The Wandering Disciple

They say good things come in pairs but I don't really think that applies to a pair of alligators practicing the buddy system in the Myakka River.  The Myakka River is known for its resident gator population which can be seen throughout Myakka River State Park.  These cold-blooded beasts can be seen sunning themselves along the banks of the river or lurking in the water waiting for their next meal.  (Photo: January 11, 2009)

North Port, Florida:  After finishing pool play with a 2-0 record on Saturday, the SWFL Yard Dawgs came into Sunday's tournament play at the 2018 Home Run Derby Classic as the number two seed in the tournament. By virtue of ranking, the Yard Dawgs entered the tournament in the semifinals,  Their semifinal round match-up would be a tough one against the Gulf Coast Monarchs, the only Majors rated team in the 13U bracket.  The red hot Monarchs were coming off a 2-0 Saturday as well an 11-0 shut-out win in the opening round of tournament play. The Monarchs dominated the game, cruising to a 16-0 win against the Yard Dawgs.  Costly errors and miscues doomed the Yard Dawgs as they were eliminated from the tournament.  The Monarchs would go on to defeat the PBA Diamonds in the finals to win the 2018 Home Run Derby Classic. Despite losing today, it was a great effort for the Yard Dawgs as they went 2-1 on the weekend in their first tournament as a team. More impres...

North Port, Florida:  Following a win in their first pool game of the day, the SWFL Yard Dawgs took to the field against the undefeated PBA Outlaws in their second and final pool game of the day.  Both teams looked to remain undefeated on the day as they battled for the top seed heading into Sunday's tournament play. The Yard Dawgs offense picked up right where they left off in the first game, opening up the game with three runs in the first inning.  The Yard Dawgs put the lead runner on the bases when Jake Patrick was hit by a pitch to lead off the game.  A walk to Donte Taylor and MJ Patrick loaded the bases with no outs.  The first run of the inning came on a fly out by Elijah Halcomb, Jake Patrick tagged up and scored to put the Dawgs on the board.  Donte Taylor then scored on an RBI double by RJ Cooper to make it 2-0.  The third run came on an ground ball by Michael Paolilo to increase the lead to 3-. The Outlaws answered in the bottom of t...

North Port, Florida:  The SWFL Yard Dawgs opened up their inaugural season with the 2018 Home Run Derby Classic hosted by Prostyle Tournaments.  The two day tournament featured six 13U teams in an open format with teams ranging from Majors down to AA.  The Yard Dawgs faced Clewiston Travel Ball in the first of two pool play games on Saturday afternoon at Atwater Park. Clewiston jumped out to an early lead by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Cayson Holman led off the game with a single to right field.  Holman later scored on an RBI single by Jadin Herrera to put them on the scoreboard.  A pair of walks loaded the bases for Clewiston.  Then Jonathan Thompson drew a bases loaded walk to score Herrera to give Clewiston a 2-0 lead. The Yard Dawgs cut the lead in half by pushing across a run in the bottom of the first.  They loaded the bases following three straight walks to lead off the inning.  Jake Patrick, Donte Taylor and MH P...

There is a tale in these here forbidden mountains about a mystical beast that protects these snow covered peaks.  But is it really protected by the Yeti or is this just a folk lore passed down by generations.  One will never know unless they board a train in the village of Serka Zong to depart on a ride to the peak of Everest. Will the Yeti reveal himself on this journey or is it just another tall tale. Expedition Everest was completed in 2006 as the most expensive roller coaster in the world, costing over $100 million dollars to design, develop and construct. (Photo: September 26, 2018)

Port Charlotte, Florida: Each year at the conclusion of the minor league baseball season, a group of prospects assemble throughout camps in Florida and Arizona for the fall instructional league.  This three week camp gives rising stars an additional opportunity to improve their game in front of the watchful eyes of their clubs player development staff.  While much of the camp is dedicated to skills development, these players get an opportunity to showcase their skill in a few exhibition game. Thursday afternoon, the Rays hosted the Red Sox for an exhibition game.  While these games are regulation nine inning contests, the emphasis is placed on working on fundamentals rather than winning or losing.  Each team will play a handful of games before camp breaks and players head into the off-season. You can catch the boys of summer playing a little fall ball for a few more days before camp ends. Check out your favorite teams website to see a list of players in camp as...

A boardwalks spans the swamp and takes hikers deeper into the woods at the Crowley Museum and Nature Center in eastern Sarasota County. Here you can find a hike that is both historic and informative while being enjoyable and relaxing. Begin your trek on the Pine Level Trail, an old wagon trail that once connected Pine Level (ghost town near Desoto/Manatee County line) with Braidentown (present day Bradenton). Then hop aboard the 1/2 mile boardwalk through the Maple Branch Swamp before ending at the observation tower that overlooks the Tatum Sawgrass Marsh at the edge of the Myakka River.

A chimpanzee poses for guests at Busch Gardens in Tampa. The chimps are fun to watch as they have so many human characteristics. In fact chimpanezees, gorillas and orangutans join humans in the Hominidae family or the Great Apes. You can see all of the great apes, humans included at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Busch Gardens is home to chimpanzees and gorillas in the Myombe Reserve portion of the part and orangutans in the Jungala portion of the park. (Photo: January 2, 2009)

Englewood, Florida: The Lemon Bay Manta Rays opened their 2018 home schedule on Friday night with a district match-up against the neighboring Desoto County Bulldogs. The Mantas were looking for their first win of the 2018 season in front of their home crowd.  But the visiting Bulldogs were also hungry as they were looking to remain undefeated in the road. Lemon Bay opened the game by forcing the Bulldogs to punt and then marching down the field to score.Senior quarterback Trevor Hedges went up the middle for a 1 yard touchdown run. A successful two point conversion gave the Manta Rays a 8-0 lead. The Manta Rays later doubled their score on a 65 yard touchdown run by Devanta Roberson and a two point conversion to make it 16-0. The Bulldogs countered with an excellent punt return by Ethan Redden that went back and forth, side to side before hitting the end zone for a touchdown. But it was called back by a costly penalty.  But with 2:04 left in the first half, the Bulldog...

The raw power of fire is one of the many natural disasters that could be experienced in side the Disasterville exhibit that was displayed at MOSI in Tampa.   This former exhibit spotlighted the raw power of Mother Nature and the damage that can be caused by the extreme effects of tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires.  This exhibit was removed from MOSI in advance of future changes to the Tampa science museum  (Photo: September 6, 2008)

A hippo gets close to the glass at the Edge of Africa exhibit at Busch Gardens.  Hippos are the third largest mammal in the world behind elephants and rhinos. You can see the hippos as well as lions, hyenas and lemurs in their Floridian home at the Edge of Africa exhibit.   (Photo: August 24, 2008)

We all have that one moment when something happens that changes your life completely, when you believe in it you can make it happen.  That was the story behind the Believe show at Sea World Orlando. The show that ran from 2006-2011 highlighted the story of young trainers as they dreamed of working with killer whales and then followed them through reaching their goals of working with Shamu.  This was the last Shamu show at Sea World in which the trainers would enter the water with the Killer Whales following a tragic accident in 2010.  (Photo: July 5, 2008)

The memory of the 343 FDNY firefighters lost during the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center which never be forgotten in the fire service. Departments around the country pay tribute to these brave souls that lost their lives trying to rescue strangers from that horrific tragedy. Englewood Fire Department pays tribute to these heroes on the side of Engine 71, reminding fire fighters and residents to never forget that fateful day. (Photo: September 11, 2018)

Have you ever wondered what a group of tigers is called. If you said pride, that is lions. A group of tigers is called a streak. A streak of tigers are rather uncommon as tigers are typically solitary animals. A tigress will remain with her cubs until they are old enough to hunt for themselves and then they become solitary as well. The best place to see a streak of tigers is at zoos where captivity forces them to live and interact together. Busch Gardens Tampa is a great place to see a streak of tigers as they are home several Bengal and Malayan Tigers. (Photo: April 13, 2008)

A raccoon tries to catch a nap in a tree at Picnic Island Park in West Tampa. While raccoons are known mainly for digging in trash and being a pest, what a lot of people don't knwow are they they are also very intelligence. It is believed that a raccoon can remember the solution to a task for up to three years. Guess that's how they know how to get into all the locking trash cans. (Photo: September 7, 2018)