FLORIDA MEMORIES FROM A FLORIDA NATIVE BY TOM ROUTZONG - My Life In Art
The photo of my art represents so many things in my life. I am going to tell you about each item and then you can try to find it in the picture.
First would be my bronze baby shoes. Having your baby shoes done like this was very popular during those “dark ages.” I even have my grandmothers and she was born in 1891.
Next comes my years in the 4-H club where I had cows and chickens as my on going projects. It was during that time when I got my one and only horse. I even entered the barrel race at a Bit and Spur Rodeo in West Cocoa. I made it around the first barrel but the second one left my knee scared for life. Needless to say that was the end of my rodeo days.
It is time to find a cash register . This represents my first retail job which was at W. T. Grants in Byrd Plaza which was Cocoa’s only “shopping mall” other than Cocoa Village.
Mrs. McGee was my boss in the Pet and Garden section. I was friends with her two kids Mary Ann and Buddy.
If you look very closely you will see an orchid flower. I was a member of the Brevard Orchid Society and had several hundred orchids I still enjoy growing them today.
I then got the crazy idea to open a tropical fish retail store. I had a friend who also had an interest so my Aunt Lula loaned me the money to set up Fish Land USA. WE rented a building on Clearlake Road just south of the college. We both had other jobs so I ran the business during the day and he ran it at night. That venture didn’t work so I closed the business after two LONG months.
I hope you will be able to locate the next thing I am going to tell you about. The rocket represents my time working in the VAB at Kennedy Space Center. This started in the early part of 1967. I was working at Fremac’s Men’s Store in Byrd Plaza when a friend told me about a job with North American Rockwell. I called the friend’s boss and he hired me over the phone.
During the first month, I got married to Paula. After I worked on the Apollo 11 moon landing, Paula had gotten laid off from a computer company on Cocoa Beach and was going back to college. I had heard that my department was going to lay off one person and it would be the one with the least amount of time. I knew it wouldn’t be me but decided to talk to my boss about letting me the one laid off since I had been accepted at Rollins College. He told me that he would discuss it with his boss and the next day he ask me when I would like to make it my last day. Since my classes started on the next Monday I said I would like next Friday and so that started me going back to college. I finished school in 1971.
I was now a degreed teacher looking for a job. I got my first teaching job at Golfview Elementary in Rockledge thanks to Principal Ralph Beckett. I taught 6th grade until the school board decided to move that grade level to Middle School. I then contacted Principal Jack Kelly at Kennedy Middle School and
The photo of my art represents so many things in my life. I am going to tell you about each item and then you can try to find it in the picture.
First would be my bronze baby shoes. Having your baby shoes done like this was very popular during those “dark ages.” I even have my grandmothers and she was born in 1891.
Next comes my years in the 4-H club where I had cows and chickens as my on going projects. It was during that time when I got my one and only horse. I even entered the barrel race at a Bit and Spur Rodeo in West Cocoa. I made it around the first barrel but the second one left my knee scared for life. Needless to say that was the end of my rodeo days.
It is time to find a cash register . This represents my first retail job which was at W. T. Grants in Byrd Plaza which was Cocoa’s only “shopping mall” other than Cocoa Village.
Mrs. McGee was my boss in the Pet and Garden section. I was friends with her two kids Mary Ann and Buddy.
If you look very closely you will see an orchid flower. I was a member of the Brevard Orchid Society and had several hundred orchids I still enjoy growing them today.
I then got the crazy idea to open a tropical fish retail store. I had a friend who also had an interest so my Aunt Lula loaned me the money to set up Fish Land USA. WE rented a building on Clearlake Road just south of the college. We both had other jobs so I ran the business during the day and he ran it at night. That venture didn’t work so I closed the business after two LONG months.
I hope you will be able to locate the next thing I am going to tell you about. The rocket represents my time working in the VAB at Kennedy Space Center. This started in the early part of 1967. I was working at Fremac’s Men’s Store in Byrd Plaza when a friend told me about a job with North American Rockwell. I called the friend’s boss and he hired me over the phone.
During the first month, I got married to Paula. After I worked on the Apollo 11 moon landing, Paula had gotten laid off from a computer company on Cocoa Beach and was going back to college. I had heard that my department was going to lay off one person and it would be the one with the least amount of time. I knew it wouldn’t be me but decided to talk to my boss about letting me the one laid off since I had been accepted at Rollins College. He told me that he would discuss it with his boss and the next day he ask me when I would like to make it my last day. Since my classes started on the next Monday I said I would like next Friday and so that started me going back to college. I finished school in 1971.
I was now a degreed teacher looking for a job. I got my first teaching job at Golfview Elementary in Rockledge thanks to Principal Ralph Beckett. I taught 6th grade until the school board decided to move that grade level to Middle School. I then contacted Principal Jack Kelly at Kennedy Middle School and
he hired me for a position in the science department. The next year he asked me to start the first gifted program for KMS. I asked what would I be teaching and he said anything you want since there are no guidelines. I had a blast with that group of students. Mr. Kelly also asked if I would sponsor Student Government and be the editor of the yearbook. I taught at KMS for eight years and then transferred to Cambridge Elementary in Cocoa. I taught several grade levels. I ended my teaching career there after finishing 30 years.
During the first several years of teaching Paula and I became best friends with Steve and Jean. Steve taught with Paula at Cocoa High and Jean worked in the office at Golfview Elementary. They started a game with us that lasted many years and my only regret is that we didn’t record all the events that happened with the snuff.
It all started at the Winn Dixie in the Village Green Shopping Center in Rockledge. We ran into our friends while grocery shopping and agreed to come over to their house later that evening. When we started to check out we found a can of snuff and knew right off that they had put it in our cart as a joke. We wondered how much it cost and decided to buy it if it wasn’t too much money. Very quietly we asked the checkout girl how much it was and she looked at it and held it up and yelled to someone “ Hey Mary how much is this snuff”? We almost crawled under the counter.
The cost was 67 cents - so now the game has started. That evening when we went over to their house, we put in between the cushions of their couch and never said a word. Months later we found it in the back of our toilet so now the game was really on.
Once Jean was in the hospital after having a baby, so we had a florist add the snuff to a flower arrangement and they delivered it to her. Another time we had a friend who was going to London for vacation so we boxed the snuff and addressed it to them and had our friend mail it from London.
The biggest joke was when Paula was part of the Cocoa Junior Women’s Club yearly production show held at the National Guard Armory in Cocoa. We went at the dress rehearsal when the MC called the two of us up on stage and said he wanted to present us with the special gift. He handed us a huge gift wrapped package and all it said was Break A Leg. We opened the big box and found a smaller one so opened it and there was another smaller one. When we opened it guess what we found? Here is the famous can of snuff.
By this time, several hundred people had gathered around the stage to see what we had gotten. The look on everyone’s face was priceless. We explained the joke and everyone said then that our friends had won this one for sure.
The last thing done with the snuff happened after our friends and another couple went to Hiawassee, Georgia during spring break. I agreed to drive since we had just gotten a new Buick. The last day there a man turned in front of me and almost totaled my new car. It had to be towed about 75 miles to the nearest repair place and there were no car rental places so my sister loaned us her car so we cold get home. They had told us that my car would be repaired and ready in about two weeks. Well, due to a problem getting parts it was almost three months. My sister and brother in law said they would go pick up our car as soon as it was ready and keep it at their house until we came to get it. After way too long, we went to get our car and after checking it over and were pleased with the work. My brother in law suggested we go check the inside and make sure all of our papers were still in the glove comartment. Guess what we found inside? They had mailed it to my sister and that is how it got in our car.
That was the best 67 cents we ever spent.
You will notice some plants appearing in this art piece. I started a plant nursery in West Cocoa called Westwood Nursery. My aunt wanted to do this but knew nothing about plants so that is how I got involved.
You may have trouble locating the golf ball as it is kinda hidden in the weeds just like it did when I tried to play.
After our son Chad came along and became active in sports, I helped coach soccer so you need to locate that soccer ball.
You will notice a knee in this piece of art. Yes, it is a real knee but not mine! I have had about ten knee surgeries. I asked my doctor if he could get me one for my art project so he picked up the one on display and handed it to me.
After Paula passed away and the kids were on their own, I was invited to go on a Carnival Cruise with some neighbors. I had never been on a cruise so I asked my friend Julie to join the group and that is how I got the cruising bug. To this day I have done over 50 cruises totally over 500 days at sea. You will see several cruise ships in this art.
A big addition to this project represents Sunny Harbor Publishing that Steve Skelley and I started. You will see three books , a laptop computer and a camera. This is an ongoing company that I love being a part of. We travel and photograph all over the world.
Last but not least is the Santa. I started a small collection several years ago then Steve and I both really got hooked on Santas. We now have over 600 that will be put out on display for the holiday. Every thrift store we see we check for more Santas.
Have fun trying to locate everything I have mentioned and also think about making something like this to represent your life. It is quite easy to make once you have the things you want to add to your art. I will be happy to give you some advice.
FLORIDA MEMORIES FROM A FLORIDA NATIVE BY TOM ROUTZONG
Tom Routzong shares memories of old Florida
Copyright 2019 Tom Routzong
Contact Tom at:
Sunny Harbor Publishing
321-252-9874
[email protected]
During the first several years of teaching Paula and I became best friends with Steve and Jean. Steve taught with Paula at Cocoa High and Jean worked in the office at Golfview Elementary. They started a game with us that lasted many years and my only regret is that we didn’t record all the events that happened with the snuff.
It all started at the Winn Dixie in the Village Green Shopping Center in Rockledge. We ran into our friends while grocery shopping and agreed to come over to their house later that evening. When we started to check out we found a can of snuff and knew right off that they had put it in our cart as a joke. We wondered how much it cost and decided to buy it if it wasn’t too much money. Very quietly we asked the checkout girl how much it was and she looked at it and held it up and yelled to someone “ Hey Mary how much is this snuff”? We almost crawled under the counter.
The cost was 67 cents - so now the game has started. That evening when we went over to their house, we put in between the cushions of their couch and never said a word. Months later we found it in the back of our toilet so now the game was really on.
Once Jean was in the hospital after having a baby, so we had a florist add the snuff to a flower arrangement and they delivered it to her. Another time we had a friend who was going to London for vacation so we boxed the snuff and addressed it to them and had our friend mail it from London.
The biggest joke was when Paula was part of the Cocoa Junior Women’s Club yearly production show held at the National Guard Armory in Cocoa. We went at the dress rehearsal when the MC called the two of us up on stage and said he wanted to present us with the special gift. He handed us a huge gift wrapped package and all it said was Break A Leg. We opened the big box and found a smaller one so opened it and there was another smaller one. When we opened it guess what we found? Here is the famous can of snuff.
By this time, several hundred people had gathered around the stage to see what we had gotten. The look on everyone’s face was priceless. We explained the joke and everyone said then that our friends had won this one for sure.
The last thing done with the snuff happened after our friends and another couple went to Hiawassee, Georgia during spring break. I agreed to drive since we had just gotten a new Buick. The last day there a man turned in front of me and almost totaled my new car. It had to be towed about 75 miles to the nearest repair place and there were no car rental places so my sister loaned us her car so we cold get home. They had told us that my car would be repaired and ready in about two weeks. Well, due to a problem getting parts it was almost three months. My sister and brother in law said they would go pick up our car as soon as it was ready and keep it at their house until we came to get it. After way too long, we went to get our car and after checking it over and were pleased with the work. My brother in law suggested we go check the inside and make sure all of our papers were still in the glove comartment. Guess what we found inside? They had mailed it to my sister and that is how it got in our car.
That was the best 67 cents we ever spent.
You will notice some plants appearing in this art piece. I started a plant nursery in West Cocoa called Westwood Nursery. My aunt wanted to do this but knew nothing about plants so that is how I got involved.
You may have trouble locating the golf ball as it is kinda hidden in the weeds just like it did when I tried to play.
After our son Chad came along and became active in sports, I helped coach soccer so you need to locate that soccer ball.
You will notice a knee in this piece of art. Yes, it is a real knee but not mine! I have had about ten knee surgeries. I asked my doctor if he could get me one for my art project so he picked up the one on display and handed it to me.
After Paula passed away and the kids were on their own, I was invited to go on a Carnival Cruise with some neighbors. I had never been on a cruise so I asked my friend Julie to join the group and that is how I got the cruising bug. To this day I have done over 50 cruises totally over 500 days at sea. You will see several cruise ships in this art.
A big addition to this project represents Sunny Harbor Publishing that Steve Skelley and I started. You will see three books , a laptop computer and a camera. This is an ongoing company that I love being a part of. We travel and photograph all over the world.
Last but not least is the Santa. I started a small collection several years ago then Steve and I both really got hooked on Santas. We now have over 600 that will be put out on display for the holiday. Every thrift store we see we check for more Santas.
Have fun trying to locate everything I have mentioned and also think about making something like this to represent your life. It is quite easy to make once you have the things you want to add to your art. I will be happy to give you some advice.
FLORIDA MEMORIES FROM A FLORIDA NATIVE BY TOM ROUTZONG
Tom Routzong shares memories of old Florida
Copyright 2019 Tom Routzong
Contact Tom at:
Sunny Harbor Publishing
321-252-9874
[email protected]
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