Sunday, October 11, 2009

Stop Termites with Yellow and White

I was initially drawn to this image not for the stop sign, which you can find on your street corners, but rather for the acres and acres of yellow and white striped canvas. What you see behind the sign is the canvas tenting that is used in the termite fumigation process that has to be performed roughly every five years with homes and buildings in Florida, even schools. Every structure at some interval must be tented and treated for termites with a gas which is contained within the tenting. In this case, the school is Gorrie Elementary School, the oldest operating elementary school in the state of Florida. This school is quite large, tens of thousands of square feet. The school, located in the Hyde Park Historic District, is named for Dr. John B. Gorrie to honor his achievements in medical science and the invention of the first ice-making machine (which led to the refrigerator and the modern air conditioner.)

I readily admit that this is not a flattering portrait of our oldest elementary school nor is it a respectful way to portray a fine and restored historic structure, but I just couldn't help myself after the STOP sign jumped into view. I guess I just like the way all the colors work against and with each other.

7 comments:

  1. I think you're going to have to stop taking photos of stop signs every time you see a stop sign and stop.

    What's this about tenting every 4-5 years? Not so. We have regular termite inspections and no building I've lived in in Florida has been tented...

    Methinks you're exaggerating. I could be wrong, of course. That's happened twice as I recall. ;-))

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  2. @ Jacob - I think you should have called a STOP to my authoritative-sounding words on termite tent fumigation. It is VERY common here in old, ALL wood houses and other buildings, but I know that there are several alternatives. 9Some solid block/concrete structurs would not be as tasty. You have very obviously snarled away every termite in every structure you've inhabited. (Do you rent yourself out? Could you come by the next time we see wings and do your special dance? - there could be a shaman kind of gig for you.)

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  3. Luckily, not an issue in the UK. But then we also use brick more than wood.

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  4. I have to have my home tented as soon as I return to SoFla.

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  5. They don't do that tenting treatment too often up here in Tallahassee either. I have those little bait stations all around my house and they check them every month for activity. I've never had them, but one of my co-workers has had them twice. I saw a swarm of termites in my yard once though and it was scary!

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  6. The first thing that caught my eye was the jet. Then again I'm just a senile old woman!
    I love the combination of colors.
    Sunny :)

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  7. Please contact me at bosstampabay.com I would like to speak to you about using your help bringing some art knowledge to Tampa. Thank you so much, Paul

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