The Wandering Disciple

Kissimmee, Florida:  Each year, steamy Central Florida takes things down to a freezing 9 degrees for ICE! at Gaylord Palms.  The annual event at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center brings to life a holiday classic through interactive ice sculptures. This year's event featured A Charlie Brown Christmas, a holiday classic in our family and many more.  After being outfitted with your stylish Ice parka to protect you from the 9 degree air that most Floridians have never experienced, your journey through the Charles Shulz classic begins. Many of the popular scenes from the animated feature can be found here.  Watch the Peanut gang skate across the pond, get some Psychiatric help from Lucy, crawl through Snoopy's award winning decorated dog house, help Charlie Brown pick out the perfect Christmas tree, listen to Linus tell the true meaning of Christmas and much more can be seen and experienced here, all crafted from over 2 million pounds of ice. Once th...

It may be 80 degrees in December, but it is a cold 9 degrees inside Ice at Gaylord Palms.  This year's exhibit featured A Charlie Brown Christmas in which Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang came to life with the story told in ice sculptures.  We photographed the final weekend of the exhibit and I hope to have the photos online soon.  Until then enjoy today's photo of the day.  (Photo: December 31, 2016)

A family of deer run across a field at the Pinelands Reserve.  The reserve surrounding the landfill is a great place to see all types of wildlife from deer, birds of prey and much more.  (Photo: December 8, 2011)

A longtail skipper butterfly rests its wings on a leaf in North Port, Florida.  (Photo: October 22, 2011)

A crested Caracara sits on a fence post in Eastern Sarasota County looking for its next meal.  (Photo: July 18, 2011)

Who ever said dinosaurs are extinct haven't been to the T-Rex Cafe at Walt Disney World.  Here through the science of audio-animatronic , the dinosaurs come to life every twenty minutes during a asteroid attack at the restaurant.  (Photo: January 30, 2011)

A little outpost at Disney's Animal Kindgom Park, the Harambe Wildlife Reserve is home to lions, cheetah, giraffes, rhinos and much more.  You can get an up close look at these animals aboard the Kilimanjaro Safari, departing daily from the village.  (Photo: January 30, 2011)

Merry Christmas to your family from ours.  We hope you have a safe and enjoyable Christmas.  (Photo: December 26, 2013)

So much has changed with the automobile since its inception and as a result there has been many advancement to the automobile testing process.  This can be seen as Walt Disney World resort has developed a proving grounds facility at the Epcot theme park.  Here you hop a board a test vehicle and ride through various tests, finishing with a high speed testing run which makes it the fastest ride at Walt Disney World.  (Photo: January 29, 2011)

Towering above Bay Lake, the Bay Lake Tower is the most recent addition to the Contemporary Resort.  This luxurious hotel is just steps from the Magic Kingdom park and just a monorail or bus ride from the other three Disney parks.  (Photo: January 29, 2011)

A bridge spans a bubbling spring in the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World.  The Pacific Northwest comes to life at the resort featuring bubbling springs, cascading waterfalls and even a shooting geyser.  (Photo: January 29, 2011)

Christmas comes early this year as I gave my wife the gift of a rescue kitten for Christmas this year.  Meet Charlotte our newly rescued Maine Coon cat kitten that we adopted from Be the Change Cat Rescue in Sarasota.  (Photo: December 21, 2016)

The mayor of Main Street welcomes visitors to the Happiest Place on Earth during the daily park opening ceremony at the Magic Kingdom Park.  Each morning the mayor and a cast of Disney characters arriving on the steam train help welcome people to the popular Walt Disney World theme park.  (Photo: January 28, 2011)

Along the banks of the Manatee River is where Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto made is initial landing in America during his exploration.  From 1539 until his death in 1542, de Soto explored the southern United States and westward through Louisiana/Texas.  (Photo: January 19, 2011)

Simple Christmas decorations adorn the Stephens House at the Manatee Historical Village.  Each year, the village takes on a festive appearance as they recreate Christmas as celebrated by the pioneer settlers.  (Photo: January 8, 2011)

A decorative piece of driftwood sits along a hiking trail at Emerson Point Preserve.  While the piece looks like it has been carved by an artist, it is a natural piece of wood created by Mother Nature.  (Photo: January 8, 2011)

North Port Fire-Rescue's Truck 82 helps spread the Christmas joy by leading the 2010 Poinsettia Parade.  (Photo: December 11, 2010)

Nothing says Christmas in Florida quite like a boat decked out with Christmas lights.  Snow and freezing holiday weather are a distant memory so with the sub-tropical climate of sunny Southwest Florida, Floridians look to the water for an annual Christmas tradition.  On the first Saturday of December, colorful boats sail down the Intercoastal Waterway for the Venice Christmas Boat Parade.  (Photo: December 4, 2010)

America's favorite cartoon family brings their crazy antics to Universal Studios Florida.  Join Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa and Maggie on a quest to save Krustyland from an evil revenge by Sideshow Bob.  The 4 1/2 minute motion simulator ride opened in 2008 and featured many of the main characters from the hit Fox cartoon the Simpsons. (Photo: October 25, 2010)

Sorcery and witchcraft fill the air as the pages of JK Rowlings's novels come to life in sunny Florida.  The entire Harry Potter franchise can be experienced at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure.  (Photo: October 25, 2010)

"Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There’s shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich.” Just like this famous line from Forrest Gump, you can try many variations of shrimp a the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company inspired by the Hollywood blockbuster. (Photo: October 25, 2010)

The Italian waterfront comes to life in Central Florida at the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando.  Music, food and accommodations recreated from the Mediterranean helps immerse visitors in the Italian culture while they visit the theme parks just a short gondola ride away.  (Photo: October 25, 2010)

A pair of Sandhill Cranes walk along the water searching for food at the Celery Fields in eastern Sarasota.  These giant birds can be found in mating pairs or family groups throughout Florida and much of North America.  (Photo: October 22, 2010)

The calm waters of Phillipi Creek pass through Pinecraft Park.  The creek starts in Little Sarasota Bay and runs through the heart of Sarasota. Here in Pinecraft Park, there are several hiking trails that take you along the river to give you a glimpse at the birds that live near the water. (Photo: October 20, 2010)

A big frog looks up from the waters of the Corkscrew Swamp Santucary.  The sanctuary operated by the Audubon Society is home to over 13,000 acres of pristine wilderness and abundant wildlife.  (Photo: October 17, 2010)

The clouds begins to get darker and the gulf begins to quiet, signs that an afternoon summer storm is on the way from the east.  In the tropic climate of Florida, afternoon thunderstorms are a daily occurrence along the Gulf Coast.  (Photo: August 10, 2010)

A giraffe peeks in with visitors at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.  Here guests can come eye to eye with these gentle giants.  They can also feed the giraffes as well as get a photo with them.  (Photo: July 18, 2010)

While much has changed over the course of the years, the game of baseball has remained pretty much the same.  The stadiums have gotten newer and fancier, but there is one spring training site that still feels like the old days.  Built in 1923, McKechnie Field is the oldest spring training field still in operation and while much of the part has been upgraded, it still maintains the old feel.  (Photo: May 24, 2010)

Serving the City of Tampa for over sixty years, the former main station saw the fire service transform from horse drawn apparatus to modern day fire engines. While it was retired for a more modern station in 1974, today this historic station serves as the home of the Tampa Firefigter Museum and showcases the rich history of the department. (Photo: July 18, 2010)

Venice, Florida: The intercoastal waterway was filled with colorful Christmas lights as the 2015 Venice Christmas Boat Parade took to the waters. Occurring the first Saturday of December, the annual event helps ring in the holiday season in a tropical fashion as the decked out boats travel down the waterway in bright holiday lights. Thousands of visitor line the parade route which extends from the Albee Road Bridge to the Circus Bridge at the south end of the island of Venice. The parade started back in 1989 and has become a popular holiday attraction on the west coast of Florida. Each year, thousands of people flock to the water bank to catch a glimpse of these brightly decorated vessels. The results for the 28th Annual Venice Christmas Boat Parade are as follows: 29 and Under  1st # 32 Traditions 2nd #4 Thunderstruck 30-39  1st #8 Snowman 40& over  1st #1 Trust No One 2nd #35 Knot-T-Boyz Service, Club , Commercial  1st #14 Paradiso 2nd...

While some people enjoy their Christmas parades to ring in the holiday, Venice has a tropical way to say hello to the holidays. The Venice Christmas Boat Parade kicks off at 6pm along the Intercoastal Waterway stretching from the Albee Road Bridge to the Circus Bridge. I will be covering this years event for the parade committee and will have photos coming soon. (Photo: December 1, 2012)

Good luck to the Venice High School Indians football team as they travel to the east coast to face St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders in the Florida Class 7A Semi-finals. The undefeated Indians will have a tough battle against the Raiders who are ranked number 4 in the state. The winner will go on to the Florida State Championship at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. (Photo: September 23, 2016)

The workhorse of the US Army aviation lands at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport during a recent visit to the Suncoast.  The CH-47 Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter manufactured by Boeing and has been serving the US Army since 1962.  (Photo: November 30, 2016)