The Wandering Disciple

A short climb up the 40-foot observation at the Robinson Preserve provides a bird's eye view of the Salt Marsh and nearby Tampa Bay.  (Photo: April 14, 2011)

Stone Crabs first base coach Joe Szekely welcomes lead-off hitter Brett Nommenson at first after drawing a walk during a minor league baseball game in 2011.  (Photo: April 9, 2011)

Baseball's Iron Man, Cal Ripken, throws out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day for the Charlotte Stone Crabs in 2011.  The Hall of Fame infielder from the Baltimore Orioles was the owner of the Stone Crabs for the first few seasons of their existence.  (Photo: April 7, 2011)

Baltimore Orioles minor leaguer Michael Mosby drives a pitch down the left field line during a minor league spring training game at the Orioles Minor League Complex at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota, Florida.  (Photo: April 1, 2011)

Neil Allen and Charlie Montoyo of the Tampa Bay Rays coaching staff discuss strategy during a Minor League spring training game in 2011.  In just a few short weeks, the complexes in Florida and Arizona will spring to life with the sounds of the game as spring training 2017 kicks off.  (Photo: April 1, 2011)

Alex Colome looks in for the sign from his battery mate during a minor league spring training game against the Orioles.  These backfields are the starting point on the road to the majors for young professional baseball players.  (Photo: March 31, 2011)

Swimming around looking for food, a pied-bill grebe blends in with the swamp foliage along the nature trail at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.  Visitor's that slow down and take the time to look around will be amazed at what little critters are hidden from view thanks to their ability to camouflage with their surroundings.  (Photo: January 22, 2017)

A rat snake sticks its head out of a hole in a tree along the boardwalk at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.  Just minutes from the hustle and bustle of I-75, the preserve is a wilderness oasis in the middle of urban living.  The boardwalk takes visitors into the swamp where they can get face to face with nature. (Photo: January 22, 2017)

Winter in Florida is not quite like the rest of the country.  While much of the nation is under blankets of snow and ice, you have to look real hard to see winter's effect on the Sunshine State.  But one thing is for certain, while the rest of the US is shoveling snow, the Floridian winter is a great time to hit the trails and spend some time in nature without the heat, humidity and bugs.  (Photo: January 22, 2017)

A rehabilitating screech owl tries to sneak in a nap at the Calusa Nature Center.  The nature center in Fort Myers is home to many species of wildlife that have injuries that prevent them from being released into the wild like this screech owl.  (Photo: January 22, 2017)

Fort Myers, Florida:   We decided to take advantage of some cooler Floridian winter weather and take a trek into the great outdoors with a hike at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.  This little urban gem is just minutes from I-75 but feels like you are in the middle of the swamp.  The raised boardwalk trail is a family favorite and always provides great nature watching opportunities. We battled some high winds and had to dodge falling branches on today's trip but we still managed to see the following animals: American Alligator Angina Black-crowned Night Heron Double-creasted Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Pied-bill Grebe Rat Snake Turtles  Tricolored Heron White Ibis White Peacock Butterfly While the crowds and the weather impacted our wildlife sightings, it was still a great day to get outdoors. Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is located at 7751 Penzance Blvd in Fort Myers, Florida.  It is opened daily from dawn to dusk. ...

Every play in baseball begins with one thing, the pitch.  Delivered from the pitchers hand, the pitch is what gets everything going.  It is this very reason that the pitcher has been designated number one on the scorecard.  (Photo: March 24, 2011)

Today is moving day at the country's most famous residence.  January 20, 2017 marked the end of one presidency as President Barack Obama 8-year term as president has ended giving way to the start of the presidency of Donald Trump as our nation's 45th president. The crews assigned to the move have just hours to move the departing president out before the incoming president takes over the residence. (Photo: February 13, 2009)

Orioles minor leaguer Michael Mosby rounds the bases after hitting a home run in a minor league spring training game against the Rays in 2011.  While the major league players are getting work in the main stadium in front of thousands of spectators, the hundreds of minor league players are playing their spring training games on the backfields in front of coaches and staff.  (Photo: March 19, 2011)

A cheetah stretches as it awakes from an afternoon cat nap at the Lowry Park Zoo.  The South African Cheetah is one of the many species of wildlife found in the Safari Africa section of Lowry Park Zoo.  (Photo: January 14, 2017)

An orangutan grabs a piece of fruit tossed by a zookeeper at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida.  The Lowry Park Zoo is home to a family of seven Bornean orangutans including two that were born last year.  The family spends it day entertaining guests by playing and socializing.  (Photo: January 14, 2017)

“We will know one day that God made us to live together as brothers and to respect the dignity and worth of every man. This is why we must fight segregation with all of our nonviolent might. Segregation is not only inconvenient—that isn’t what makes it wrong. Segregation is not only sociologically untenable—that isn’t what makes it wrong. Segregation is not only politically and economically unsound—that is not what makes it wrong. Ultimately, segregation is morally wrong and sinful.” It is from this pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Sweet Auburn community of Atlanta where Dr Martin Luther King Jr delivered powerful sermons like the “American Dream” sermon in which the above passage comes from. From this tight knit congregation, Dr King spread messages of equality and a nation where all men, woman and children would be equal.

Waking up from a cat nap, Lucy greets visitors at Lowry Park Zoo.  Lucy, Lowry Park's resident Florida Panther was rescued in South Florida when she was young.  She has been raised in the zoo and can not be released into the wild so she serves as a resident ambassador.  (Photo: January 14, 2017)

A chimpanzee looks as if he is deep in thought at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida.  The chimpanzees are one of several species of primates that can be found in the Primate World portion of the zoo.  (Photo: January 14, 2017)

The gondolas of the Ferris wheel travel up, up and away, high over the Sarasota County Fair.  The Ferris wheel is a popular ride at fairs across the country, providing a bird's eye view of the midway and beyond.  (Photo: March 18, 2011)

They say the hardest thing in sports is to hit a fastball thrown by a professional pitcher.  The was made more evident in a famous quote by Ted Williams, one of the best hitters the game has ever seen.   At 90 miles per hour, a hitter has less than a quarter second to read the pitch and decide to swing.  Combine this with having to determine where in the zone the pitch will be at the precise time you make contact, it is no wonder why the rate of failure at hitting is higher than success.  (Photo: March 17, 2011)

Sun Country Airlines departs the Sunshine State as it takes off from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport on a sunny Floridian winter day.  Not an airline that usually services SRQ, Sun Country pops into Sarasota on occasion to operated a casino charter flight to Biloxi.  (Photo: January 9, 2017)

The face of the Rays warms up prior to a spring training game in 2011.  Evan Longoria, the Rays all-star first baseman is one of the most recognizable player on the Tampa Bay Rays.  (Photo: March 5, 2011)

In just a little over a month, the boys of summer return to Florida and Arizona to prep for the 2017 baseball season.  The spring training sites spring to life with the sound of baseball when pitcher and catchers report this year on February 13.  (Photo: March 1, 2011)

Water, water everywhere is the theme in Central Florida as lakes by the thousands dot the landscape.  The Sunshine State features over 5,000 lakes recorded in the Florida Atlas of Lakes with many of them along the interior portions of the state.  The one pictured here is Lake June in Winter, a 3,700 acre lake located at the Lake June in Winter Scrub State Park in Lake Placid.  (Photo: February 27, 2011)

Bradenton, Florida: Living in the United States, we really do not have a clue on what it is like to live below poverty. While there are plenty in this country that are struggling to make ends meet, it is nothing compared to living in poverty in countries like Haiti, Kenya and other poor countries. The Christian humanitarian group Compassion International seeks to brings this issue to light by touring the country with the Compassion Experience. The Compassion Experience made a stop at the First Baptist Church in Bradenton this weekend and we decided to visit on Saturday afternoon. Staged in a semi-truck trailer the experience follows the life of two young children growing up in poverty who overcome odds thanks to Compassion International. Upon check-in, you are issued an IPod and headphones to hear the story of each child. Each story takes your through several rooms that showcase a different place in each child’s life and how it shaped them to become a successful member of so...

Too many times, we take for granted at how well we have things living in the United States.  Today we took a trip to the Compassion Experience, a traveling exhibit that highlights living in poverty. The journey follows Jonathan and Kiwi and brings to life their struggles with poverty and their rise above it though the help of Compassion International. This moving exhibit makes you appreciate the life we live and makes you thankful for its blessings.  (Photo: January 7, 2017)

Like a snapshot of an era gone by, the historic Desoto County courthouse stands witness to the early 1900 Central Florida living.  Built in 1912, the courthouse was the second courthouse to be built in rural Arcadia.  This historic building was fully restored in 1976 to help ensure it will be around for years to come. (Photo: February 26, 2011)

Florida is known for its sunshine, after all it is the Sunshine State.  So it shouldn't be any surprise that the state features some of the best sunrises and sunsets in the country.  Whether it be on the beach or in an interior state park like this, the sun paints a picture in the sky daily.  (Photo: February 19, 2011)

A special livery WestJet aircraft featuring Mickey Mouse lands at the gateway to Walt Disney World, the Orlando International Airport.  The plane was debuted in 2013 to celebrate the partnership with the Canadian airline WestJet and the Walt Disney World Resort in sunny Florida. It is currently one of two planes in the fleet that are painted to reflect the partnership, the second plane features Disney's Frozen. (Photo: December 31, 2016)

Doctor Lucy is working her magic once again provide psychiatric help for poor ole Charlie Brown.  This year the Gaylord Palms resort brought the classic Peanuts characters to life during their annual ICE exhibit.  (Photo: December 31, 2016)

Through the imagination of the staff and the magic of modern refrigeration, Gaylord Palms is transformed to a winter wonderland each holiday season.  While it may be 80-90 degrees outside it is cold enough for snow and ice in the Alpine Village here at the resort featuring the Alpine Rush Snow Tubing.  (Photo: December 31, 2016)

Another year has come and gone and while 2016 wasn't too good in the celebrity world, it was a pretty good year hear at Donten Photography.  This year saw us expand our horizons again while we crossed another two states of the visit list during our summer road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains.  Then thanks to getting a new car over the summer, we have been able to extend our smaller trips our a little further now that we are not relying on a vehicle with over 300,000 miles. It's hard to believe that is has been seven years since I began this website.  It has continued to grow over the years and as of the end of 2016, almost 6 million viewers have visited my photography.  that is only the verified visitors to the website and the photo galleries and does not take into account those who have viewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other sites that have featured my work.  The 6 million are direct clicks on the website and the photo galleries.  Still to ...

Soaring through the skies and bringing dreams to life, a pair of aerial performers dazzle the crowd during the Cirque Dreams UnWrapped Stage Show. The 25 minute acrobatic performance is one of the many holiday peformances that make up Christmas as Gaylord Palms, an annual holiday spectacular hosted by the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center. (Photo: December 31, 2016)