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PULSE • FALL 2013 | 3
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table of Issue 29 | Fall 2013 Copyright © Pulse the Magazine, Inc. PO Box 1896 • Tavares, FL 32778 www.pulsethemagazine.com facebook.com/pulsethemagazine Publisher Calvin Arnold C&L Printing & Graphics
Ramblin’ with Richard
8
On the Human Side
10
It's Not Normal To Be Normal
Pulse Flash Fiction
12
Rick Cooper
Design Director Cristina Miller Nine31 Creative
The Green Scene
16
14
Electric Cars
On the Wings of History
Photography Bill Casey Steven Paul Hlavac Kat Fahle Marc Vaughn Steve Williams
16
Seaplane Ride
Mike & Molly
Illustration Jennifer Cahill Harper
20
Competitive Frisbee Toss
20
A Material Girl in a Make-Believe World
24
At the Tampa Bay Comic Con
A Tale of Sister Cities
26
What Brought Us Together
Assistant Editors Susan Green Jaillet Mike Ratrie
Palette of Dreams
Advertising Sales Calvin Arnold 407.421.6686 Richard Huss 203.209.6628 Visit our website for more information about all of our contributors!
7
14
Marketing & Development Mari Henninger
Contributing Writers Jeanne Fluegge Mari Henninger, PhD Sue D. Nihm Richard Huss Ella Paets, Ed.D. Violet Irminger Lisa Rast Susan Green Jaillet Pierce Schwalb Tom Lloyd Chelsea Tiesberg
Publisher's Letter/ About the Cover
Can We Get Personal(s)?
Editor Richard Huss
Advertising Design Lorri Arnold C&L Printing & Graphics
contents
29
Meet Norm Rinne of Norm's Palette
29
Getting Ready
33
Mount Dora Christmas Parade of Homes
Pulse the Magazine is published quarterly. We are advertiser–supported and available without charge at participating businesses in the Mount Dora, Eustis and Tavares area. Mail subscription information is available upon request. All opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers. Letters to the Editor are welcome and must be typed or printed clearly, carry the writer’s name and city of residence, a signature if sent through hard mail, and at least one type of contact information (E-mail address, phone number or physical address). Only the writer’s name and city will be published. All letters sent to Pulse the Magazine may be published in print and/or at our website. We reserve the right to edit for accuracy, brevity, clarity, legality, and taste. Letters should be e-mailed to pulsethemagazine@gmail.com or hard mailed to Publisher at Pulse the Magazine, PO Box 1896, Tavares, FL 32778.
PULSE • FALL 2013 | 5
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Summer’s gone. Also gone is the heavy equipment that graced downtown Mount Dora for the past four months. Fall is here … the air is cooler … and this fall issue of Pulse is “cool,” too.
online!
We feature a new writer, Lisa Rast, with her robust and funny coverage of the Comic Con, a major Nerd event in Tampa. Tom Lloyd and Macbeth set us straight on just how we found our Sister City, Forres, Scotland. And you definitely need to “catch a ride” on the de Haviland covered by Jeanne Fluegge, or “catch a disc” with the disc dogs described by Pierce Schwalb. It’s a jam-packed issue. I also bring your attention to the fact that Pulse donates at least one ad per issue for worthy causes in our Tri-Cities. Thanks to our donation of ad space for the auction held by PizzAmore to benefit the Donnelly House, St. Thomas Thrift Shop in Eustis will be able to promote their store in our winter 2014 issue. We're also proud to be a media sponsor for the 2014 Sweet Treats for a Cause (see page 31 for more information). It’s a pleasure to give back to the communities that so generously support Pulse. Read on in good health!
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Calvin Arnold, Publisher calvin@pulsethemagazine.com | www.pulsethemagazine.com
www.facebook.com/ pulsethemagazine
about the
cover
Jennifer Harper has illustrated for every issue of Pulse since Spring of 2010. On her own time she specializes in relief printmaking. Jennifer's studio in Mount Dora will be featured in "Off the Beaten Path" in December, tour stop #17. Any day of the week her work can be found at Artisans on Fifth in Mount Dora. Jennifer can be reached at jenhpr@gmail.com. A sampling of her portfolio can be found at www. jennifer-harper.artistwebsites.com.
Visit our Website www.pulsethemagazine.com
free | fall 2013
Editor's Note: Special thanks to All About Images in Mount Dora for their beautiful work digitizing this piece for Pulse. Check out their ad on the inside back cover for more information.
Send Us an E-mail calvin@pulsethemagazine.com richard@pulsethemagazine.com
PULSE • FALL 2013 | 7
ramblin’ withrichard richard ramblin’ with
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by RICHARD HUSS | photo ©MICHELLE PEDONE
Can We Get Personal(s)? I’m not in the market to meet anyone. I’ve met my match. That does not stop me, however, from wondering what I would do if I would ever have to meet someone. The world social order has changed. No more “Swingers” or pick-up lines like, “Hi! What’s your sign?”, or “If beauty were time, you’d be eternity.” Women don’t wait for men to approach them. It’s a different world – the Cougars run fast and there are no carefully defined roles.
FOXY LADY: Sexy, fashion-conscious blue-haired beauty, 80s, slim, 5’4” (used to be 5’6”), searching for sharp-looking, sharp-dressing companion. Matching white shoes and belt a plus. DEAR FOXY: 5’4” works for me. I start my day at 6’ even. As the day wears on, I wear down and end my day at about 5’8”. I still have my special Flag Day outfit – a red blazer, white Banlon polo shirt and blue chinos. And, what luck – I found a white patent leather belt and shoes at Goodwill. With your blue hair, we’ll make the quintessential American couple! LONG-TERM COMMITMENT: Recent widow who has just buried fourth husband, looking for someone to round out a six-unit plot. Dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath not a problem.
Yikes! What’s a guy to do? Well, relax. There are places where the world order is not completely upside down; where you don’t have to display yourself online with “Meet me for Whatever” or join one of the seemingly endless number of “mingle.coms" (though I think there should be a “pagansmingle.com"). Since I still have one foot in the print world, I was happy to learn that Personal Ads are alive and well – at least among some folks. Here are some allegedly real Personal Ads followed by my not-so-real responses. We'll start with some Personals from women:
DEAR LTC: I would have contacted you sooner but I passed out at my typewriter. I think it’s a combo of dizziness and fainting. Two out of three ain’t bad. If you go first, do I still get a spot in the six-plot? That would save me a bundle on my Final Care Insurance Policy. SERENITY NOW: I am into solitude, long walks, sunrises, the ocean, yoga and meditation. If you are the silent type, let’s get together, take our hearing aids out and enjoy quiet times. DEAR SERENITY: Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?
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... the Cougars run fast and there are no carefully defined roles. WINNING SMILE: Active grandmother with original teeth seeking a dedicated flossier to share rare steaks, corn on the cob and caramel candy. DEAR WINNING: I assume you mean flosser as in “one who flosses” and not flossier as in “one who flosses another’s teeth.” We can share a lot of things, but I will not be flossing your teeth – unless we’re into something kinky. MEMORIES: I can usually remember Monday through Thursday. If you can remember Friday, Saturday and Sunday, let’s put our two heads together. DEAR MEMORIES: I have only one head. You said, “... let’s put our two heads together.” Do you have two heads? As for what day of the week it is, who cares? We have nowhere to go and nothing to do, so it doesn’t matter what day we do “nothing or go nowhere.” I can’t remember if you gave me your name. Have I written you before?
Dear BS: And that’s what it sounds like to me. Eight-track tapes? You gotta be kiddin’. Any cool hen knows that CDs offer groovier sound quality. And you try to get my attention with eight-tracks? By the way, what year is your Camaro? You’re not on that Low T stuff, are you? I don’t want to start shaving at my age! MINT CONDITION: Male, 1932 model, high-mileage, good condition, some hair. Many new parts including a hip, a knee, a reattached cornea and valves. Isn’t in running condition, but walks well. DEAR MINT: Since you used the singular on hip, knee and cornea, please indicate the condition of your remaining high-mileage parts. While you’re at it, clarify which and how many of your four heart valves you replaced. And do you walk well with or without a walker? E-Z GOING: 71-year-old male seeking SWF – Looks not important – Must be athletic, tall, slim and attractive.
Guys use Personals, too. Here are a few. BEATLES OR STONES: I still like to rock, still like to cruise in my Camaro on Saturday nights and still like to play the guitar. If you were a groovy chick, or are now a groovy hen, let’s get together and listen to my eight-track tapes.
DEAR E-Z: Since “looks are not important,” I’m sure you won’t mind that I am short, a bit overweight, have a hairy mole at the right corner of my mouth and believe that exercise is passé. Do you really care whether I’m SWF? I composed this one from the ten most used phrases in self-promotion – print or electronic: GOT IT ALL: Male who lives life to the fullest – am a typical (astrological sign) –down to earth – love to laugh – look much younger than my photo – am presentable in jeans or tux –need to lose just a tad – seeking that special someone to enjoy sunsets with. My martini and I are here at the Pine Island Grille waiting for an answer – any answer.
PULSE • FALL 2013 | 9
on the human side the human side by MARI HENNINGER, Ph.D. | illustration by JENNIFER CAHILL HARPER
It's Not Normal to be Normal As you might have guessed, I’m not exactly normal ... but then, neither are you. Whether or not we want to admit it, most of us know what’s considered “normal” and what’s not. It’s normal to be outgoing and sociable, it’s not normal to prefer the company of a good book. It’s normal to focus on the realities of the here and now, it’s not normal to focus on unknown possibilities. It’s normal to be logical in your decisions, it’s not normal to let your heart guide your judgment. It’s normal to be organized and on time, it’s not normal to lose track of time as well as your keys on a regular basis. What I’ve just summarized are America’s current cultural norms. Surprisingly enough, other cultures have different norms, which raises the nasty specter of who wins the normalcy prize. Enter our referee, Isabel Briggs Myers, who owes the right to her striped jersey and whistle to her mother Katherine Briggs. Katherine was extremely bright, but as a Victorian woman, she was expected to invest her efforts in her home, not in professional pursuits. Bored by countless bridge games and mindless chit chat, she began surreptitiously creating note cards summarizing the proclivities of the people she met. But, when her daughter Isabel brought home a worrisome suitor, she put her armchair personality research into high gear. In an effort to understand her future son-in-law, rather than reject him, Katherine developed a tentative set of personality types. Though when she discovered C. G. Jung’s newly published book, Psychological Types, everything fell into place. Jung, a protégé of Sigmund Freud, believed humans were born with innate preferences that could be characterized on three dimensions: (1) By the way they engage with the world (2) By the information they naturally attend to, and (3) By how they act based on the information they perceive. Jung described the inborn preferences on each dimension as (1) Extraversion (E), an outward focus, vs. Introversion (I), 10 | PULSE • FALL 2013
an inward focus, (2) Sensory (S), a focus on concrete, practical information vs. Intuitive (N), a focus on abstract ideas and possibilities, and (3) Thinking (T), a logical focus vs. Feeling (F), an empathic focus. Now back to why I’ve nominated Isabel Myers as our referee in the Who’s Normal Playoff. When her children were grown, Isabel needed a new focus. She was distressed by the pain caused by humans’ inability to understand one another, work together, and resolve differences. As she pondered her next step, she remembered her mother’s work on Personality Type. Moving those insights forward became her life’s passion. Once she began scientifically validating Personality Type theory, Isabel realized there was a missing dimension to Jung’s work. She discovered people had two distinctly different approaches to life. While some were more comfortable living a planned, organized existence, others were more spontaneous, preferring to keep their options open. She called the more naturally organized folks Judgers (J) and the more spontaneous people Perceivers (P). Eventually, Isabel developed an assessment tool called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (the Myers-Briggs for short) which identified individuals’ preferences on each of the four Personality Type dimensions. This resulted in 16 unique Personality Types, each designated by a set of four letters. While generating a set of four letters designating Personality Type may sound more like making alphabet soup than doing science, over 10,000 companies, 2,500 colleges and universities, and 200 government agencies in the U.S. use the Myers-Briggs. And because millions of Americans have taken the Myers-Briggs, we have an excellent estimate of how frequently each type occurs. So finally – now for the drum roll – who’s the winner of the Normalcy Playoff? Our referee Isabel would say the cultural norms I’ve outlined above correspond most closely to people with the ESTJ Type [Extroverted Sensory
…I’m not crazy – I’m just not you. Thinking Judgers]. But she’d also say ESTJs are far from normal since fewer than 9% of Americans fit into that category. My guess is that we consider ESTJs “normal” because they have the profile most valued by business. If, as is frequently argued, commerce is the engine of our country’s success, most of us are not ideal cogs in the machine. Fortunately in our referee Isabel’s book of rules, all Personality Types are of equal value. She argued that each Type offers unique gifts that are needed to make society work. For example, you probably wouldn’t want a rocket scientist (most likely an INTJ) doing your accounting. You’d want a CPA (most likely an ISTJ) unless you were hoping to be best friends forever with the IRS. Ironically, consistent with Katherine Briggs’ original motivation in its creation, I’ve found the Myers-Briggs most useful in romantic relationships. Understanding each partner’s Type often explains the underlying sources of relationship conflict. The most frequent conflicts occur when one partner is an easy-going, spontaneous Perceiver (P) and the other is an organized, in-charge Judger (J). Perceivers can tolerate more mess than Judgers, so housework is often an issue. And many Judgers have a strong need to be in control, while Perceivers have an equally strong need to do as they wish. As a Perceiver who married a Judger, I know how this feels.
Perceivers are more upset by these conflicts. Judgers usually think they’re right, and chalk the conflicts up to Perceivers’ failure to try hard enough. Perceivers, in turn, feel resentful and guilty, having been criticized by everyone from their elementary school teachers to their workplace supervisors. In my own case, I resolved the conflicts with my husband by explaining the differences between our Types and voilá, he got it. I’ve had the same experience when working with coaching clients. Supported as they are by societal norms, it rarely occurs to Judgers that there could be another, equally valid way of being. But take heart Perceivers, you’re not alone; almost half of Americans are Perceivers and your day is coming. In an electronic world where things can change in the blink of an eye, Perceivers’ ability to pivot on a dime gives them a distinct advantage in the marketplace. And miracle of miracles, researchers have recently discovered that people with messy desks are more creative, and in a world desperately seeking innovation, creativity is an increasingly essential skill. So our thanks to our referee, Isabel. Her dream of a world where people of all Personality Types live in mutual respect is gradually coming to fruition. In the meantime, if you find yourself at odds with someone of a different Type, you might think, if not gently suggest, as the title of a classic MyersBriggs book did, I’m not Crazy, I’m Just Not You.
PULSE • FALL 2013 | 11
pulse flashfiction fiction pulse flash Photo by Bill Casey
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especially interested in punctuation when his high school girlfriend missed a period. Rick vows to write as long as he has a pulse … the magazine.
"You're Next" It began with an e-mail from Richard Huss, editor of Pulse the Magazine. “I would like to feature one of your creative writing pieces in the fall issue of Pulse,” he wrote. “It comes out in mid-October. Please call me if interested.”
Rick Cooper
We introduce a new section with this issue of Pulse the Magazine, “Pulse Flash Fiction.” PFF will feature fiction from writers near and far in a flash fiction format – a complete story in less than 1000 words. Some features will be from our frequent contest winners while others will be by invitation. If you would like to be featured in Pulse Flash Fiction, contact Richard Huss, editor, at Richard@pulsethemagazine.com. This issue we feature local author, song writer, marathon runner and a true “edge walker,” Rick Cooper. According to Rick, he relocated to Mount Dora in 2008 as part of the Witness Protection Program. He has worn many hats over the years, and if you saw him without a hat you would know why. He is adored by two poodles and tolerated by his wife. A life-long writer, he became
Of course it was something that I wanted to do, but could I do it? I am a novelist. It takes 120,000 words or more for me to tell a story. Richard had space for 650 words. I can’t even properly introduce a secondary character in so few words, let alone tell a complete story. I do like to see my work in print though, so with no ideas at all, I called Richard and agreed to write something for the fall issue. “Great,” he said in his usual friendly but rushed tone. “Deadline is coming up. I’ll need it within a week. Gotta take another call. Bye.” I spent the next few hours listening for my Muse, but her voice was silent. That was no surprise as we hadn’t been on speaking terms for months. I then closed my eyes and journeyed to that distant ether that has been the source of many of my creative ideas over the years. I returned with empty mind and broken spirit. The rest of the night was spent staring at the clock, and with each maddening tick Richard’s deadline drew one second closer.
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The next morning I read his e-mail again, and for the first time the words “it comes out in mid-October” registered. I could do a scary Halloween story! But about what?
Maybe I could use a Tavares setting, and write about the captain of a Dora Canal tour boat. He takes two unsuspecting women on a tour to a secluded area of the canal where he plans to kill them and use them as gator bait. No, that’s probably been done already.
I thought of a recent photo I had seen of Mount Dora’s mayor and city council members. They had shovels in their hands and they were breaking ground on the latest city improvement project. Or maybe they were repairing a sinkhole, I can’t remember. Anyway, the digging reminded me of graves, and graves reminded me of coffins, and coffins reminded me of vampires. What if the mayor and council members were vampires who served the citizens of Mount Dora during the day, but preyed upon them at night?
Perhaps I could write about the Bay Street Players in Eustis. I could have them performing The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Halloween night, and … no, that’s a bit too much. Eustis is still trying to get over that show with the naughty puppets.
And the amazingly coincidental part is, if you take the first three letters of each council member’s last name and rearrange them, they spell “We want to suck your blood.” What are the odds of that?
Wait, I’ve got it! A masked psycho Halloween killer writes “You’re Next!” in red on page 28 of a copy of the fall issue of Pulse, and puts it back in a rack. He watches until someone takes that particular copy, then follows the person home. After reading my story, the unsuspecting victim turns to page 28 and sees “You’re Next!” in red.
But vampires have been so overdone the last few years, and I don’t like to ride anyone’s coattails. Or use clichés, either. Zombies? Nah, same as vampires. Enough already. Besides, the snowbirds start returning in October, and sometimes it’s hard to tell an elderly snowbird from a zombie. At least that has been my experience.
I’ve seen the Walking Ghost Tour weekend nights in Mount Dora and taken little notice of them. But what if they weren’t looking for ghosts, what if they were ghosts? Okay, maybe not.
At that moment the psycho killer comes around the corner with knife upraised …
PULSE • FALL 2013 | 13
the green scene the green scene by SUSAN GREEN JAILLET | photo by BILL CASEY
The Electric Car Local EV (electric vehicle) Nissan Leaf drivers David Stanley and Steve Williams say the best thing about a totally electric car is, “Driving past the gas stations!” Their excitement is contagious, and with the advent of the Tesla Model S, EV interest is at an all-time high. What are the differences among an EV, a PHEV and a hybrid? An EV requires no fossil fuel; it’s not dependent on a gasoline engine. The Nissan Leaf and the Tesla are EVs. A hybrid operates on battery technology assisted by a conventional gas engine. Think Toyota Prius here, now with over 5 million sold globally. A PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle) uses batteries that can recharge from both plugging into the electrical grid – anything from a conventional or solar-charged outlet in your garage or home to a specially designed charging station – or from the on-board gas engine. This is the Chevrolet Volt. Currently EVs are less than one percent of total car sales, even with a Federal tax credit of $7,500. EV sales have increased by 50 percent over 2012 and as recently as August, sales of EVs and hybrids were about 4 percent of U.S. auto sales. EVs are more costly to purchase than their gas-driven counterparts, but they cost far less to operate over the life of the car. Florida’s resident expert on the EV movement, Bill Ferree, estimates an electric car will cost $15,000 to drive over its life compared to $60,000 for a conventional vehicle. If you’re like me, you start to wonder how you could spend that extra $45,000 that you’re not paying for gasoline, car parts, and repairs. To make the EV even cleaner, solar power can be used to “drive on sunlight.” In 2009 Bill Ferree led the way for installing no-cost solar charging stations in downtown Eustis. The Tri-Cities area now has 13 charging stations; Central Florida has over 300. You can locate them by using the free app PlugShare which will show you the locations on a map.
14 | PULSE • FALL 2013
Ferree’s book Empty Tank Empty Wallet: For Those Who Don’t Own an Oil Well provides detailed information on the EV movement. Bill describes himself as being “on a mission.” He believes, “Global warming is a reality. Our grandchildren will pay, and they will judge.” Bill’s philosophy is simple. “The fossil fuel reserve is getting harder to get to. The rest of the world is now able to compete for the available energy. Our carbon problem continues to worsen. We have to stop using fossil fuel for most of our ground transportation.” Bill believes, “This transition is coming. It’s inevitable. It needs to come quickly.” By far the most exciting EV available today is the Tesla. Voted the 2013 Car of the Year by Automobile Magazine and Motor Trend, the Tesla Model S is built in California by Tesla Motors, owned by billionaire Elon Musk. And yes, there’s a waiting list to buy the premium luxury car. Local Tesla owner, Dr. Roger Wray, made a deposit on his a full year before delivery.
"Global warming is a reality. Our grandchildren will pay, and they will judge." Former Eustis mayor Scott Ales owns a Tesla Model S. Ales also sees the EV as a way of changing the world, all for the better. “It’s difficult to digest the step forward that the Tesla has made,” Ales says. “Tesla is the first company with a mission to “save the world,” and Ales sees the EV movement as “transcending party lines, country lines, and ideologies.” To sit inside his Tesla is indeed to step into the world of the future. Approaching the sleek Tesla is only the beginning of the experience. There are front and rear storage areas, rear-
facing pull up seats, an all glass panoramic sunroof covering the entire top of the car, and no tailpipe because there are no emissions. Your driving range averages between 208 and 264 miles. In addition to conventional charging stations, Tesla super-charging stations will be available across the U.S. in the next year. The door handles are flat against the door panel and extend for opening when approached by the driver holding the key, which is not a key at all, but a small black fob built to resemble the Tesla body. Once inside, you’re facing a 17-inch touchscreen, a digital instrument cluster, and steering wheel controls. Media, navigation, Web, camera, phone, vehicle data, and control features power up the moment you open the door. That’s right, you don’t have to “start” the engine, it’s done for you. You can even do it from your phone.
Like any electric vehicle, the Tesla is quiet. Unlike a conventional ICE (internal combustion engine) with hundreds of parts, the Tesla motor has only a rotor. Acceleration is instantaneous – the Tesla can go 0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds – and generates something Ales calls the “Tesla grin.” Even though I’d had the experience described to me, I was exhilarated by the sudden G force pushing me against the leather seat as we silently accelerated along Highway 441. Nothing can compare to the actual experience, and you can bet the “Tesla grin” was plastered across my face. Editor’s Note: We recognize that a “cool” Tesla may not be a choice for most of us. We encourage you to check with local dealerships on the less expensive “green cars” and more affordable leasing options. For more information on Empty Tank Empty Wallet: For Those Who Don't Own an Oil Well, go to billferee.com. PULSE • FALL 2013 | 15
ON THE
Wings OF History
by JEANNE FLUEGGE | photography by STEVE WILLIAMS
Many of the 1,657 de Havilland DHC-2 Beavers built over a half century ago are still flying, and the rest are being hunted down all over the world and restored. They’ve been unearthed from jungle sites, river beds, desert floors and small town museums. They are more popular now than when the radio and TV show, Sky King, made us all yearn to fly. The Beaver is one of Canada’s top ten engineering achievements of the 20th century, a celebrated “barrel-chested” airplane with its own movie, Immortal Beloved, and a ballad to tell its story. The list of militaries flying Beavers during its production from 1947 to 1967 reads like a U.N. roster for small nations. Indiana Jones, George Lucas’ trouble-prone agent provocateur cum anthropologist, used a Beaver to take him into far-flung places no one but a film character would dare go. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police still patrol Canada’s outback in this spry old plane, and serious wilderness trekkers nudge Beavers into parts of the world where grizzly bears and mountain lions still rule. At Mount Dora’s Lakeside Inn, a more genteel type of guests relax in the wood rockers on the Inn’s long white porch, their sunglasses on, perhaps a cocktail in hand, as they watch the mythical Beaver takeoff and land on Lake Dora. The maroon and white plane soaring over Palm Island, its big pontoons almost stroking the treetops, is a stirring sight, but riding in this Beaver is to fly on the wings of history. Hitched to the dock at Mount Dora’s The Lakeside Inn, the legendary de Havilland Beaver DHC-2 grabs more attention for its classic beauty than it does for its reputation as a rugged flying truck. Don’t be fooled, though. This Canadian built airplane is an adventurer’s dream. Bush pilots fly this plane in and out of spaces no bigger than a country backyard. It’s a flying machine outfitted with pontoons for swooping down on remote lakes, skis for sliding across glaciers, and wheels for rolling across back country terrain only a zealous hiker would tackle. The high winged Beaver sluices down mountains and sails airborne with less wobble than an Olympic skier. On water it’s a boat that takes off and lands with the skill and clamor of a flock of wild geese. And like Louis, the intrepid swan in EB White’s novel, The Trumpet of the Swan, the de Havilland Beaver isn’t the fastest winged creature in the sky, but it has the biggest heart and carries an over-sized load without a grumble.
Through the cockpit’s open windows the pungent smell of land mingles with the metallic tang of machine. The pilot, John Justad, in another time would be wearing a beat-up bomber jacket and leather helmet instead of nylon jacket and baseball cap. As soon as he cranks up his Pratt and Whitney engine, the plane’s propeller spins into action with the rat-a-tat-tat of a machine gun, and hearts onboard skip a beat. With pontoons skimming across lake water, the Beaver sprints away from the dock, turns, and then picking up speed heads back toward Lakeside Inn for a smooth takeoff into the wind. The plane throbs with the raspy churn of its workhorse engine. Drinking fuel, nose climbing the sky, the antique plane’s forty-eight foot wingspan lifts and softly dips from side to side. Below, Mount Dora masquerades as a model train table with gingerbread houses and puffy trees. Off to the right, Tavares looks like a baby metropolis, its tall county seat structures PULSE • FALL 2013 | 17
stretching upward, and Eustis comes into view looking sheared off, almost flat. The unfolding panoramic view from 1,000 feet up is like looking down on a topical map of Lake County: mushroom and blueberry farms, an airport, orange groves and water – lots of water. When the airplane heads back to Lakeside Inn’s dock, there’s a small group waiting for it to land. Thirty feet of metal, nine feet tall, with twenty-four feet of wing jutting out from each side, plows through the lake and sidles up to the dock. Disembarking passengers duck out under the wing. The women look back at the plane admiring its Casablanca contours, but it’s the men who are in awe of its he-man glory, and they’re the ones who pepper John with questions. He doesn’t rush, but you can see his eyes furtively scan his plane and check his aviator’s watch until it’s time to take off with another group of adventure seekers onboard his legendary Beaver. For more information or flight reservations, call 218.628.2006 or email jjustad@tds.net.
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PULSE • FALL 2013 | 19
mike and molly
by PIERCE SCHWALB | photography by KAT FAHLE, GOOD DOG SPORTS
Have you ever played fetch with your dog? You throw and they bring the tennis ball, Frisbee disc, or toy back to you. According to Tavares resident Mike Dillon, the owner of two world champion disc dogs, that’s all you need to get started in the competitive Frisbee toss and catch world. With events held around the globe, where owners and their dogs showcase intricate Frisbee catching routines, incredible distance catches, and leaps that defy gravity, the exciting sport of Frisbee toss is all about having fun with your dog. It takes dedicated training and lots of encouragement, but the result is a rewarding experience with a passionate community of fellow dog lovers. In this sport, stars are rarely born overnight. Such was the case with Molly, Mike’s adorable Australian shepherd/ Border collie mix. It all started after Mike’s mother saw signs for her as a tiny puppy at a local farm supply store. She was an energetic and playful dog and a great companion. Shortly after bringing her home, Mike found an old Frisbee and took Molly out for a few tosses. She was a natural, deftly grabbing the discs in mid-air. That was when Mike decided to reach out to the CFDDC - the Central Florida Disc Dog Club located in Tampa, Florida.
After a string of successful meets and competitions, Molly’s breakthrough came on June 4th, 2011 at the Kentucky state championship. Mike’s RV pulled into the competition field in Louisville a day or two early where fellow club members arrived to set up the courses, train with each other and prepare their dogs to compete. This camaraderie exists at competitions across the country, which Mike says, “Feels more like family – everyone cheers for everybody else.” On competition day, the community atmosphere was even more apparent. Mike’s panel of judges was filled with fellow competitors who judged the teams on criteria like the throw-to-catch ratio, the “wow factor,” and the overall flow and smoothness of routines. Everyone provided coaching tips, training advice and even dog treats – it really is all about the dogs. After a day of flawless routines and breathtaking catches, Mike and Molly took home the coveted Kentucky state champion trophy, a specially engraved Louisville Slugger baseball bat.
ort p s g n i it The exc is all ss to e of Frisbe g fun n vi a h about og. d r ou wit h y
The CFDDC consists of passionate dog lovers who train and compete together all across the country. Club members love nothing more than introducing newcomers to the sport, and they provided Mike and Molly with lots of coaching and support. Their first meet with the club went well, but it turned out Molly was afraid of new faces. With help from Chris Engel, a long-time member of the club, they were able to get Molly over her fears. Molly loved to catch Frisbees, and now she could do it in front of a crowd.
Their victory in Kentucky was followed by one win after another; with Molly being named the Florida state champion the next year and taking 3rd place in the world “Toss and Catch” competition.
The team travels almost every weekend and visits eleven states or more each year. Mike keeps a thorough “stat book," where he records Molly’s catch ratios, results from meets, and different routine ideas – but in the end it is really all about Molly’s happiness and well-being. “I treat Molly like my kid; she gets better food than I do,” says Mike, who makes sure that he has Molly’s “cool blanket,” collection of toys, and bags of treats with him wherever they go.
PULSE • FALL 2013 | 21
Molly is a mix of popular breeds among disc dog enthusiasts, as both Australian Shepherds and Border Collies seem to be naturally adept Frisbee catchers. However, most dogs you see at competitions are family pets long before they become champion disc dogs. Dogs of all shapes and sizes love to catch Frisbees, and you’ll see nearly every breed represented.
Think your dog might have what it takes to become a world champion? Check out Skyhoundz.com, a great source for information on local competitions as well as a place to pick up cool disc dog gear, like dog-safe Frisbees. Also check out the Central Florida Disc Dog Club website cfdiscdogs.com/wordpress/ where you can find training advice and more information on local meets.
For the benefit of all dogs, there aren’t any cash prizes and no one makes any money. Says Mike, “In the end, it’s all about having fun with your dog. Any more than that and you’ve lost sight of why these competitions exist.” Mike makes these trips across the country for one simple reason – Molly loves it.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Special thanks to Paul and Marni Lewis, owners of The Green K9 on Lake Center Drive in Mount Dora. They turned us on to Mike Dillon and the incredible Molly, who they met when The Green K9 became her provider of a high performance specialty food. See their ad on page 6.
22 | PULSE • FALL 2013
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PULSE • FALL 2013 | 23
a
material girl
in a make-believe world by LISA RAST | illustration provided
When my friend Adrianne invited me to the Tampa Bay Comic Con I said, “Sure.” Then I asked, “What’s a Comic Con?”
uncomfortable shoes so we’ll look fabulous, and walk away from the Center, over the bridge, to the back of one of the longest lines I’ve ever seen.
Comic Con is a convention in which you revel in your nerdiness, get your geek on, dress up as your favorite TV star, superhero, or comic book character and mingle with thousands of other people just like you.
The heat is brutal (it’s August in Florida!) but luckily there is a bar outside. There is also an ice cream truck and I wonder if anyone has superpowers to blow it up – or at least get it to stop playing Pop Goes the Weasel at ear-bleed volume.
But not like me. I am not the nerdy type. I’ve never seen Game of Thrones and the last comic book I read was Archie & Veronica. I’m also terrible at math. But since I happen to have a Star Trek costume from two Halloweens ago, I think, what the heck.
Ninety minutes later, completely wilted and slightly inebriated, we make it inside. Blessed air conditioning! But oh, no! More waiting. The line continues inside for another 45 minutes, snaking in and out of a convention room for no apparent reason. I suspect this is a low budget operation since there are no workers directing us, no ropes or barriers, but we are good sheep in high heels so we make it work. I am mesmerized by Heisenberg from Breaking Bad and his companion, Catwoman.
I suffer a wardrobe malfunction and have to trade my Star Trek dress for a Wonder Woman T-shirt and skirt. I keep my phaser and tricorder, just in case. I know I need help, so I pick up another girlfriend, Tina, to be my unofficial Comic Con guide. Did I say, “Guide?” We get on the Turnpike headed the wrong direction. I turn around and after a few miles realize I’m not supposed to be on the Turnpike at all. Out comes the GPS which takes us through cow pastures and a not-so-nice neighborhood before we find I-75.
Tina gets into another line to buy her ticket; looks like a halfhour wait. I bought mine online because I am brilliant. I am also over the whole line thing so I walk up to a kiosk, slap down $20 and say, “Give me a wristband.” They do. I get Tina out of line. People are angry.
We enter downtown Tampa and immediately lose satellite contact. No worries, all we have to do is follow the lava flow of Batmen, Wolverines, and Captain Kirks. There are geeks, nerds and superheroes along with children dressed up as Power Rangers and Disney princesses, Wonder Women with impressive cleavage pushing strollers, and Iron Men shuffling along in homemade cardboard costumes.
We find our friends, I take a minute to take a photo with the MST3K guy and his robots, and they go off to stand in another line to have their photo taken with some actor from Game of Thrones. After an hour in line they’re told, “Come back later – the celebrity hasn’t arrived yet.”
I find our hotel only because it’s across the street from the Tampa Convention Center. We dump our stuff, change into
I do not care.
Tina and I enter the golden gates of the exhibition hall and I am blown away. Seventy-five thousand square feet of Continued on Page 37 PULSE • FALL 2013 | 25
a tale of sister cities by TOM LLOYD | illustration by JENNIFER CAHILL HARPER
Whoever first thought to pair Mount Dora, Florida with Forres, Scotland was certainly a risk-taker. Any number of folks could have gotten kilt – or even killed. As it happens, one did and this is his story. It begins with Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Once you wash your hands of all five acts' worth of the murder and mayhem in that venerable play, all that’s really left is a fifteenth century collection of eleventh century recipes – a kind of medieval cookbook for bad, boiled food. Dust off your copy and check. Sooner or later just about everything in the Scottish play gets boiled. That not only includes ‘eye of newt’ and ‘toe of frog’ but ‘wool of bat’ and ‘tongue of dog.’ In fact, there’s a whole laundry list of things you’re not likely to find at your local Publix that get boiled in Macbeth. What your high school English teacher failed to tell you, and “Hell’s Kitchen” chef Gordon Ramsay never will, is that all that boiling is the real reason Mount Dora was destined to become the sister city of Forres – the place where Shakespeare’s Macbeth begins. Simply put, the two towns share an ancient heritage. Bad boiled food.
S imply pu t, the two towns share an ancien t herit age. B ad boiled food. this gator swallowed one of the cola bottles, waded and waddled all the way to the Florida east coast and then inexplicably started swimming northeast. When Birnam finally arrived in Scotland, he lumbered onto a beach, trudged up nearby Dunsinane Hill, spit out the bottle, keeled over dead from exhaustion and was promptly turned into a handbag, two belts and a killer pair of stiletto heels by a thrifty Scottish fashion designer, who then went home to a dinner of the first-worst food known to man – Haggis. Haggis is a uniquely Scottish concoction consisting of assorted internal sheep organs stuffed inside the lining of a sheep’s stomach and – you guessed it – boiled.
Surprised? Don’t be. Despite the proliferation of some incredible restaurants in Mount Dora today, the whole of Central Florida is now, and always has been, plagued by a culinary curse worthy of Banquo, Duncan, and the Thane of Cawdor himself in the form of the second-worst food known to man – boiled peanuts. Also known as goober peas and redneck caviar, these squishy, salty specialties of the south are so vile that when town officials went searching for a sister city, they discovered that no other town in America wanted anything to do with Mount Dora and its slippery nuts. So, the local bigwigs decided to look overseas. They wrote letters soliciting sister cities and, in an effort to save money on postage, elected to stuff those letters into used Royal Crown Cola bottles which they tossed into Lake Dora in the hope they would eventually be carried out to the ocean and on to the rest of the world. That decision could have doomed the sister city effort but, as luck would have it, one overly ambitious alligator came to the rescue. Known to his fellow crocodilians as “Birnam,”
Now, Scotland’s contributions to the world are pretty much limited to the invention of Scotch whiskey, bagpipes, and the aforementioned haggis. Clearly they are all inter-related, since without consuming an incredibly large amount of Scotch, no one would ever voluntarily listen to bagpipes, let alone go anywhere near a plate full of haggis. QED. In any event, once the local Scottish authorities got Mount Dora’s message in a bottle, they quickly agreed to the sister city proposition. The two towns, they decided, were indeed bound together by really bad boiled food. The Scots were also flattered to think that the term “Scottish fashion designer” might not be the oxymoron that most of the world still thinks it is, but in the end it was the bad boiled food that really sealed the deal. Happily, that sister city agreement is now flourishing. Exchange students and tourists regularly make the transAtlantic trek. Even more happily, no boiled peanuts have found their way to Forres and, as of press time for this issue of Pulse, no parboiled sheep organs have made their way onto a single Mount Dora menu. Continued on Page 37 PULSE • FALL 2013 | 27
A Happy Little Gift Shop
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palette of
dreams
by SUE D. NIMH | photo by MARC VAUGHN
Though it has a physical location and Norm has a lease for the premises, Norm’s Palette is not so much a place as it is a “state of mind.” Norm’s is about the people who frequent the place. It’s the art and the artists, the music and the musicians, the parties and the party-goers. It’s safe. People feel good, talk freely and hang out there – happy in their own skin.
would listen about his dream bar. His dream-talk always revolved around the idea that it would be a spot for people to hang out, get to know each other, watch artists at work, and listen to writers read their creative pieces. I have heard Norm’s dream over many a quaff, cocktail, or glass of wine. On occasions I would eavesdrop on Norm as he outlined his idea to someone new at the bar.
The Palette is Norm – Norm Rinne, owner, artist and maker of happenings. And it didn’t just “happen” on a whim.
He was always consistent with his focus: “I want to have a place where people’s art is front and center. It’s all about their artistic expression – music, painting, writing, whatever ... and everyone’s having a good time.”
For years as Norm tended bar at Pisces Rising, Goblin Market and other area venues, he would talk with whoever
PULSE • FALL 2013 | 29
You don’t “go to” Norm’s Palette as much as you end up there. You gravitate to the Palette. You get energized there, and you allow people into your part of Norm’s world for fun, discussion and living in the moment. When you end up at Norm’s Palette, you may find an artist working in the corner of one of the three intimate spaces Norm has created. You may hear a musician playing his/her own music to a crowd that is quasi-paying attention because they’re also busy paying attention to each other. The Palette offers a combination of indoor and outdoor spaces. Inside, the three separate cozy rooms offer comfy chairs, just right for small groups or private romantic talks. The spaces are sumptuous and filled with art – wall hangings, paintings, sketches, sculpture, and mixed media artworks. Much of the art is Norm’s, but there are plenty of other local artists who use the Palette’s walls, tables and nooks for their own displays. Outside there are two patio areas – one accommodates nonsmokers and the other is for smokers.
Norm’s staff prepares tapas nightly, small plates which when combined are enough for a light dinner. A single plate makes a good accompaniment for your wine or beer. His wine prices are modest and his selections of reds, whites and blends are eclectic and change frequently, which offers you the opportunity to break out of your wine rut. Domestic beer and a wide variety of Craft beers are also provided at reasonable prices. You can always get a hug from Norm. In fact, it’s highly recommended that you seek out Norm to initiate a hug – whether or not you know him. That’s part of what Norm’s Palette is all about – a welcoming, warm “destination for the senses.” And nothing is more reassuring to our sense of being accepted in life than a friendly hug. Norm's Palette is located in the Sunset Building at 303 North Baker Street in Mount Dora. For more information, call 352.729.6196, visit normspalette.com, or like them on facebook.com/NormsPalette.
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30 | PULSE • FALL 2013
Mark Your Calendars for the 2014
Fashion Show Fundraiser & Ultimate Shopping Experience Saturday, January 18, 2014 • 12:30PM - 4:00PM • Lake Receptions, Mount Dora
How Can I Participate? VENDORS
If you have tangible items to sell, we’d love for you to be part of our Ultimate Shopping Experience! Only one table per company will be permitted, so reserve your space today.
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MODELS
We’re looking for community leaders to do their turn on the catwalk and raise funds prior to the event.
In our first year of this event, we raised $10,000 that was distributed to high schoool students all over Lake County who desired to participate in the arts, but lacked the funds due to financial hardship...and we look forward to another successful year of helping our youth!
Contact Haley for More Information • 352.638.0358 • haleygerig@hotmail.com
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PULSE • FALL 2013 | 31
Getting Ready
MOUNT DORA'S CHRISTMAS TOUR OF HOMES by JEANNE FLUEGGE | photo by BILL CASEY
Every December, hundreds of visitors "ooh and ahh" as they wander through the holiday wrapped homes featured on Mount Dora’s Christmas Tour of Homes (sponsored by the Women’s Committee of Fine Arts). Getting a house ready to shine like tinsel on a Christmas tree and having guests want to cozy up next to the fireplace and sip eggnog isn’t easy. “Being on the tour is like slimming down and buffing up to wear a bikini for a reunion on the beach with sorority sisters from thirty-five years ago,” says Franjse Zucchero. 32 | PULSE • FALL 2013
“I have to shed the pounds and look at my home as if I were a visitor.” Fransje’s yellow cottage is at the heart of Mount Dora’s classic style. On her front porch a large red canoe swings from the ceiling, resembling a flirtatious wink at passersby. Her interior rooms, packed with quirky collections and personal treasures, harbor stories itching to be told. Antique French dolls look out from floor-toceiling shelves and elevate her European rustic chic to museum level.
Her work for the Tour began in August. Unfinished projects skulked in corners and a shabby chair that needed reupholstering cried out for help. Fransje’s two very large hairy dogs and a furry cat left their marks on hardwood floors. Her well-used kitchen, where dinner guests frequently chop and stir while sipping their first glass of Merlot, needed some serious elbow grease. There was her sleek three-room guest house to plump and shine, herb and flower gardens to weed and mulch, and a red roadster to polish and park on the cobblestone street in front of her house. Then there were the holiday decorations that took weeks to put up. As satisfying as it must be to have visitors admire her beautiful home, Fransje and the other volunteers put their homes on the tour for a more altruistic reason. They do it because they can help raise an impressive amount of scholarship money for high school students from Eustis, Tavares, Umatilla, and Mount Dora.
The proceeds from last year’s tour provided over twenty scholarships for talented performing and visual artists. Franjse, who is a fine arts committee member, said that when she called scholarship recipients to give them the great news, “I felt like I had been given ‘an award’ to hear the hope, the amazement, and the joy in their voices.” Isn’t this what the holidays are about? Even Ebenezer Scrooge knew that giving hope and joy was the greatest gift of all. Tickets for the Mount Dora Christmas Tour of Homes on December 7 & 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. may be purchased at the Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce for $15. For more information call Carol at 352.357.3761.
PULSE • FALL 2013 | 33
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Having More Retire Having More Retirement Accounts Accounts Is Not The Same Is Not Th As Having More Mo As Having More Money.
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36 | PULSE • FALL 2013
MATERIAL GIRL, continued from Page 25
exhibitors, artists, and fans mill about – many of them in costume. Zombies lurch alongside Siths and Spidermen. Alice, looking like an escapee from Wonderland, dances clumsily on an arcade dance game. There are miles of comic books, action figures, and T-shirts. I purchase Star Trek socks and a Batman bikini, and we get our superheroine caricature sketched. We encounter Thor. Take a photo with Thor. Fall in love with Thor. Later we see Thor walking around in Levis and drinking a Big Gulp. We love him only slightly less. We try to find the speed dating room and the penguin knife fight, but there is no signage and no seats in any of the discussion panels. Every room is a sea of capes. My feet are killing me from wearing my make-me-look-gorgeous-three-inch heels, so we return to the hotel. Refreshed, it’s back across the street to wait for our friends. After two hours they finally got their photo op. We wait another hour for the photo to be printed. The convention center is now closed. There are just a bunch of angry Game of Thrones people still waiting for their photos and a lone janitor, propped up against his mop looking lost. The photo guy comes out and stands on a chair. The chair collapses. There is applause. He brushes himself off and announces, “The printer is dead.” People are not happy. Tina and I have drinks and comfortable shoes so we don’t care – I can’t wait to come back next year.
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CITIES, continued from Page 27
In other words, the whole thing has been a win-win proposition for everyone involved. Well, everyone that is, except for Birnam. Gone, but not forgotten, that overly ambitious alligator is still honored each year by Scots and Shakespeare scholars alike. Together they climb to the top of Dunsinane Hill where the local town crier calls out, “Who would cross the ocean to unite the peoples of Forres and Mount Dora?” The gathered throng then waves their arms in the air, like tree limbs swaying in the wind, and calls out the answer as loudly as they can: “The Great Birnam would.” In the end, however, this whole story is probably best described by Macbeth, himself, in Act Five; Scene Five: “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” So, pass the peanuts, please. EDITOR’S NOTE: For the sake of “peace in the family,” it should be noted that a lot of hard work and effort has gone into establishing and maintaining Mount Dora's Sister City relationship with Forres, Scotland – which is flourishing. That being said, this is one funny story!
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JENNIFER CAHILL HARPER Original Relief Prints & Illustrations
Mount Dora Portraits.com
ARTISANS on FIFTH 134. East Fifth Avenue, Mount Dora Save the date: Off the Beaten Path, Dec. 7 & 8 www.floridaartstour.com stop #10 1128 North Donnelly Street. stop #17
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TIME TO UPDATE YOUR CONTACTS! far from ordinary design IS NOW
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352.636.6336 www.caseydigitalworks.com
1100 N. Unser Street • Mount Dora, FL 32757 • Box Office 352.383.4616 • www.icehousetheatre.com
NOV. 22–DEC. 15
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Book by Joseph Stein, Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick; based on Sholem Aleichem’s stories by permission of Arnold Perl
Directed by David Clevinger
One of the best-loved musicals of all time, songs include Sunrise, Sunset and If I Were A Rich Man. 7:30 pm show Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 27. No shows Nov. 28 or 29.
JAN. 24–FEB. 16
SMOKEY JOE’S CAFÉ
Words and Music by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Directed by Darlin Barry
A smokin’ musical revue with 40 hit songs of the 50s and 60s, including Kansas City, Jailhouse Rock and On Broadway. The hottest ticket of the season!
SHOWTIMES: Thurs 7:30 PM • Fri 8:00 PM • Sat 2:00 PM or 8:00 PM • Sun 2:00 PM (Some Saturdays have Matinees Only)
TICKETS: $20 Adults, $18 Seniors (65+ Thursdays & Matinees) $16 Groups (15 or more), $15 and $10 Students
(352) 366-0333 449 Royellou Lane Mount Dora, FL 32757 (Across from the Old City Jail)
PULSE • FALL 2013 | 39
Theto locals’ a thoughtful guide holiday season: for your holiday meals at The Gourmet Spot. Their Gvastet inspiration selection of award-winning foods, specialty kitchenware, plus premium olive oils and vinegars make them a 'must see' during the holiday season. Friends, foodies and clients always appreciate unique gifts and stocking-stuffers from this cheerful shop.
Complete your holiday meals and parties with the perfect wines from The Wine Den. The knowledgeable staff at this cozy wine bar can pair the right wines for wonderful meals. You’ll find gifts to accommodate any budget. Gift certificates for their fun, monthly wine tastings make perfect gifts for every wine lover on your list.
Put yourself in the holiday mood with a fresh new look by
Synergy Salonspa's creative professionals. They can give you the right new cut and color for this season. Share the pampering with friends by giving gift certificates for relaxing massages and facials or indulgent manicures and pedicures.
411 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora TheGourmetSpot.com 352.735.4777
Donnelly & 3rd Ave, Mount Dora SynergySalonspamtdora.com 352.383.2900
109 4th Avenue, Mount Dora TheWineDenOnline.com 352.735.5594