Sept 8: Blue Skies

Around Greater Fort Lauderdale, the sky is often blue. But not always, obviously. I mean, even South Florida gets rain sometimes. And clouds. Oh yeah, and we have night too. But there is a spot I know, very near the beach, where the sky is always blue. Even during thunderstorms or on cloudy days. And yes, even at night. It's a peculiar kind of sight that rises from a strip shopping mall, of all places, right along A1A in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. I don't believe this thing really has a name, not as far as I know anyhow. But I think of it as the Sky Wall. There's something about the Sky Wall that fascinates me. This semi-circular structure looms over the shops and sidewalks beneath, some 40 feet tall and perhaps another 40 feet wide.

So what is the Sky Wall? Just that. It is a mural of the sky on a curved slab of concrete that extends into the view of the real sky. The oddest part of it all is that I have yet to see a single person really pay attention to it and I've been there many times. It's as if the wall just blends into the landscape. But I notice the wall each time I stop.

You'll find the Sky Wall about a half mile north of Commercial Boulevard on A1A, in a shopping center on the west side that also has a Publix and Dunkin' Donuts. If you happen to be driving by, or pausing for an apple spice doughnut or something, check it out. I'm not suggesting this is the Great Wall of China, mind you, not necessarily worth going far out of your way to visit. But Greater Fort Lauderdale is packed with small delights if you keep your eyes open. To me, this is one of them. The wall depicts a very typical South Florida day, with whispers and puffs of white clouds accenting a bright blue sky. The color of the sky is what we normally see during the autumn and winter rather than during warmer periods. It is intense blue behind the pleasant clouds, without the haze of summer humidity. During cooler months, I've often been drinking my coffee and eating a doughnut there when I glanced up and noticed that the sky and the mural seemed one thing. As though the mural had become real or the sky had become part of the painting. Maybe that's what I find most intriguing about the Sky Wall, this juxtaposition of nature on one side and human imagination on the other side. Whoever painted this wall was going for that blend, I suspect, so an observer can't tell the difference when the weather's just right. Fortunately, the weather is often just right. The rest of the time - during a rainstorm or under the clouds or at night - the Sky Wall is a reminder of the blue skies we'll see again soon, very soon. (Photo courtesy of http://facebook.com/ftlauderdalesun).