From his new office in downtown Avalon Park, Frank Silverman is surrounded by the sights and sounds of construction. There’s the laying of the foundation for the 45,000-square-foot Keith A. Ewing Medical Office Building, a three-story professional office building going up right next door, 11 live/work units taking shape in a row and the just-opened Fairwinds Credit Union.

When Dale Wallace retired the chandeliers made from recycled wine bottles, he did not hear the end of it for months. If there is one thing he has learned since his 1990 purchase of the Maitland Melting Pot, the first in the fondue restaurant chain, it’s that his customers detest change.

Design and function. When these two critical elements work together in a new home, it is a win-win for the homeowner. That’s the driving force behind SmartDesign home features, which are now being showcased for the first time in Beazer Homes’ The Enclave at Moss Park.

In 2006, Hispanics accounted for a quarter of the more than one million residents in Orange County. That’s nearly 100,000 more than were counted in 2000. Lazaro Gonzalez includes himself among the newly arrived. And among the swelling numbers of his ethnic brethren, he saw opportunity.

On her wedding day Crystal Arabejo wanted to feel like a princess. However, a big, white dress, an aisle sprinkled with rose petals, and an archway dressed in flowers were all out of her price range. She and her husband could find no affordable alternative to a five-minute ceremony performed by a blue jeanclad notary in a stuffy courthouse.

Sue Carpenter was at her wits’ end. Her 4-year-old Yorkie, Louie, growled and lunged at children, keeping her from taking him most places. When she had to bring him along, she was a nervous wreck. She tried several dog-training programs, but almost gave up hope of enjoying a social life with her dog until she found Bark Busters.

Did you ever wonder where the water goesafter you do the dishes or flush the toilet? If you live in Orlando, it might end up at the Iron Bridge Wastewater Treatment Plant, where 17 million gallons of murky, gunk-filled water flows to each day from more than 170,000 homes.

A large tapestry of King Tutankhamen’s head watches overhead as a large number of guests looks on during Friday’s grand opening of the nightclub named in his honor. King Tut’s Lounge, a new Egyptian-inspired hangout in East Orlando, celebrated its debut with belly dancing, food and plenty of fun.

Ben, 43, has not had his teeth cleaned professionally in years. His mother, Teena Willard, once found a dentist willing to work on her autistic son’s teeth. He endured years of Ben biting and hitting him until he finally gave up. Willard’s only option was to sedate her son each time he needed a teeth cleaning, which she refused to do because of the health risks involved.

Jessica Boddy, 11, is not a girly-girl. After horseback-riding camp each evening, her shoes and jeans are caked in mud and remnants from the bath she gives her horse, Onyx, at the end of the day. “They go home trashed,” said Devonwood Farms owner Wendi Garrett.