Jernigan's legacy

Aaron Jernigan was Orlando's original settler. Jernigan moved here in 1843 from Georgia with 700 head of cattle after the government offered free land to anyone willing to settle the wilderness that was then Central Florida. He headed up the local militia, built a fort to protect the settlers from the pesky Seminoles, represented Orange County in the state legislature and was the area's first postmaster. Jernigan, was apparently a bit of a scoundrel too, as he had several brushes with the law and eventually left the Orlando area after being indicted for murder!

Today I attended the dedication the new restaurant in the new Amway Arena named Jernigan's after the city's scoundrel founder. The building of the gazillion dollar palace of basketball was quite controversial, and my guess is that someone thought it would be a good PR move to give the upscale eatery located there some local flavor. So in addition to naming the place after the city's founder, they decorated it with historical imagery and memorabilia from Central Florida.

My friends at the Orange County Regional History Center provided many of the images used in the decor. Many of my favorites, like "citrus girl", were reproduced in large scale, plus some new images I've never seen in their archives. They also provided reproductions of vintage citrus labels used in the creation of a huge piece of art in the stairwell.

Much of the memorabilia was purchased when the owners of Church Street Station auctioned off what was left of the grand downtown attraction, located just a block to the east of the new arena. Church Street's current businesses are hoping the foot traffic from concerts and basketball games will provide a much needed economic boost.

There was also some contemporary artwork – re-interpretations of vintage photos and postcards in a painterly technique plus traditional Florida landscapes scenes painted on actual basketball court flooring by Highwayman painter Robert McClendon.

On hand was a who's who of Orlando politics plus many representatives from "old Orlando", including the "Great American Hero" Joe Kittinger. Fifty years worth of Orlando mayors were in attendance and the politicos played nice as they commemorated this gorgeous space with great views of the hardwood below. I thought the food was pretty good too.

Years after escaping incarceration, Aaron Jernigan returned to Florida to find the settlement bearing his name was now called Orlando. His role in starting our city has been relatively obscure up until now. Perhaps the pioneer's colorful legend will have a Magical rebirth thanks to this fancy new establishment.

A different way of seeing

If I had my druthers, I would spend my days driving around the state, exploring cool historic places and taking pictures for great blog posts. But I haven't figured out a way to make a living at that, and honestly I like the taking pictures part a whole lot more than the writing part. Closer to home, I have always been equally fulfilled mentoring kids; I have no children of my own and I like the feeling that I may be having a positive impact in a young person's life. So this past weekend when I chaperoned a dozen teenagers at a regional church camp in Fruitland Park, Florida I decided I would try to find interesting things to photograph from what was available at the camp.

Much of my time was spent in an old gym, and the light coming in through the dirty windows was very inspiring. I don't normally photograph people, preferring architecture and just about anything vintage, but there wasn't much else to shoot.

I also took pictures during meal times, and the kids contributed to the creative energy.

This was actually the concept of one of the talented teens

My brother the photographer has been encouraging me to take my camera off the automatic settings and I have been giving it a try, even though I really don't know what I'm doing. In some cases I get lucky and am really happy for the results. My brother specializes in shooting people, and I have a great deal of appreciation for how good he is at it. So it was interesting for me to approach subject matter he excels at to see if I could do anything with it. I am fortunate to have my own patient photography mentor. I think much of photography (or any art) is having the courage to take creative risks, and I am slowly becoming more comfortable trying new things.

The positive energy of these kids is contagious and I think today's youth get a bad rap. While being a teenager is never easy, these kids have a whole lot more information than I did at their age. It's fun to live in their world for a brief bit of time and see the world through their eyes.

Next weekend I hope to get out and shoot some of the subject matter I am more familiar with. Perhaps I can take a little bit of last weekend with me.

I also found some appealing subject matter in the gym that wasn't people

A Universal experience

Despite living in the theme park capital of the universe, I rarely visit Central Florida's mainstream tourist destinations, preferring instead to seek out our state's offbeat and campy attractions. But free tickets to Universal were too good to pass up and both my wife and I wanted to see the new Harry Potter section of Islands of Adventure.

We got to the park just as at it opened and made a beeline to Harry Potter's Wizarding World and found long lines had already developed just to get into the gift shops or purchase a butter beer. The entire village is actually kind of cozy, intentionally I believe, and the attention to detail is impressive. We headed for the simulator ride that is inside the giant Hogwarts Castle and the wait was only about half an hour, (although it seemed to move faster). My wife was scared out of her wits despite two technical delays, and I have to admit it was the most amazing ride of that type I've ever experienced.

At my brothers advice, we headed to the pub to get out first taste of butter beer and found it quite delightful. Kind of like cream soda and Chai tea with whipped cream on top, the butter beer was very sweet and I give it two thumbs up. The pub looks like it has been there a thousand years and it is dark and full of character, exactly as I would have imagined it from the books.

It was hard to see evidence of any recession as folks lined up to buy all sorts of HP memorabilia and several obsessed adults sported full wizard costumes as they walked through the park. If you've read the books or enjoyed the movies, it's worth seeing. In this day of high tech cell phones, computers and video games, I am amazed that the creativity of one author could lead to such an an international phenomena and captivate a whole generation with words on a printed page. Thank you J.K. Rowling.

We next headed to Jurassic Park where I got deliciously soaked and lost my favorite hat at the same time. My wife and I laughed like kids and I had an excuse to buy a new lid as my dermatologist would frown on the notion of my bare head being exposed to the harsh Florida sun.

As we spent the rest of the day bouncing from Islands of Adventure to City Walk to Universal Studios and back, I noticed that I was attracted to photograph the same type of objects I shoot in the "real' world: neon signs, architecture and pop culture icons. And although it was manufactured fairly recently, I am always captivated by the attention to detail and the amount of cool stuff the designers of Universal have created. I think that is part of the experience, you know what you are seeing isn't real, but you allow yourself to be swept up in it and you are there in the moment, forgetting all your real life concerns. It was a treat to feel like I was a million miles away even though I was in my own backyard.

On the Seuss carousel

Nice but not vintage

Not sure which 'toon this is from...

The New York section has oodles of great signs

Some City Walk neon

I was surprised to find hillbillia at a contemporary attraction

Yes, it's that season again. Bah humbug!

Toon Lagoon near dusk

Central Florida lacks a good drive-in so I love the faux vintage details of Mel's

Rockin' my new hat!

Orlando-Land

Yesterday was the day after the mid-term elections, a day which may have a huge effect on the future of of Florida and a day which I was thinking about change, constancy and the cyclical nature of things. It was also the day I got my hands on a May 1979 edition of Orlando-Land Magazine, a 31-year old time capsule into Central Florida's past. Published less than a decade after the opening of Disney World, its pages are great examples of how things change on one level but on another level remain unchanged.

Orlando-Land magazine was originally published in 1946 and was endorsed by the City of Orlando. The editorial in the May 1979 issue brags that the difference between Orlando and other tourist destinations is that visitors to Central Florida fall in love with the area to such an extent that they dream of living here. "It may emerge long before the first visit, instilled by the charisma of the Florida image... certainly it will turn to yearning during the long, cold winter nights back home... no wonder they come back-they're coming not only to play but to explore the possibilities of a new life here."

So accordingly the most prominent ads are those of new housing developments and office parks. The Central Florida they are selling is a lifestyle where one can jog, play tennis or fish on your lunch break. Where butterflies, egrets and palm trees sell homes that "start in the 30s." An ad for Wekiva reads "picture yourself nestled in a tranquil wooded setting where nature dictates your lifestyle...right in your own neighborhood you can enjoy hiking and biking on picturesque nature trails... playing tennis on the private courts.. canoeing and swimming at Wekiva State park... playing golf on the 18-hole championship golf course." The copy makes it sound more like a vacation spot than a housing development.

Most of the developments that were spawned in the explosion of growth right after Disney hit town are still there. Some are still semi-exclusive while others are now high-crime areas where I would not go at night. Some have been able to maintain the natural setting that was marketed so heavily, but most are locked in place by urban sprawl.

Click on images to see them larger

This week Floridians overwhelming defeated an amendment that would allow residents to have a say in checking the sprawl that is pushing the lifestyle advertised in this magazine, further and further into the state's undeveloped areas. While there may have been problems with that particular piece of legislation, it is clear that growth and development are still seen as critical to the economic health of the state by many Floridians. The question is how much development can our state endure until we have no more "tranquil wooded settings" to offer?

The reason I have the magazine in my possession is that it features an article about Florida wildlife artist and environmentalist Joy Postle. The description of the cover art by Postle reads "...Joy Postle's world is a world of birds in flight, birds fishing in the shallows, raccoons in the brush, graceful marsh grass, sunset colors on lake waters. It is an enduring word, here for the enjoyment of all who live here. Enduring in the face of rampant growth. Forever hers, and yours, and ours."

It is my deepest wish that this is true.