sunday December 1, 2019

9am to 11pm Admission: $10 for Guests, $5 for Mennello Museum Members. Yoga in the Mennello Museum Sculpture Garden. Mennello Museum of American Art 900 E Princeton St, Orlando, Florida 32803. Fall is in the air and The last Sunday of every month is Yoga in the Sculpture Garden.
Start your Sunday morning out blissfully with a relaxing lakeside flow.
Practice is suitable for beginner to moderate levels and will be led by
certified instructors from Full Circle Yoga, Winter Park. Don’t forget
to bring your own mat and water to practice.
May Tickets and Yoga 3-Class Pack.
Learn more about becoming a museum member.
Your
practice also includes a complimentary pass to enjoy the museum’s
indoor exhibitions at your own leisure during our operating hours.
Full Circle Yoga Instructor: Sarabeth Jackson.

Noon to 3pm Donation based. Music at the Casa. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Members
of the public are invited to visit our historic home museum on a Sunday
afternoon to listen to live music and take a tour of our historic home
museum and the James Gamble Rogers II Studio by trained docents.

Noon to 6pm Free. FusionFest. Seneff Arts Plaza, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

FusionFest is
coming back to downtown Orlando on Thanksgiving weekend. Come share a
smile and your heritage and “you may discover just how different other
people really aren’t!”
Discover the world through interactive
experiences and contests for food, fashion, spoken word, music, dance,
short-films and more.
 

The Dreyfus Syndrome

This small Winter Park home has sported red white and blue for years. Grover C. Walker was a former army and air force intelligence officer who also served as a special agent for the Pentagon. In September 1965 he was assigned to the secretive 7113th Special Activities Group at Rhein-Main, Germany. He soon found reason to suspect there were corrupt and subversive activities being carried out possibly by his superiors. he threatened to “blow the whistle” on what was going on, he was
whisked-off under guard to a superficial psychiatric exam that lasted
only a few hours but branded him “chronically paranoid.” He was as sane as any man and in an instant had been labeled crazy. He
says it was a conspiracy to discredit him if he spoke out.
“Who will believe you when you’ve been labeled?” His story parallels closely the 1894 case of Alfred Dreyfus, Jewish
lieutenant in the French army, who as the result of a conspired
political injustice was sentenced to Devil’s Island.

A sign on the front lawn defines the Dreyfus Syndrome: Character liquidation. As a tyranny in the midst of freedom. It stands as a treat to us all. Assassination of the mind where conscientious sanity is cast into the hole of inanity, and there is no way out. Whistle blowers in government are the primary target. It is alien to the norms of the American System and recognized human rights. Hundreds of thousand of American lives have been destroyed spanning decades.

The large American flag used to be hung upside down as a universal sign of distress. After the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center it was decided to hand the flag right side up again. For decades, Walker flew a giant
flag upside down on the 90-foot flagpole in front of his Winter Park home, painted red, white and blue, and staged loud protests and publicity
stunts that often ended with him, and his children, behind bars.

His family stamped protest messages on millions
of dollar bills that circulated around the world. When the county threatened
to take his home after he refused to pay steep fines levied for his protests,
Walker threatened to fill the house to the rafters with concrete. An Orange County official once asked Walker
when he would end his protest, and he answered, “When the world ends! When
hell freezes over!”

There used to be far more signs on the lawn but the city of Winter Park fought the family at every turn to downplay their private property protest. Only 2 signs remain. The family was brought to court multiple times and Grover Walker and his wife were arrested and put in jail. His wife collected seeds from the food in jail and planted her own garden she also swept up the cell block every night. She was missed when her incarceration was over. The son I spoke with had also been in jail over this protest and while incarcerated he found that he had a talent for sketching.

When Grover Walker died in 2005 several of his seven children wanted to sell the property but one son, decided instead to take up the charge and keep the property and it’s display of protest in tact. He chatted with me as I sketched. He showed me a photo from the 1970s of the entire family raising their hand in oath as they faced a court hearing about their property. Grover said that someone can take your property and you can recover but if they take your identity than there is nothing left to recover. I was seated in a small triangular park between three streets and found out that it had been landscaped beautifully by the present home owner. There were milkweeds to attract the many Monarch butterflies andBromeliads which had red flowers that attract hummingbirds every afternoon. This property is a reminder of an American protest over 50 years old while also being a quiet and beautiful oasis if  you take the time to soak it in.

Harry P Leu Gardens House Museum

Kathy Miller Patages organized Weekly Paint and Sketch, a local sketch group that held a sketch outing to Harry P Leu Gardens (1920 North Forest Avenue Orlando, FL), and I decided to stop out on this sunny hot day to sketch. I never did notice any other sketchers, but I focused on the task at hand to capture the historic home.

Harry P Leu Gardens is an amazing 50-acre botanical oasis minutes from Downtown
Orlando. Each garden is designed specifically to further their mission:
inspire visitors to appreciate and understand plants. The garden and
historical home were donated to the City of Orlando in 1961 by Mr. Harry
P. Leu
and his wife, Mary Jane Leu.

The roof of the Leu Home was still covered with a blue tarp because a tree limb had crashed through the roof of the home during Hurricane Irma. I had helped Orange County Regional History Museum staff one day as they volunteered to help the Gardens move bedroom furniture in the upstairs bedroom, so that it would not be further damaged by the rain leaking through the roof. It was an easy enough task, but a drop in the bucket compared to all the damage done. The smell of wet mold already was prevalent upstairs. The home repairs had to wait while the damage repair in the garden kicked into high gear after the storm. The gardens lost 175 trees, mostly hickory and magnolias, to the storm. 100 volunteers and staff helped clear up the debris.

As of May 2018, Leu Gardens was still seeking contractors to do exterior repairs to the historic home. Needed were replacements of structural members, siding, re-roofing of all shingled areas and repainting of the structure. The Leu House Museum is a restored 19th century home that was added to
the National Register of Historic Places in December 1994. The museum
was closed because storm damage by Hurricane Irma and has since reopened, but repairs are ongoing.

Aloma Bowl

Towards the end of my six week Urban Sketching course at Crealde School of Art I like to bring my students to Aloma Bowl (2530 Aloma Ave, Winter Park, FL 32792) only 2 blocks from the campus. On Sundays Bowling leagues are competing and most of the lanes fill with talented bowlers who are serious about their game. My hope of course is that my students will feel just as serious about their sketch game. There are bars made out of the bowling ball holders at the end of the lanes and those high top bars make a great perch for the sketchers to work from.

I dash off a sketch as a demo to show students how I time the various stages of my sketch to finish in the several hours allotted. These bowling sketches are not as finished as my usual work since I also visit each artist multiple times giving advise and tips. The end of the bowling lanes where the pis are lined up offers a perfect horizon line which is something I talk extensively about when discussing perspective and composition.

Students are also encouraged to just do a sheet of studies of peoples gestures so that they loosen up and are not worried about the final composition at fist. Prior to the trip to the bowling alley we did a series of quick gesture drawings in the classroom. By goal is to loosen up the students enough so that they have something on the page from head to toe in the first 30 seconds and use the remaining time to add the “Icing” or detail that makes each sketch unique to the person being sketched.

The most challenging pose if of course the final “release” post as the bowler sends the ball down the lane. Everyone had their own stance as they release the ball and the pose is gone in an instant. The great thing is that they get up every few minutes and repeat the movement making it possible to attack the drawing multiple times and considering each angle and curve individually. This takes patience and perseverance and the realization and acceptance that no drawing is perfect.

Dinos In Lights!

Stan the T-Rex and his fossil friends in DinoDigs have been outfitted with Christmas lights that change color in synchronization with music as they show off their twinkling talent in a festive display of music and light  at the Orlando Science Center (777 E. Princeton St. Orlando, FL 32803).

Dinos In Lights will be the Science Center’s feature attraction over the holidays. The show lasts about 5 minutes which of course made catching a sketch a slight of hand challenge. Three separate dinosaurs were outlined in colorful Christmas lights and when the music started the lights blinked and changed color. One song, Sleigh Ride by Arthur Fidler, featured the sound of a whip. Whenever the whip cracked the ceiling ice-cycle lights would flash white and bright. AS a grand finale snow was pumped into the space. This was my first time experiencing Dino In Lights and it was a blast to sketch.

WHEN:

Shows begin every 30 minutes between 11:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily from November 23, 2020 – January 7, 2020.

WHERE:

Orlando Science Center 777 E. Princeton St. Orlando, FL 32803

COST:

Dinos In Lights is included with daily general admission to Orlando Science Center, which is free for members, $21 for adults, $19 for seniors and students, and $15 for youth (ages 2 – 11).

Parking is available for $5 per vehicle in the Orlando Science Center parking garage.

INFO:

For more information, please call 407.514.2000 or visit https://www.osc.org/holidays/

Pulse Temporary Memorial Dedication

The interim memorial design was created by the team of by Kody Smith, Christina Hite, and Greg Bryla, of the landscape architecture firm of Dix.Hite + Partners, and David Stone of Phil Kean Design, all of who worked closely with onePULSE Foundation’s memorial task force. Pam Schwartz of the Orange County Regional History Center worked on supplying the hundreds of photos from the history museum’s collection used on a winding wall that surrounds the club. Many of local photographer J.D. Casto‘s photos cover the wall. He was at the GLBT Center on the morning following the shooting and his photos document the outpouring of love and support that followed this horrible tragedy.

The scene was already crowded when I arrived at the club. Families of victims and survivors were seated. Since I had my own artist stool, I set up in front of one of the new trees on site and started to sketch. I focused on Christina Hite while she spoke at the podium. Greg Bryla is a dedicated Urban Sketcher, so I was pleased to know he had a hand in helping design this temporary memorial. An unexpected aspect of the temporary memorial is that there is a window in the surrounding wall allowing visitors to see the spot where the club was breached by the swat team so that the hostages held in the bathrooms could escape. Bullet holes litter the brickwork around the blast hole. This is where the terrorist was finally killed.

The architect firm of Coldefy and Associés has recently won the deign competition to create a permanent memorial at this site. Their design surrounds the Pulse Nightclub building with a pool and fountain that has 49 colors in concentric circles radiating from the pool’s center. The typical rainbow, (ROYGBIV) only has 7 colors. If you multiply that by 7 you get 49 colors. Another aspect of their design that I like is a circular canopy that supplies shade for anyone visiting the site. They also had elegantly incorporated a wall separating the quiet space from the sound of traffic on Orange Avenue. The most striking feature is that the club is cleaved in half, creating a canyon like space that people can walk through. 49 trees will cover the site creating a garden to celebrate life.

The Pulse Museum design looks a bit like a futuristic reactor. It has a slatted white exterior that is squeezed in the middle with an undulating
roof profile. Glimpses inside show a twisting staircase and plants,
echoing features of the memorial, and a large circular opening that
floods natural light into the space. There are large public areas where the community can gather to learn and have events. It is an exciting design that would immediately become a defining landmark of the SODO area. Green spaces radiate from the club beautifying the district. Only time will tell how much of this amazing design will become reality. The Museum and Memorial are both intended to open in 2022.

Corsets and Cuties Kick off the Holiday Season

Corsets and Cuties a Burlesque Cabaret will kickoff the season Sunday November 24, 2019 from 8pm to 10pm with a little teasing plus guest stars and treats from Premier Couples Superstore at Theater West End
(115 West 1st St., Sanford, Florida 32771.) Final touches are being added to costumes. The cuties always deliver their burlesque with a strong dose of humor and I consider thus the best way to kick off the season.

This sketch is from a rehearsal at the Venue. If you have not experienced the Cuties yet you are missing a treat. Lovely ladies and some not-so-gentle men sing, dance, and tastefully strip down for your entertainment pleasure! Whether you’re celebrating with the one you love or out on the prowl, the Cuties are ready for ya! You can be sure of a fantastic night out!

NOTE: The show is intended for adult audiences, as it contains adult content and nudity. So leave the little ones at home and get ready for a night of laugh out loud fun. I’ll be sketching in the back row, documenting this lively side of the Orlando Arts scene.

Tickets are $18 General Admission.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for November 23 and 24, 2019

Saturday November 23, 2019

2pm to 5pm Free. Sketch Crawl at Ivanhoe. Washburn Imports, 1800 N. Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32804. Come sketch with us along the historic stretch
of Orange Ave near Lake Ivanhoe once known as Antique Row. This area
offers glimpses of Orlando’s past with it’s 1900-era shop buildings
built along a railroad and also offers glimpses of the future with
construction of new high-rise apartments across from beautiful Lake
Ivanhoe. Unique shops, restaurants and bars line the stretch of this
easily walkable area.

Schedule:

Sketch crawl along Orange Ave from Washburn Imports towards Virginia
Dr. If you miss the meet up at 2pm, you will find us sketching along
this 3 block stretch.
Sketchbook Throwdown: 4:30pm at The Lucky Lure, 1427 N. Orange Ave, Orlando, FL.

Parking -lot on corner of Orange and New Hampshire across from Washburn
Imports, street parking along Orange Ave, NE Ivanhoe, Alden Rd, and a
small lot at Gaston Edwards Park at Lake Ivanhoe. Be aware, parking may
be time limited.

Tip: You may find yourself wanting to stay a bit
longer as Virginia Drive Jingle Eve begins at 5pm. Along Virginia Drive
there will be shopping, Christmas events, music, fireworks, and food.
After the meetup, a few of us may walk to this area to get food/drink
and sketch some more.

All drawing levels and skills are welcome.

Bring your sketchbook and sketching supplies of your choice. As this
event is OUTDOORS be prepared with drinking water, a hat, portable
chair/stool, and appropriate clothes for the weather.

5pm to ? Free. 2019 Jingle Eve.  Ivanhoe Village North Orange Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32804.
12 Wines of Christmas, Santa’s Village, live music, food trucks,
vendors and more! Last year we had over 3,000 visitors on this night to
remember.

5pm too 7pm Free. McRae Studios Open House to Feature Guest Artists Victor Bokas and Matthew Cornell. McRae Art Studios 1000 Arlington Street in Orlando. On-site parking is available. McRae Art Studios’ 2019 Holiday Open Housewill serve up art works by its 22 members and former McRae members Victor Bokasand Matthew Cornell. The annual event at McRae (mcraeartstudios.com)
gives artcollectors and gift-givers a unique opportunity to browse
artist studios, visitwith the artists and purchase original art.
Hundreds of original art works willbe available including paintings,
pastels, drawings, photographs, mixed media,sculpture, jewelry and
ceramics. The open house is free and open to the public.

Sunday November 24, 2019

10am to Noon. Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources. 

11am to Noon $5 Yoga. Lake Eola near red gazebo.

Noon to 3pm Donation based. Music at the Casa. Brian Hayes. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Members
of the public are invited to visit our historic home museum on a Sunday
afternoon to listen to live music and take a tour of our historic home
museum and the James Gamble Rogers II Studio by trained docents.

Roller Derby Match 2

Since I was sketching a double header, I decided to do a second sketch during the roller derby. Game 2 at Orange County Barnett Park (4801 W Colonial Dr, Orlando, Florida 32808) was between the Orlando Sun Blockers and Rockin City. In the second match the Orlando Sun Blockers lost with a score of 87 to Rockin City from Texas’s 175.

Besides the action on the truck I was also fascinated by the half time action which consisted of kids making paper airplanes. The plane that flew the furthest would win. It was a fun as a minor league baseball game mid inning stretch. Planes spiraled and did loop de loops. Over in front of the bleachers a woman dressed in a sun costume danced in front of the crowd.

The huddle in my sketch occurs often in a match as one team tries to roadblock the other team from lapping them. If there is no opening then the roller derby athlete wearing the star on her helmet would have to try and press her way through he crowd. Living in a big city like New York would be the best place to develop these tight squeeze tactics.