The Wandering Disciple

There is nothing more peaceful than looking out the window of your flight and seeing the puffy clouds.  Being above them rather than below them is one of my favorite things about flying.  When you are at flight level, you really get to appreciate the modern marvel of flight.  (Photo: May 1, 2004)

A bright full moon rises in the east, illuminating the night sky.  Tonight is a big night for astronomy fans.  This moon features three lunar rarities making it a Super Blue Blood Moon.  First it is a supermoon in which it will be 14% brighter than a normal full moon.  Secondly it is the second full moon of the month, making it a blue moon.  Finally there will be a lunar eclipse making it a blood moon. (Photo: January 30, 2018)

The city built around chocolate, Hershey Pennsylvania, is a chocolate fans dream. Thos town in Pennsylvania was built around Hershey Chocolate. The aroma of chocolate fills the air and even the street lamps resemble Hershey's Kisses. (Photo: May 1, 2004)

Like soldiers at attention, the fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery are laid to rest with the same level of perfection that they served the country with during their service.  Created on the grounds that were once the estate of Confederate general Robert E Lee, the Arlington National Cemetery was established in 1864.  Today the cemetery has grown to 624 acres and is the final resting place of over 400,000 heroes.  (Photo: April 29, 2004)

Tampa, Florida: One of the best part of having an annual pass to the Lowry Park Zoo is the spur of the moment trips. Saturday afternoon was one of those days where we decided to just head to the zoo on a whim. I feel each trip is another opportunity to see the animals and hopefully catch some active that may have not been active before. Plus since our last visit, a new orangutan was born and was now in the exhibit with the rest of the family. When we got to the zoo, it was pretty crowded. However perk number two of the annual pass was skipping all the lines and heading straight into the zoo.  Once inside the gates, we headed straight to the orangutan exhibit to see the baby. At first once we got there I did not see the baby.  It was kept hidden by its mom in the corner of the exhibit.  But the rest of the orangutan family was full of energy and the toddlers were putting on a show playing with each other.  A few minutes later the zookeeper came with food ...

Behind the walls of this classic government building in Washington DC, the famous faces of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Jackson, Grant and Franklin are printed onto United States currency.  The Bureau of Engraving and Printing in DC as well as the one in Fort Worth, Texas are responsible for printing paper currency for the Federal Reserve.  In addition to printing money, the bureau is also responsible for printing other official government documents

Located at the tip of Manhattan in Battery City lies a circular fort that was once a crucial defense of the mainland from British troops during the War of 1812. Today the fort is attached to Manhattan however when it was constructed 1808 it was located on an island off the coast. But years of landfill now connects the fort to the mainland where it is now part of Battery Park. While Castle Clinton never saw action during wartime, it served as the nation's first immigration port prior to the opening of Ellis Island. (Photo: April 27, 2004)

A canon is prepped for firing at the Jamestown Settlement on the banks of the James River.  Canons like this one were used by early settlers to help defend their forts from Indian attacks.  Historical interpreters bring the settlement to life each day, reenacting life in the the first English settlement in the New World.  The journey travels through the colonization of the region beginning with he Powhatan Indian Village and leads to the settlement of Fort James.  (Photo: April 24, 2004)

Towering over the street, the Governor's Mansion at Colonial Williamsburg was once the home of the most powerful man in British America.  The palace was home to seven governors of the Royal Colony of Virginal and then two post colonial governors until the capital was relocate to Richmond.  The original house burnt down in 1781 but was reconstructed in the early 1930's.  Today it is one of many colonial buildings that can be toured as part of the Colonial Williamsburg living history museum.  (Photo: April 25, 2004)

A traditional Amish school house sits in the middle of Amish Village.  The one-room school house is where the Amish children go to school to learn until they reach the eighth grade.  Afterwards they will enter Amish life with the boys working in the fields alongside their fathers and the girls will tend to household chores with their moms.  Each school hosts about thirty kids of various ages and they learn a curriculum that teaches them reading, writing, spelling, basic math, geography as well as learning both English and German.  The schools are run by the church and are taught by an unmarried woman from the community.  (Photo: April 23, 2004)

A trip down memory lane as the Python twists through a corkscrew at Busch Gardens Tampa.  The Python opened in 1976 as Florida's first inverting roller coaster and entertained thrill seekers for over thirty years.  It was shut-down and removed in 2006 to make way for the Jungala expansion project.  (Photo: March 20, 2004)

Tucked away between the excitement of the rides at Universal Studios is a piece of the Big Apple recreated right here in Central Florida.  In addition to being a thrilling theme park, Universal Studios is also a working studio with sound stages and even city replicas within the park.  Here you can find areas like New York City and San Francisco so realistic you might forget you are in Florida.  And depending on the filming schedule, you may even see a production in progress during your visit.  (Photo: September 21, 2003)

Get your tickets for the maiden voyage of White Star Line's crown jewel, the RMS Titanic, and be a part of history as she makes her first sailing from Southampton to New York City. That was the story on 1912 as the the Titanic embarked on a historic trip that would end in tragedy after the ship struck an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean. Follow the story of the Titanic at the Titanic Experience in Orlando where you can experience the tale of history and tragedy. (Photo: September 20, 2003)

The pride and joy of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and named after the love of his life, the Jenny sits outside Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney, now known as Disney Springs. The shrimping boat appeared in the 1994 Hollywood blockbuster Forrest Gump staring Tom Hanks. Seen here in 2003, there are reports that Jenny had been removed during construction in 2014 and has not been returned. (Photo: September 20, 2003)

The Taste of the Rockies, the Coors Brewing Company takes their image from Golden Colorado across the country on the hood of the #40 Sterling Marlin NASCAR race car. Once that sponsorship had ended one of those cars made it on display outside the NASCAR Cafe at Universal Orlando. The restaurant which later closed in 2014 was a NASCAR fans dream with race cars and memorabilia all over the place in the City Walk restaurant. (Photo: September 20, 2003)

While Abbey Road is commonly associated with the Beatles, at the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando it takes on a different role.  Here Abbey Road is your entrance to the rock and roll life at a plush resort geared to music.  Just steps away from the theme parks, the Hard Rock Hotel is your key to living like a rock star while enjoying your Universal Orlando vacation.  (Photo: September 20, 2003)

Like a beacon guiding a ship in the sea, this lighthouse leads not to a safe harbor but to a land of adventure.  Beyond the gates, you adventures awaits at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure.  This central Florida theme park is packed with plenty of excitement filled islands with unique themes like Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Lost Continent and Seuss Landing.  (Photo: September 20, 2003)

While most people think of his "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall in Washington DC as his most notable works, Dr King's Letter from Birmingham Jail is my favorite piece that he has written.  From a tiny jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr King wrote one of the most important pieces of the civil rights movement.  In the letter, Dr King urged the peaceful protesters to take action by breaking the unjust laws rather than wait for the courts to deem these laws unjust.  In the letter Dr King wrote that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." You can learn more about Dr King and his impacts on the civil right movement by visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: December 20, 2014)

This way to the fun and hi-jinx that is the world of Dr Seuss.  The colorful pages of his beloved children's books come alive in the rides, shops and restaurants of Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure.  Here you can play along with the Cat in the Hat, have some Green Eggs and Ham or just find out what happen if I Ran the Zoo. (Photo: July 18, 2003)

A colorful clown fish swims past a sea anemone in an exhibit at Mote Marine in Sarasota.  The clown fish gets its names from the bright colorful patterning much like that of the face paint of a circus clown.  A clown fish is also known as an anemone fish, as they are dependent on sea anemone as they use their stinging tentacles to protect the tiny clown fish and their eggs from other predators on the coral reef.  The clown fish was made popular in pop culture following the 2003 Disney-Pixar film Finding Nemo.  (Photo: May 7, 2015)

What looks like a wall of unkempt brush is actually a critical piece to the coastal ecosystem along the bay.  The mangroves not only protect the coastline from erosion and they provide a home to many animals both in the water and on land.  (Photo: May 3, 2015)

A boat passes by South Brohard Beach as it cruises along in the Gulf of Mexico.  The Suncoast waters are a great place for boating as weather and water cooperate much of the year making for a great day on the water.  (Photo: April 3, 2015)

Beware of venomous snakes is a warning that is on signs at many of parks and waterways throughout the sunshine state.  Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they aren't there.  During a walk on the boardwalk of the Celery Fields in Eastern Sarasota County, a Cottonmouth slithered across the top of the water.  Also known as a water moccasin, the cottonmouth is the only poisonous water snake in  North America and are capable of a lethal bite.  (Photo: March 28, 2015)

Orioles manager Buck Showalter gives home plate umpire John Hirschbeck a piece of his mind following a controversial call during a spring training game in 2015. Umpires are human and make mistakes but there is nothing better then watching a manager spotlight those mistakes for the crowd to see. A good manager argument is just as much a part of the game as hitting, pitching and fielding. (Photo: March 27, 2015)

One of the best parts about living in a tropical climate like south Florida is the fact that colorful flowers bloom all year round.  Doesn't matter how cold it gets up north, the sunshine state never gets too cold for too long to keep flowers like these from blooming in the dead of winter.  (Photo: February 24, 2015)

A young orangutan plays around on the ropes at the Bornean Orangutan exhibit at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.  The zoo is currently home to seven orangutans including a pair of youth that were born months apart in late 2015 and early 2016.  The family is about to grow bigger as the zoo announced a few days ago that DeeDee is currently pregnant.  (Photo: January 6, 2018)

The clear, tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico will make you feel like you've been transported to a distant tropical oasis but in all actuality, you never left the mainland United States.  The beaches of the barrier island of Boca Grande have some of the best beaches in the state and rival the beaches found on exotic islands with clear water, soft sand and plenty of sun.  (Photo: March 15, 2015)

If there is a body of fresh water in the Sunshine State, there is a pretty good chance there is an alligator calling it home.  While most of the time, you will see them sunning themselves on the banks, they become a lot harder to see when they are in the water.  Their skin color helps conceal them against the darker water and they can also hide under the surface for a long period of time, sometimes in excess of two hours.  (Photo: March 12, 2015)

Flowing slowly though rural Manatee and Sarasota County, the Myakka River is one of only a handful of wild and scenic rivers in the state of Florida. With little development along the banks of the river, the Myakka River is a glimpse of what old Florida was like before the development boom. The river flows 68 miles from the Hardee-Manatee line to the Gulf of Mexico with a large portion of the river flowing through the Myakka River State Park. (Photo: March 12, 2005)

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado warms up before a spring training game in 2015.  Drafted by the Orioles as the third overall pick in the 2010 draft, Machado made his major league debut with the Orioles in 2012.  He is one of the premier infielders in the league, earning a spot on the all-star team three times and winning two gold gloves and one platinum gloves.  (Photo: March 11, 2015)

New Orleans, Louisiana: Along the banks of the Mississippi River sits one of the newest additions to the New Orleans riverfront, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. Under the watchful care of the Audubon Nature Institute, the aquarium is home to over 10,000 marine animals spanning over 500 species. Your journey through the two story aquarium begins with an underwater journey to a sunken Mayan city. A walk through the tunnel surrounded by colorful fish leads you to a world filled with lion fish, eels, spiny lobsters and more sea creatures that live around the submerged city. The trip though the Great Mayan Reef and the sunken city leads you upstairs and transplants you right into the middle of the Amazon Rainforest. This humid oasis is home to many jungle critters transported right from the rainforest into southeast Louisiana. In the canopy of the rainforest trees you get to listen to the sound of the macaws while walking through exhibits filled with piranhas, pacu fish an...

A snow egret grabs a bite to eat along the surf line at Gasparilla Island State Park.  The snowy egret is a small wading bird and can be found along the edge of the water feeding on shrimp and small fish.  The snowy nests in the mangroves and can be found throughout the state of Florida where they live year-round.   (Photo: March 8, 2017)

Baseball fields across the country are where dreams of becoming a big league ball player begin.  It is here where the youth fall in love with the game and play their hearts out hoping to one day have a chance to play on the big fields of professional baseball.  (Photo: March 7, 2015)

Happy New Year from Donten Photography! While 2017 was a crazy year in the public eye, it was a fun year here at Donten Photography.  2017 brought us not one but two large travel adventures.  The first was the summer trip to Asheville and second was the Thanksgiving trip to New Orleans.  There was even the mini-trip during spring break which took the family to the panhandle for a tour of a few state parks.  Nestled between these trips were plenty of baseball games and airport trips making for a great 2017 in photos. The first of the three trips of the year took us to the Florida panhandle during spring break.  We did a camping trip which took us to Torreya State Park from where we branched out and visited the Florida Caverns, Falling Waters State Park and Three Rivers State Park on our quest to visit all 164 of the Florida State Parks.  That quest has a long way to go but as of the end of 2017, I have visited 32 of the 164 parks, I'd say we still have...