Medium Reuben With Ghost Peppers: Ghosts in the Shells

Self-proclaimed "Halloween enthusiast" Medium Reuben has the ability to communicate with the spirit world.  As such, Reuben is perpetually haunted by the notorious, infamous Peppers Gang.  This includes the calculating, vindictive Carolina Reaper; the intimidating, silently sinister Scorpion; and the unhinged, maniacal Fresno.

Medium Reuben and the Ghost Peppers are made from sea shells and other materials found on the beaches of Venice, Florida (including sea glass for Reuben's lantern)---plus a very large amount of glow in the dark paint.

 Putting Medium Reuben and the Ghost Peppers directly under a bright lamp for a few hours charges up their glow in the dark paint, setting the stage for an eerie effect.

Kentucky Oats and Barley: Sea Horse and Sea Cow

 Oats the Horse and Barley the Cow claim Kentucky as their home, but they were actually made from shells, shark teeth, and other assorted mollusk parts found on the beaches of Venice, Florida.

I live in Florida, but from 1994 to 2009, my parents lived in Louisville, Kentucky.  As such, I have fond memories of time spent there.  They lived in a beautiful suburb called Prospect, Kentucky, which not only was home to horses and cows, but it had a place called Henry's Ark that housed camels, bison, llamas, and other exciting creatures (it is sadly no longer open).

To this day, I'm still following the saga of Kentucky Kingdom, the amusement park (which at one point was Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom) that looks to be getting an exciting brand new life with an actual Kentucky theme.

Saiga the Trunk-Nosed Plains Deer

 

I've been making sculptures using materials I find at the beaches near my home in Venice, Florida.  I decided to build an animal bust series, with the challenge of not using any paint.  So, strictly natural materials.  One of the animals I really wanted to build was a Saiga Antelope.  This unusual deer lives in Mongolia and Russia, and has the distinction of having a trunk-like nose.  It has been called a "Star Wars deer" because of its alien like appearance.  The Saiga also somewhat resembles a Camel.  As Christmas is approaching, I think a Saiga would be a funny choice for a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer type Santa Claus story.  Hence, "Saiga, the Trunk-Nosed Plains Deer."

The first animal in this series that I built was a Lion.  Since he's made of shells, he's a Sea Lion.

I was definitely thinking of African masks when I was making these.

Being that I grew up in Alabama, I felt it was my duty to build an Elephant.  An Elephant is the mascot for the University of Alabama football team.

A Shellephant never forgets!

Since I made an Elephant, I also built a Tiger.  Auburn University is Alabama's main rival, and Auburn's mascot is a Tiger.

I call this "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Sharkteeth".  The sharkteeth are hidden in plain sight.

Florida's beaches are home to some Starving, Starving Hippos.

While Hippos are a cute, but dangerous African animal, it is somewhat surprising to learn that wild hippos do exist in Colombia.  They can be found around the Rio Magdalena.  They are descendants of escaped hippos owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar.

This Giraffe's eye lashes are made out of shark teeth.

A herd of giraffes is called a tower.  They are the skyscrapers of the animal kingdom.

A Rhino is Africa's unicorn.

These tank-like creatures look like living dinosaurs

Here's a fun fact:  all Spotted Hyenas appear male.  Even the females look male.  Nature can be wild.

Though hyenas are portrayed as sneaky or cowardly in a lot of media, they are actually highly intelligent.

An incredibly smart ape is the Chimpanzee.

Chimps are intelligent, but are also known to be incredibly violent.  They are kinda creepy.

The Orangutan is another bright ape.

The Orangutan is known as the "man of the forest" and it is easy to see why.

Things Shore Are Swell For Runaway Railway Mickey Mouse Made Of Shells

I am now officially a Florida resident.  And I was inspired to make a Mickey Mouse (as he appears in the new Walt Disney World Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway attraction) out of sea shells, rocks, and shark teeth.  A black and white Mickey Mouse dark ride had been in the planning stages for Disney parks since at least the 1970s (one was called Mickey's Madhouse).  We finally got one in 2020 at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Runaway Railway is based of the (somewhat polarizing) newer Paul Rudish-directed Mickey Mouse shorts.  I actually love Mickey in these cartoons, as he is voiced with some swagger by Silicon Valley star Chris Diamantopoulos.

I also made Goofy out of shells and sea junk.  Goofy is the train conductor in Runaway Railway.

Goofy is ready for a vacation to Potatoland.

I also built Peg Leg Pete.  Pete's ears are made of shark teeth and his grinning mouth is a cool white rock.

In Runaway Railway, Pete is a construction worker.  When Pete uses his jackhammer, the buildings around him shake.

Pluto appears throughout Runaway Railway, chasing after Mickey and Minnie.

These new Mickey Mouse shorts have a very different take on Pluto, exploring a rivalry with Goofy.

Donald Duck has a few small cameo appearances in Runaway Railway.

Donald Duck is very much a supporting character in the new Mickey Mouse shorts.  The creators have allowed Mickey Mouse to have more of the traits that Donald is known for, giving Mickey more to do and be more interesting as a character.

I also built the Orange Bird.  The Florida Orange Bird was created by Disney for the Florida Citrus Commission and became a fixture at Adventureland near the Enchanted Tiki Room at Walt Disney World in 1971.

The Orange Bird became popular at Tokyo Disneyland circa 2004 due to the character's association with Japan's Orange Day in April.  The Orange Bird became visible in the Stateside Parks in recent years after being absent for a long time.

Zip a dee doo dah!  It is Brer Fox from Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain (and the movie, Song of the South).

Brer Fox is made out of Florida shells, but his Splash Mountain rock base is from my brother's ranch in Texas.

Everybody's got a laughing place.  Brer Rabbit's is Splash Mountain.

How do you do?  Just fine, thanks for asking.

Brer Bear is causing problems upstream at Splash Mountain.

It is the truth.  It's actual.  Everything is satisfactual.

We're all mad here.  How do you run from what is inside your head?

Wipe that silly grin off your face, Cheshire Cat.

I am the terror that flaps in the night.  I am the sand in your swimsuit.  I am Darkwing Duck!

The daring duck of mystery defies death yet again, to defeat the dastardly denizens of darkness!

Roadrunner, the Coyote is after you!  Iron ore from my brother's ranch in Texas inspired me to build the famous Southwestern Warner Brothers characters.

The Roadrunner is a mix of Florida seashore junk, and the base is genuine Texas iron ore.

Wile E. Coyote plots to capture the famous Western bird.

The Coyote is made of a mix of rocks and shells.  The "boulders" behind him are iron ore.

Sufferin' Succotash!  It is Sylvester!

Sylvester is on the hunt for Tweety Bird.

I tawt I taw a puddy tat!

Bad ol' puddy tat!

Woo hoo!  Daffy Duck enjoys pond life.

Thank goodness it's rabbit season, not duck season.

I live in Venice, Florida, which is the Shark Tooth Capital of the World.  I grew up visiting the beaches in Venice, so I have some shark tooth hunting skills.  I started making sculptures out of found beach materials in recent years.  The first cartoon character I made out of shells was Fred Flintstone.

Fred Flintstone was a request from my Aunt.  I had to carefully pack Fred up so she could take him back to Indiana with her.

I have been selling my own designs.  The latest figures are animals from Australia.  I love Australian Animals.  I think I've only ever seen a Koala at Busch Gardens in Tampa years back.

I was especially excited to find pieces of coral to use for the Koala's ears.  I also found coral for his eucalyptus.


A Platypus seems like the ultimate farm animal because it produces eggs and milk.

Though they are cute and odd, a platypus is actually very dangerous.

In addition to eggs and milk, the strange platypus produces venom.

I enjoy finding interesting bases for these figures.

I love the 1950s, so I had to build some Greasers.  These are Sea Rockabilly guys.

The cool leather jacketed dude on the Motorcycle is a little bit Fonzie, a little bit Elvis.  The Surfer can keep his hair looking perfect even when he's in the ocean.

In Venice, I've seen a few guys driving hot rods.

This cool cruiser was inspired by Luke Perry and Outsiders era Matt Dillon.

Conrad Birdie from Bye Bye Birdie was on my mind when I put together this guitar player.

The Sea Rockabilly Chick knows all the latest dance moves.


Venice (and Sarasota in general) is famous for being a former Circus Town.  Aside from the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, areas around Venice housed the old Ringling Brothers Circus.  There's even a Circus Bridge in Venice.

Naturally, I had to build my own Circus.  The Venezia Brothers Circus!  The Venezia Brothers are a Ringmaster, Clown, and Strongman.  I even made a Unicorn!  Way back in 1984, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily had a controversial Unicorn.  It was really just a surgically altered goat.

Sea Change: A Move To Central Florida On The Horizon

"Are you moving to Florida?"  That is a question I've been asked quite a bit lately.  The theme parks and beaches of Florida have always been appealing to me, but recent events in my life have turned things upside down more than any roller coaster in Orlando ever could.

In August of 2015, my parents moved to Venice, Florida, "The Shark Tooth Capital of the World."  My family has been visiting Venice for decades.  My father, Dr. Larry J. Alexander, recently retired.  This picture of Venice's Shark's Tooth Festival was taken by my Dad on April 9, 2016.  This was to be the last picture he would send me.  It is appropriate that this picture is so absurd.

On April 16, 2016, my Dad died unexpectedly late in the afternoon.  Friends and family were in disbelief.

This could not be real.  But it was.  And we had no warning.

I got in my car and made the ten hour drive from Birmingham, Alabama to Venice, Florida on April 17th to be with my Mom.  It was a lot of time to think.  And suddenly everything made me think of my Dad.  The first song playing on the radio in my car was a Pink Floyd song (he always played Pink Floyd when I was a kid).

I was lucky to spend a lot of time visiting some of Venice's beaches for a week.  On Caspersen Beach, I found some patches of Palm Tree "hair" and shells and decided to make a Gibbon.  It was a nice, silly distraction.

I returned to Venice on May 7, 2016 for another week-long trip that would end with a beach memorial for my Dad on Saturday, May 14th.

I spent Mother's Day with my Mom searching for Shark's Teeth on Caspersen Beach (she found some of the best ones, of course).

I got to spend some quality time with my Mom exploring Venice.

You never know what you'll find in Florida thrift stores.  I found this vintage Pluto plush from Walt Disney World for $3.00.  This is one of my favorite Pluto items I've ever seen.

I also found this vintage Walt Disney World ash tray for $3.00.  It is really groovy.

This is a souvenir from a time when smoking was healthy.

I would like to move to Orlando and be closer to my Mom.  Walt Disney World is only two hours away from Venice!

On Wednesday, May 11th, I went to visit some friends in Casselberry, Florida.  I had also visited these friends on April 23rd.  None of these recent visits included an opportunity for us to visit a theme park.  However, on May 11th, I did manage to make a "pit stop" at Disney Springs in Walt Disney World on my way from Casselberry to Venice.

My Disney Springs visit included a visit with Mr. Potato Head to compare mustaches.

Some other souvenirs followed me home, like this Haunted Mansion Ghost.

I am now ready and eager to move to Orlando to work and play.  I just need a job there.  And a place to live.  And to sell my current house.  So, there's quite a bit to do.  I'm using Dizmentia as a platform to get a job in Orlando.  If anyone can give me any advice, or help, or a gig, I would appreciate it.

I feel like I was made for Florida.  I'm zesty like an orange.

Thanksgiving In Venice (Florida) With Walt Disney World As Dessert

For me, going home for the holidays now means going to Florida.  My Thanksgiving 2015 trip ended with a visit to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.  I went on Saturday, November 28th.  And yes, it was as busy as you would imagine it might be.  By the time I got to Disney, I was tan from spending five days on the beach in Venice, Florida.  I also grew a beach beard in that amount of time.  Going back to work and getting compliments was fun.

I grew up going to Venice, Florida on Summer Vacations.

In August 2015, my parents decided to permanently vacation in Venice by moving there.  On November 21, I made the (very) long drive down to spend Thanksgiving with the family at the beach.

Venice is on an island, and it is known for the shark's teeth you can find on the beaches.  I have decades of experience finding them.

My parents live about a mile away from Caspersen Beach, which is a great place to find shark's teeth.  These are just some of the many that I found on  this visit.

Downtown Venice is home to a number of shops, including a shell shop that I always have to see.  They always have funky stuff that reminds me of Gilligan's Island.

Venice had a Christmas Parade on Saturday, November 28th (I missed it because I went to Orlando).  People were allowed to stake their spot for the parade on Wednesday, November 25th after 6PM.  It was kinda wild.

Venice, Florida is known for its Cheetahs, apparently.

I'm wondering if the people who had this made were thinking of Busch Gardens in Tampa (which isn't far away).

My buddy, Reed Randolph, goes to Ringling College of Art & Design in nearby Sarasota.  I saw this at a store in Venice and thought of him.

It's a small world, after all:  My parents' next door neighbor has a son who attends Ringling, too!

When I was in college, I made this bronze tree based on Splash Mountain at Disneyland in California.  My Dad asked me to make the Elves (which are made out of Sculpey) in 2007.  They live outside in my parents' back yard now.

These days, the Elves share their tree with lizards.

Florida souvenir Disney merchandise has been around for as long as I can remember.  I saw this Monsters University Florida Keychain at the Venice Walmart.

My close friends, Liz and David (and their three kids) moved to Orlando in December of 2014.  My plan was to finish my Thanksgiving trip with them at Walt Disney World on Saturday, November 28th.  Late on Wednesday night, my friend Liz texted me asking if I had got my ticket yet.  I had not.  She said I better get it now so we can schedule Fastpasses.  So I got online and did that quickly.  At midnight, Liz was able to book the coveted 8:50PM Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Fastpasses for everyone for Saturday night.

On Friday, November 27th, I left Venice at 5:00 PM and headed to Orlando.  Driving on I-4 passing through Walt Disney World, I got very excited.  By the time I got to my friends' house, and we unwound and watched an episode of Portlandia, I was wired.  I think I slept two hours, maybe.

The plan was for us to be out of the house (in Lake Mary) by 10:00AM, which we accomplished.  We decided to stop by the McDonald's at the CrossRoads of Lake Buena Vista, and eat on the drive to the Magic Kingdom parking lot.

We parked in the Peter Pan lot, and then walked to the Transportation and Ticket Center.  We hopped on the Monorail (the kids loved the Star Wars monorail, which we did not ride).  Finally, we were at The Magic Kingdom!

I would not say that my friends are Disney fanatics, but because they are here all the time, I can safely say that they know more about how this place works and how to get around more than I ever will.

We were actually talking about the Barber Shop.  David wanted to get his hair cut---so we found that on Main Street.  It turns out they were really busy!  You do need an appointment to get your hair cut.

Walt Disney World knows how to put up a Christmas Tree.

So, I got pictures of the animated windows at the Emporium on Main Street.  The windows are for Mickey's Christmas Carol.

While looking at my pictures, I realized that, much to my horror, I never actually went in to the Emporium on this visit!  Aaaaugh!!!!

Getting the detail for these windows would have been much better at night, I think.  But my camera battery was dead by then.

At first I was disappointed with these pictures, but looking at them now, I like that you can see the sunny day on Main Street.

Going in to this trip, we knew that not everything could be done in one day.  I did everything that was a priority to me, and I was happy with that.  There was no way we could have done more in one day.

We did not even set foot in Adventureland (though I saw the Flying Carpets as we walked by in Frontierland).  I also did not enter Storybook Circus.  The only Beauty and the Beast thing I saw was Enchanted Tales with Belle.

Somehow I also totally missed the Hub and did not get a good picture of Cinderella Castle.

Looking at this food got me thinking.  I've only been to a few restaurants at the Magic Kingdom: Pinocchio's Village Haus, Cosmic Ray's, and Pecos Bill's Cafe.  That is crazy.

Even though there is an attraction called Pete's Silly Side Show at the Magic Kingdom, you can't meet Pete anywhere.  Here you can at least see him in a window.

This is the first time in a while that I've been to Walt Disney World with kids (ages 10, 9 and 8).  It was fun!  It helps that they really know their way around the parks.

Being in Orlando, I could not help but think about what my friends' kids are really interested with.  The two older kids love Star Wars in a big way.  All three love Mario.  And all three love the LEGO Movie.  They really are the target audience for this part of Florida.

It's time for spirited fun at Walt Disney World!

Here we see the Anheuser-Busch Clyesdale.  Wait, no, that isn't right!

This horse had to weave through a sea of people.

The first attraction we rode was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.  I had an insanely high score, which was a first for me.  I must have hit a secret target.  Then the ride stopped and the work lights came on.  And the scores were wiped clean.  Noooooo!

We split up in Tomorrowland.  The party I was with went to the PeopleMover while the others had Fastpasses for the Tomorrowland Speedway.

Those of us with Fastpasses for Space Mountain did that next.  Woo hoo!

Robot Pluto was not the craziest dog-related thing I saw at the Magic Kingdom.  I saw a family carrying a live Yorkie in their backpack.

While in the area, we also rode The Mad Tea Party and The Little Mermaid attraction.

We split up again, and some of us had Fastpasses for Splash Mountain.  We also went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

The wait for Big Thunder was not too bad.  I accidentally got a good shot of the dinosaur bones.

The kids needed a snack break, so I went off on my own to do The Haunted Mansion.  This was also my first time seeing the new Tangled area in Fantasyland, which is really pretty.

The biggest downside to the Tangled area (the "Tangled Toilets") is that the ambient music for this area (chirping birds) seems to have eliminated the howling wolf sound at the nearby Haunted Mansion.  Boo!!!

This was my first time seeing Enchanted Tales With Belle.  I got to see it with two of the kids (one of which was playing the Beast) so that was fun.  The kids really seem to like it.

Is Lumiere an animatronic or a puppet, or a hybrid?  I'm not sure, but he is impressive.  Belle was really sweet with the kids (and adults) who were in the show.

We took in a showing of Mickey's Philharmagic (which had no wait) and then went to Pecos Bill's Cafe for dinner.  Bill's has a brand new menu (burritos and rice bowls).  One thing we liked about Pecos Bill's was the topping bar---you can really load up on corn dressing (is that what it is called?) and salsa and cheese.  They had a cool little Country Bear Jamboree plastic jug that I wanted, but did not get.  After dinner, my friends showed me one of the real alligators that lives near Splash Mountain's boardwalk!

Don't climb over the fences in Frontierland, kids!

I had a Fastpass for a night time ride on Big Thunder Mountain---which is my favorite time to go on that attraction---love the dancers in the building in the town of Tumbleweed.  We also got in multiple rides on Splash Mountain, which was pretty much a walk-on.

We left Splash Mountain and noticed The Main Street---err, Disney's Electrical Parade marching towards us.  We stopped and watched, and then realized that if we did not leave, we would potentially miss our Fastpass for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and then miss some of the Fireworks show.

We did basically see the Parade in its entirety as we walked to Fantasyland.  We made it to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which I really enjoyed.  I did notice that they are very serious about not letting people sneak in the Fastpass line for the attraction---there was a second Fastpass checkpoint!

We left the Mine Train just in time for the Fireworks, which we saw in Fantasyland.  We kept looking towards the castle and then behind the castle to see all the pyro.  Great show!

The last visit was the shops in Tomorrowland.  I had promised the kids that I would get them a toy for Christmas.  It made getting myself something easier, I think.

I got a Peter Pan Disney Racer to go with the Captain Hook Disney Racer I got a few years ago.  Appropriate that we started the day with Peter Pan and ended with Peter Pan.

One of the kids chose a Snowtrooper Star Wars Disney Racer.  The other two chose Disney Collector Packs.

I got a Villains Collector Pack for myself, which had some great characters.  I really wanted Pete---oh well.

I also picked up these magnets to give to co-workers back in the real world.

I regret not getting one of these for myself.

After a Ferry Boat ride, we got to the Parking Lot Tram and then to the Peter Pan lot.  I think we got back to the house in Lake Mary at 11:45PM.  I got up early and started my long drive home at 7:50AM.

I was sad to go, but I will be back to Florida very soon.  Real soon.  Like, in a few weeks.  So I can't complain.