The Wandering Disciple

Rafiki welcomes visitor's to Rafiki's Planet Watch at Animal Kingdom.  Reachable only by train, Planet Watch is home to the conservation center complete with a medical facility where visitor's can watch live veterinary care.  (Photo: January 6, 2008)

Tucked away in Fantasyland is the Cinderella Fountain.  The elegant fountain features Cinderella interacting with her mice from the Disney feature film "Cinderella".  (Photo: January 5, 2008)

There is no need to adjust your computer screen, yes that building really is upside down.  This unique attraction on International Drive in Orlando is Wonderworks.  Made to look like a building that has been picked up and dropped on its roof by a storm, it is home to a hands-on science museum.  (Photo: January 4, 2008)

Bradenton, Florida: After a brief rain delay caused by the Floridian liquid sunshine, Thursday’s game between the Bradenton Marauders and Tampa Yankees got underway just 45 minutes behind schedule. When play started, it would be the Marauders who would walk away with a 4-0 shut-out win before the home crowd. The Marauders broke the scoreless tie in the fourth inning. Jonathan Schwind doubled home Walker Gourley for a 1-0 lead. The Marauders sent seven men to the plate in the seventh, scoring three more runs to give them a 4-0 win over the Yankees. Chad Kuhl picked up the win and Jhondaniel Medina notched the save for Bradenton. Chaz Hebert was the losing pitcher for Tampa. Click on the photo above to view my Marauders/Yankees photo gallery.

The Riverside Mills sits along the river at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside resort at Walt Disney World.  The mill is the center of the resort, housing dining and shopping in a building resembling a large mill.  (Photo: January 4, 2008)

An American Alligator lays in the grass at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Florida.  The exhibit contains several alligators, some reaching 8-10 feet in length.  (Photo: December 9, 2007)

Today is a day to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have given their lives to ensure our freedoms.  In honor of Memorial Day, today's Photo of the Day comes from the fallen soldier portion of Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.  (Photo: March 14, 2014)

The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios gives guests an inside look at what it takes to create a animation film.  Here you can see sample scenes or if you are lucky enough, catch an animator at work.  (Photo: November 19, 2007)

A Teco Streetcar passes through historic Ybor City.  Active throughout downtown Tampa, the streetcar system is a glimpse into the past when the streetcar was a main form of transportation in cities nationwide.  (Photo: May 23, 2014)

Tampa, Florida: After months of talking about going and life getting in the way, we finally made it to Ybor City for a ghost hunting tour. Friday after work we headed north for dinner and a night of ghost hunting in what would turn out to be the best ghost tour we have been on. Located in the heart of Tampa, Ybor City was the center of Cuban life in Tampa. Here Cuban immigrants worked in Cigar factories and lived in the small casitas located throughout the neighborhood. While the factories have gave way to clubs and restaurants, the Cuban culture is still evident throughout Ybor City.  After arriving in Ybor, we began our evening with dinner at Columbia Restaurant. Opened in 1905, it is an original landmark here in Ybor City. The restaurant is just as much of a reason to go as the food.  Spanning an entire city block, the building housing the Columbia is elegant in its design and the history within its walls is amazing. The food at Columbia was very good.  ...

A performer rides a dolphin during the Blue Horizons show at Sea World Orlando.  Follow Marina as she explores the wonders of the sea and the sky in a one of a kind show featuring dolphins, birds and high flying acrobatics.  (Photo: July 22, 2007)

A piece of brain coral is on display in an exhibit at Mote Marine Aquarium.  The small aquarium is the educational outreach program of Mote Marine Labratory as they continue to explore the aquatic life around us. Many species of marine life including a large group of sharks are on display at the aquarium.  (Photo: April 29, 2007)

Goofy's Barnstormer storms the track at the Magic Kingdom.  The kid coaster has been renamed since, but it still provides thrills for the younger members of the family.  (Photo: November 18, 2007)

The giant Spaceship Earth dominates the skyline at Epcot.  Inside this giant sphere is a slow-moving ride that takes riders through the history of communincations from the cavemen into the future.  (Photo: November 17, 2007)

Behind the grand entrance to Gwazi lies a dueling coaster like none other.  The duel between Lion and Tiger goes wild at the coaster at Busch Gardens in Tampa.  (Photo: November 4, 2007)

A mother gorilla and her baby enjoy their habitat at the Myombe Reserve at Busch Gardens in Tampa.  The Myombe Reserve is home to a colony of silverback gorillas. (September 15, 2007)

Port Charlotte, Florida: A five run sixth inning by the home team lead the Charlotte Stone Crabs to a 6-2 win over the Clearwater Threshers at Charlotte Sports Park. On a day highlighted by the bark in the park promotion, it was the action on the field that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Clearwater took an early lead, scoring in the second inning as Angelo Moro drove home Logan Moore to give them a 1-0 lead. The Stone Crabs tied the game in the third inning. Jose Sale scored on a ground ball by Leonardo Reginatto to tie the game 1-1. The Stone Crabs took advantage of miscues by Clearwater to push across five runs in the sixth inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Clearwater added one final run of the afternoon in the top of the seventh but it was too little, too late as the Stone Crabs won 6-2. Austin Pruitt was the winning pitcher for Charlotte and Kevin Walter was the losing pitcher for Clearwater. Click on the photo above to view my Stone Crabs/Threshers phot...

Donten Photography would like to thank the members of our Armed Forces for their sacrifices in keeping our country safe.  In honor of our Armed Forces, today's Photo of the Day is from the US Navy Blue Angels as they perform over Punta Gorda.  (Photo: March 25, 2012)

A Grant's Zebra stands along the roadway at the Hwange National Park portion of Lion Country Safari.  The driving safari is divided into seven sections that are home to many species of wild animals from Africa, Asia and South America.  (Photo: May 11, 2014)

A spider monkey sits on a branch eating some food at Lion Country Safari. The spider monkey welcomes visitors from it's exhibit on the nature trail at the entrance to the walking portion of the safari. (Photo: May 11, 2014)

A White Handed Gibbon lounges on a set of ropes at Lion Country Safari. Found in Southeast Asia, the White Handed Gibbon is one of many species of wildlife that can be viewed at Lion Country Safari. (Photo: May 11, 2014)

A lioness takes a break from the heat at Lion Country Safari outside West Palm Beach. The main attraction of the drive-thru safari, Lion Country is home to a large pride of lions. (Photo: May 11, 2014)

A Southern White Rhino cools down by playing in the mud at Lion Country Safari. Nothing but the windshield of your car separates you from wild animals like these at the drive-thru safari in western Palm Beach County. (Photo: May 11, 2014)

Happy Mother's Day from Donten Photography.  Today's photo of the day shows the maternal bond between a young Kulan and its mother at Lion Country Safari.  (Photo: May 11, 2014)

Loxahatchee, Florida: Located west of West Palm Beach in the rural part of Palm Beach County is Lion Country Safari. The nation’s first cageless zoo is known for it’s unique drive-through safari. Your trip to Lion Country Safari begins with at the ticket booth where you receive an audio CD to guide you through the 5-mile drive-through safari. Your guide will point out the highlights as you drive your vehicle through seven distinct habitats. The first habitat you enter is Las Pampas. The large grassland habitat is bases upon the South American grasslands. Here you will find Brown Pelicans, Rhea, South American Tapir and Llamas. Next is Ruaha National Park, a replica of the unspoiled African wilderness. It is here where you can see Impala, Aoudad and Greater Kudu. A little further down the trail and you will enter the Kalahari Bushvedt. This southwest African plateau is home to the Nile Lechwe and Gembok. Up next in the journey is the Gir Forest. The Indian park is ho...

Loxahatchee, Florida:  We embarked in the early morning on our Mother's Day road trip.  What was planned a three generation celebration with my grandma, mom and wife heading to the east coast for the day, ended up one generation short with my grandma opting not to go. We hit the road early for the cross state trip from Englewood to West Palm Beach.  A long drive through the middle of nowhere.  We have taken this trip several years ago and I had forgotten how uneventful the drive was.  Hours of cattle farms, run down downs, sugar cane farms and prisons provided the scenery for the trip. After a little over three hours on the road we reached our destination, Lion Country Safari.  The attraction west of West Palm Beach is part driving safari and part walking zoo.  We were the second car in line for the park to open, a great place to be. Once the gates open, we started the driving safari.  With a navigation CD in the CD player, we hit the open...

The Main Street Philharmonic band passes in front of Cinderella Castle during the Main Street Family Fun Day Parade.  Featured during the Year of a Million Dreams promotion, the parade featured chosen park guests to participate in the patriotic parade down Main Street USA.  (Photo: March 28, 2007)

Monsters Inc stars Sulley and Mike Wazowski wave to the crowds along the parade route at Disney's Hollywood Studios during the Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade. The parade ran from 2001 through 2008. (Photo: March 27, 2007)

Winnie the Pooh is recreated in a hedge statue for the Flower Festival at Epcot. Each year the park is decorated with colorful flowers and character statues for the annual festival. (Photo: March 27, 2007)

Englewood, Florida: As the 2014 spring season winds down, Porter Contracting faced Hamsher Homes in their final matchup of the season. Porter found themselves in a hole early on as Hamsher took a large lead. But Porter rallied late, pulling to within a few runs but time ran out and Porter lost to Hamsher. Click on the photo above to view my Porter/Hamsher photo gallery.

A four story tall jukebox adorns the 50’s building at Pop Century Resort at Walt Disney World. Pop Century uses massive icons to highlight pop culture icons from the 50’s through the 90’s. (Photo: March 28, 2007)

A gorilla grabs a bite to eat at Busch Gardens Myombe Reserve. The reserve is home to western lowland Gorillas and Chimpanzees. (Photo: March 10, 2007)

A shark swims by the observation window at the Florida Aquarium. Located on Channelside in downtown Tampa, visitor's to Florida Aquarium follows the path of water from an underground spring to the Gulf of Mexico seeing all the aquatic life along the way. (Photo: January 28, 2007)

A baby elephant rubs against a tree trunk at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. (Photo: January 21, 2007)

A Blue-and-yellow Macaw poses for a picture at Busch Gardens in Tampa. A native of South America, the macaw is one of many species of animals you can see at Busch Gardens. (Photo: December 31, 2006)

A luxurious waterfront mansion sits surrounded by crystal blue waters off the coast of Nassau.  (Photo: October 27, 2006)

Rugged coasts and tall peaks greet cruise passengers as they sail in to St Maarten. St Maarten is the smallest island to be inhabited by two sovereign nations and a popular cruise port of call. (Photo: October 25, 2006)