The Wandering Disciple

What better way to let kids decide what they want to be when they grow up than to let them explore and use their imaginations to pave the way to adult careers.  That's what they can do at Great Explorations in downtown St Petersburg.  A fire station, grocery store, vet office and hospital are just some of the workplaces that have been shrunken down to mini-kid level allowing the young minds to explore the grown-up jobs.  (Photo: December 22, 2007)

Bolingo hangs out with his mama Kishina at the Myombe Reserve inside Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Bolingo and Kishina are just two of the gorillas that call this jungle oasis home.  You can view the troop of gorillas via the 3 acre Myombe Reserve or get even closer by taking the Gorilla Insider Tour that allows you to interact with these human like primates.  (Photo: December 9, 2007)

C'mon everybody, lets gather round the campfire. Join Chip and Dale for a nightly campfire at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campfire.  Those fun little chipmunks lead a campfire sing-along before turning the party over to a Disney movie under the stars.  And don't forget the S'mores, you can enjoy making S'mores over the campfire as you enjoy the movie.  (Photo: November 18, 2007)

One part theater, the other part theme park, Disney's Hollywood Studios is the place where the movies come alive. With working soundstages mixed with stage shows and rides themed after popular movies, Hollywood Studios really makes you feel like you are right in the middle of the action. (Photo: November 19, 2007)

As you cross over the bridge from the hub at the Magic Kingdom and enter into Tomorrowland, the world begins to take on a new appearance.  Designed to resemble what Disney envisioned the future to look like, Tomorrowland is one part futuristic and second part fun.  Tomorrowland is home to one of the big three mountains of the Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain.  It is also home to the oldest attraction at Disney, the Carousel of Progress which was designed for the 1945 World's Fair.  (Photo: November 18, 2007)

Mickey Mouse welcomes you to the All-Star Resorts.  The All-Star resorts are a group of value resorts located within the Walt Disney World Resort.  They feature three themes including music, sports and movies and are decorated with larger than life icons from throughout the generations.  The value resorts allow guests to experience all the perks of staying at a Walt Disney World Resort with a price tag a family budget can afford.  (Photo: November 18, 2007)

Charlotte Sports Park: The first place Charlotte Stone Crabs returned to the field at Charlotte Sports Park to host the St Lucie Mets for game two of a four game series on Tuesday night. It wasn’t the night for the Stone Crabs as they struggled to counter the mound domination by Mets starter Joe Cavallaro is his FSL debut as they fell 5-1. The Mets broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third. Andres Gimenez single to center, scoring Ian Strom to put the Mets ahead 1-0. The Mets added to their lead in the sixth inning. Jeremy Vasquez doubled to center which drove home Michael Paez to increase the lead to 2-0. The Stone Crabs avoided the shut-out by scoring their lone run in the bottom of the seventh. Jermaine Palacious delivered an RBI single that scored Rene Pinto to make it 2-1. The Mets distanced themselves in the final two frames, pushing two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth. TJ Rivera had an RBI single followed by an RBI single by Gene Cone in the eig...

The Buddhist statue stands guard at the China Pavilion in the World Showcase at Epcot.  The Buddha status is a widely renowned symbol of Chinese Buddhism, a large religion that dates back to Han Dynasty in 206 BC. The act of worshiping a golden man statue dates back as far at the 8th century when Emperor Wu of Han was depicted worshiping a statue.  This symbol has stayed to Buddhism to this day and is one of the most recognizable symbols with the religion. (Photo: November 17, 2007)

Bradenton, Florida: LECOM Park had a certain major league feel as the mini-Pirates took the field with two of the big Pirates on Monday night as the Bradenton Marauders hosted the Lakeland Flying Tigers. The Marauders had both Sean Rodriguez playing shortstop and Clay Holmes on the mound as they were putting final touches on their rehab assignments trying to get back to the Pirates roster. Bradenton took the lead in the second inning. Bligh Madris singled on a line drive to left that was misplayed by the left fielder combined with a throwing error by the shortstop allowing Albert Baur to score and Madris to move to third, giving the Marauders a 1-0 lead. The Flying Tigers countered to tie the game in the fourth inning. Danny Pinero drove home Isaac Paredes with an RBI double to tie the game 1-1. The game remained tied until the top of the eighth when the Flying Tigers offense struck for three runs. Pinero reached on an error allowing Paredes to score to break the tie. The...

This little owls has big duties at Busch Gardens Tampa.  This screech owl is an animal ambassador, helping spotlight the conservation efforts of Busch Gardens.  While this owl may look like a baby, this is an adult screech owl.  An adult screech owl is only between six and nine inches in height.  (Photo: November 4, 2007)

An African Lion takes a nap under the afternoon Florida sunshine.  Lions are good nappers, in fact a male lion can sleep up to 20 hours a day.  The African Lions are one of many African animals you can see at the Edge of Africa exhibit at Busch Gardens Tampa.  (Photo: September 15, 2007)

A prominent sight along the Pacific coast, a few California Sea Lions have made their way to the Sunshine State.  At the Pacific Point Preserve at Sea World Orlando, you can feed these noisy sea lovers as they bask in the Florida sunshine. This exhibit is home to both the California Sea Lion and harbor seals.  (Photo:  July 22, 2007)

As you graze across the savannah and see giraffes, zebra and antelope graze, it begins to feel much like Africa, that is until you see the thrilling rides and the city skyline.  Nestled in the heart of Tampa, Busch Gardens Tampa brings the wildlife of Africa to the heart of the city.  Just inside the walls of the park, the city feel goes away as you enjoy a day spent with wildlife and wild rides.  (Photo: June 24, 2007)

What says America better than fireworks and freedom.  While we celebrate the nation's Indepedence in 1776, lets not forget about the brave men and woman who risk their lives or paid the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedoms we enjoy.  Thank you for your service!  Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Independence Day.  (Photo:October 13, 2017)

Why couldn't the clownfish afford a house? - Because he didn't have anemone! What did the shark say to the other when he was eating a clown fish? This tastes funny! While not exactly funny, the clown fish gets its name from the broad color strokes across its body which resemble the face paint of a clown. A fun fact about the clown fish, all clown fish are born male and can one time change their sex to female. This clown fish was part of a reef display at Mote Marine in Sarasota, Florida.

You don’t have to visit the Hundred Acre Woods to see Winnie the Pooh and Friends, the jolly ole bear comes to life each and every day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. On any given day, Pooh and friends can be found in Fantasyland or if you want a closer interaction, try a character breakfast at nearby Crystal Palace. (Photo: March 28, 2007)

The playful toys of Andy’s room come to life in the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade at Disney’s Hollywoood Studios.   Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Mr Potato Head were just a few of Andy’s toys to join the parade on a car made to look like Andy’s bed.   The parade combined the stars of famous Disney movies and paired them with unique cars that were themed to match the films.   This daily parade debuted in 2001 as part of the 100 Years of Magic celebration and ran daily until being retired in March 2008.   (Photo: March 27, 2007)

Port Charlotte, Florida: With temperatures heating up in the Sunshine State to start July, the action on the field is getting just as hot as the boys of summer head into the Independence Day week with a Sunday afternoon game at Charlotte Sports Park. After splitting the first two games of the series the Charlotte Stone Crabs hosted the Tampa Tarpons in the rubber match of the three game set. The Tarpons jumped out to an early lead by scoring in the second inning.   They loaded the bases following a walk to Brandon Wagner, a single by Dom Thompson-Williams and a walk to Steven Sensley.   A bases loaded passed ball allowed Wagner to score and give Tampa a 1-0 lead. Tampa added to their lead in the fifth.   Angel Aguilar tripled to right and later scored on a RBI single by Kyle Holder to make it 2-0 Tarpons. The Stone Crabs wasted no time to tie the game, pushing across a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Following a lead off single by David Olemedo-Barr...