The Wandering Disciple

The tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico in Boca Grande, Florida. The beaches are part of the Gasparilla Island State Park and have several beach access along the Gulf. They are well known for great fishing and great shelling as well as their clear, warm waters. (Photo: April 6, 2008)

Florida Gulf Coast 1835 is the work-horse locomotive that powers day excursions at the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum in Parrish, Florida. The locomotive was built in 1951 and served as US Army 1835 on the Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal in North Carolina. In 1993, the Department of Defense donated the locomotive to the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad museum where it is now used to pull train enthusiasts along a six mile stretch of track. (Photo: September 18, 2005)

The sign says it all; "Caution: Rhinos have the right of way". A White Rhinoceros stands in the roadway at drive-through safari at Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Florida. Here you can come close to the wildlife during a five mile drive-through safari featuring seven different animal habitats. (Photo: September 7, 2009)

Fort Myers, Florida: Nestled between the bank of the Caloosahatchee River and the tree lined McGregor Boulevard lies the winter retreat of two of the country’s leading men who helped shaped America by creating some of the modern conveniences we use on a daily basis. The Edison and Ford Winter Estates is a collection of buildings that were once the vacation homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. It is here where the two friends took a break from the hectic world. Thomas Edison first visited Florida in 1885 to escape the cold weather from his native New Jersey. He purchased a tract of land along a cattle trail that ran into Punta Rassa. The 13 acre property along the river contained a cracker house that was a hold-over for the cattle ranchers are the moved the herd down the path. Edison purchased the property from $2750 and his Florida retreat was becoming a reality. Edison’s first major project on the property was to build his homestead in which he called the Seminole Lodge. The Semino...

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Stone Crabs came out swinging to avoid a sweep as they defeated the Palm Beach Cardinals 9-2 on Saturday night at Charlotte Sports Park. The Stone Crabs offense led by Mike Sheridan and Mark Thomas helped lead Jake Thompson to his first win of the season. Palm Beach jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. They loaded the bases with back to back singles to Adam Melker and Alan Ahmady followed by a walk to Xavier Scruggs. Rainel Rosario drove home the first run on a sac fly to score Melker. But the Stone Crabs worked out of the jam and limited the damage to just one run. The Cardinals continued the momentum into the second inning where they struck for another run. Luis Mateo struck a two-out double to center. But Mateo was injured on the play and was replaced by pinch runner Greg Garcia. Garcia scored on an RBI single by Melker to increase the lead to 2-0. The Stone Crabs battled back to take the lead in the third inning. Back to back walks by Reid ...

Sitting on the launch pad at LC-39A on a hazy afternoon at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Space Shuttle Endeavour awaits its launch for STS-130 mission to the International Space Station. This was taken two week before Endeavour's second to final flight while onboard the "Discover KSC: Today and Tomorrow" tour. The space shuttle program is scheduled to come to an end following the STS-135 mission scheduled for July 2011. (Photo: January 23, 2010)

On September 11, 2001 the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, New York were destroyed by a terrorist act. When the towers fell, much of the surrounding buildings and infrastructure was destroyed. During recovery at the site, workers found the large sphere sculpture that once stood in the plaza between the two building and it was mostly intact. It was relocated to Battery Park and now serves as a memorial for those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center. The sphere remains in the original condition it was recovered and has an eternal flame at its base. (Photo: April 27, 2004)

Sarasota, Florida: The GCL Rays fell to the GCL Orioles 5-4 on Friday afternoon at Twin Lakes Park. Both clubs matched runs in the beginning but when it was over, the Rays fell one run short. The Rays took the lead in the second inning. Hector Rodriguez singled on a line drive to center to lead off the inning. Rodriguez advanced to second on a wild pitch. Rodriguez would later scored on a single by Jonathan Quinonez. Quinonez then scored on a throwing error on a steal of third, giving the Rays a 2-0 lead. The Orioles bounced back to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning. Manuel Hernandez singled to right to lead off the inning. Tanner Murphy rebounded from his earlier error by striking an RBI triple to score Hernandez. Murphy later scored on a sac fly by Rojean Cleofa to tie the game 2-2. The Rays grabbed the lead back in the third inning. This time it was a solo home run by Edward Dorville that put the Rays back in front 3-2. But the Orioles matched the run and raise...

Bolingo plays with his mother Kishina at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. Bolingo, a western lowland gorilla, was born on November 18, 2005. He was the first gorilla born at Busch Gardens Tampa and increased the gorilla population to seven. (Photo: December 31, 2006)

Fort San Felipe del Morro located at the entrance to San Juan Bay in San Juan, Puerto Rico has protected the port since 1589. Under Spanish rule until 1898, the fort has protected San Juan from attacks by the British, Dutch, United States and even pirates. It then became a United States fort and saw service during World War I and II. It was decommissioned in 1961 and became a National Park. (Photo: October 23, 2006)

Bradenton, Florida: The Bradenton Marauders closed out the first half of the season by sweeping the Jupiter Hammerheads. The Marauders were winning side of a 5-4 home run fest on a sunny Wednesday afternoon for Camp Day at McKechnie Field. Both clubs combined for three home runs on the afternoon, two by Jupiter and one by Bradenton. The Marauders jumped out to an early lead in the second inning. All-Star MVP Aaron Baker went deep for his ninth home run of the season, a solo shot to put the Marauders ahead 1-0. The Hammerheads wasted no time in tying the game, striking for a run of their own in the third. This time it was Danny Pertusati going yard to tie the game 1-1. The Marauders regained the lead again in the bottom of the third. Kelson Brown led off the inning with a triple to center. Robbie Grossman then drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Jarek Cunningham drove home a run when he hit into a force out, losing Grossman at second but allowing Brown to sneak home o...

Kumba at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida features seven inversions while reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour. Built in 1993, the steel coaster reaches a maximum of 3.8 G's during the almost 3 minute adventure. (Photo: July 24, 2005)

The White House in Washington DC is the iconic residence of the nation's president. Built in 1792, it it has been home to every sitting president since John Adams. (Photo: April 29, 2004)

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Stone Crabs took 3 of 4 from the league leading Daytona Cubs by winning the series finale by the score of 10-2 on Friday night at Charlotte Sports Park. Rays starter Jeff Niemann pitched four scoreless innings during a rehab start to set the tempo while the Stone Crabs offense posted six runs in the first two innings to get ahead and never look back. The Stone Crabs scored four run in the first inning to get the game started. Hak-Ju Lee led of the inning with a walk. Tyler Bortnick followed with a single to third. Manager Jim Morrison then called for a double steal and both runners advanced one bag closer to home. Greg Sexton drew a walk to load the bases. Then Mayo Acosta drew a bases loaded walk to drive home the first run of the inning. Bortnick scored on a sac fly by Anthony Scelfo. Two more runs came off a double by Mark Thomas that scored Sexton and Acosta. The Stone Crabs sent eight hitters to the plate in the inning and walked away with a 4-0 lead....

Sarasota, Florida: With the draft just a few day away, extended spring camp is about to get a little more crowded. But in the meantime, the players are making the most of the chance to refine their skills and impress the coaches. In just a few short weeks, the players will be heading north to their teams for the remainder of the season. The Rays players traveled north to Sarasota to face the Orioles clubs under bright sunny skies at the Twin Lakes Complex. No official scores or stats were recorded, just two fields of professional baseball players working to improve their game. Extended spring training continues through mid-June. Then the players will report to their short-season clubs for their 2011 season. Click on the photo above to view pictures from the Rays/Orioles extended spring game.

Bradenton, Florida: A packed crowd at McKechnie Field watched the home team win as the Bradenton Marauders defeated the Brevard County Manatees 6-5 on Wednesday night. The Marauders posted all six of their runs in the first inning as they sent all nine hitters to the plate in the inning. Robbie Grossman doubled to left followed by a single by Jarek Cunningham. Ramon Cabrera then drew a walk to load the bases. Another walk to Aaron Baker pushed across the first run of the game. Elevys Gonzalez then drove home two runs with a double to center. Baker then scored on a wild pitch. David Rubinstein was next to collect an RBI with a single to center. After a pitching change, Adalberto Santos tripled to right to give the Marauders a 6-0 lead. The Manatees finally reached the scoreboard in the fifth inning. Juan Sanchez doubled to center to lead off the inning. Kentrail Davis later cleared the bases with a home run to left that put them on the board. The Manatees added two more runs i...