The Wandering Disciple

When you visit the Walt Disney World Resort, not a single detail is spared in turning the Central Florida park into locations all across the globe. If you pay attention to the detailed theming, your journeys through the resort will feel a lot like a trip around the world.  This is the Sunset Boulevard area of Disney's Hollywood Studios. This area is made to look like Hollywood during the golden days of film. From the vintage traffic lights to the spot filming on the streets, the details bring it all to life right before your eyes.  Taken: November 19, 2007 at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL)

A Christmas Tree rises above the Mickey and Minnie topiaries by Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom Park. The park takes on a new different look around the holidays including elegant decorations and a nighttime special event featuring Christmas shows, a parade and a holiday edition of fireworks.  Every venue at Walt Disney World get dressed up for the holiday. From Christmas Around the World at Epcot to the Disney Trees at Disney Springs, the resort is a great place to explore during the holidays.  Taken: November 18, 2007 at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL)

You don't need to be an All-Star to stay like an All-Star. At Disney's All-Star Sports Resort at Walt Disney World every member feels like an All-Star during their stay at the sports themed resort.  A part of the value hotels at Walt Disney World, All-Star Sports features the larger than life theming known in the value class. Surfing, Football, Baseball Basketball and Tennis are all represented at the resort from three story tennis rackets to a baseball diamond pool to a life sized game of foosball.  Taken: November 19, 2007 at Disney's All-Star Sports at Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL)

A squirrel grabs a snack on a warm November afternoon at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. Squirrels are just some of the native Floridian wildlife you will encounter during a stroll through the slough.  Water is one of life's necessities and the slow moving waters of the slough are a haven for animals. A walk through the elevated boardwalk of the preserve will bring you up close to so many species. You will find gators, various species of birds and much more all benefiting from the rich waters and ecosystems found here.  Taken: November 25, 2022 at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (Fort Myers, FL)

An American Airlines Boeing 737 cuts through some low clouds on approach to the airport. As is passes through the clouds, it leaves behind some vapor trails in the sky.  The aerodynamics and heat of the aircraft combined moisture and cold air of the clouds result in artwork in the sky. They range from the wingtip vortices seen here on this approach to the contrails often seen streaking across a clear blue sky.  Taken: November 23, 2022 at Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers, FL)

The memorial car sits outside the headquarters of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office paying tribute to Deputy Christopher Taylor. Deputy Taylor lost his life Tuesday night after being struck by a drunk driver while performing a traffic stop along I-75.  The memorial car is the Charlotte County Sheriff's memorial to fallen deputies. Formerly the patrol car of fallen deputy Michael Wilson, the car now serves to pay tribute to those who lost their lives protecting Charlotte County. Taken: November 25, 2022 (Punta Gorda, FL)

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving. We wish you an safe and enjoyable holiday.  To celebrate Thanksgiving, today's photo of the day is from Brevard Zoo and one of their resident turkeys. The flock of turkeys even have Thanksgiving themed names like Green Bean Casserole, Gravy, Giblet and Cranberry. Just a few weeks ago Green Bean Casserole and Giblet had three new offspring named Tater Tot Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole and Cornbread Casserole. You can see the family of turkeys in the Wild Florida loop at the Brevard Zoo.  Taken: September 3, 2022 at Brevard Zoo (Melbourne, FL)

Fort Myers, Florida: It may have been a short holiday week at work but there was no shortage of activity in and out of the Southwest Florida International Airport. Western Global flew home another 747, National Airlines flew in a 757 for a charter and the highlight of the week was the duel 767 diversions thanks to Miami being fogged in on Wednesday morning. Here is a look at what I saw this week at RSW:  C-FUMF – Boeing 737-800 (WestJet)   C-GHPD – Airbus A321 (Air Canada Rouge)   CP-2881 – Boeing 767-33A – (Bolviana de Aviacion)   N122DU – Airbus A220 (Delta Air Lines)   N151UW – Airbus A321 (American Airlines) N157AA - Airbus A321 (American Airlines)   N203BZ – Airbus A220 (Breeze Airways)   N268WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)   N313SB – Boeing 737 Max 8 (American Airlines)   N319CM – Boeing 767-338 (Amerijet International)   N334SM – Boeing 737 Max 8 (American Airlines)   N356KD – Boeing 747-400 (Western Global Airli...

Christmas takes on a new look at Epcot's World Showcase. As you stroll the countries, you will get to witness how each country celebrates Christmas. Like this display at the Germany pavilion showing a traditional German Erster Feiertag display.  Christmas season is one of the best times to visit the Walt Disney World Resort. Each park and resort decorates for the holiday's with unique displays. From Christmas around the world at Epcot, the gingerbread houses of the hotels and the Disney-themed trees at Disney Springs, there are holidays adventures around ever corner at Walt Disney World.  Taken: November 17, 2007 at Epcot at Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL)

For almost 50 years, the Stanley Falls flume ride at Busch Gardens has been helping guests beat the Florida heat. This soaking family favorite features a classic flume ride with a 40-foot splashdown guaranteed to cool you down.  Opened in 1973, Stanley Falls was added to the park during the Stanleyville expansion to the park. It was the park's first thrill ride and remains a mainstay at the park almost 50 years later. Taken:  November 4, 2007 at Busch Gardens (Tampa, FL)

A lioness yawns as she wakes up from an afternoon cat nap. Lions sleep a lot, females sleep 15-18 hours a day and males can sleep up to 20 hours a day. As hunters, lions can spend a lot of energy on a hunt so they require a lot of rest to store energy. And as the top of the food chain, the lions can rest comfortably without fearing an ambush attack while they are sleeping.  This African lion is one in the pride at Busch Gardens in Tampa. The theme park features a vast collection of African wildlife scattered around world class rides.  Taken: September 15, 2007 at Busch Gardens (Tampa, FL)

The Queen of the Skies arrives at Miami International Airport while another Queen holds short. MIA is the busiest airport in the country for cargo operations and seeing heavy lifters like the 747 is a common sight at the airport.  Known as the Queen of the Skies, the Boeing 747 is a double-decker aircraft. Originally designed to be a long-haul passenger aircraft, the 747 entered service in 1970 with Pan-Am. Today much of the 747's have been converted to freighters and are seeing a second life in cargo operations like these two pictured here.  Taken: November 12, 2022 at Miami International Airport (Tampa, FL)

 A lorikeet appears to be whispering a secret into the ear of another lorikeet. Found in Australia, lorikeets can be found roosting in large, vocal flocks. Despite being a parrot species, Lorikeets feed by foraging through flowers and shrubs looking for nectar and pollens.  These lorikeets were found at Butterfly World in south Florida. The attraction features not only the largest collection of butterflies, but a a few free-flight aviaries like the Lorikeet Encounter where this pair lives.   Taken: November 12, 2022 at Butterfly World (Coconut Creek, FL)

  Miami Police Department Miami, Florida November 12, 2022

Fort Myers, Florida:  This week provided a bit of first time spotted aircraft for me.  From a two month old Max 8 from United to a a few Canadian visitors.  Also the north ramp began to fill up as Western Global comes home to Southwest Florida with an MD-11 and a 747 arriving this week.  Here is a look at what I saw during the week. C-CHQI – Airbus A321 (Air Canada Rouge)   C-GWUX – Boeing 737-800 (WestJet)   N107DU – Airbus A220 (Delta Air Lines)   N141DU – Airbus A220 (Delta Air Lines)   N151AN – Airbus A321 (American Airlines)   N187US – Airbus A321 (American Airlines)   N314RH – Boeing 737 Max 8 (American Airlines)   N432UA – Airbus A320-232 (United Airlines)   N442WN – Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Airlines)   N452SN – Boeing 747-400 (Western Global Airlines)   N454GB – Dassault Falcon 2000EX   N475LS – Learjet 75   N544US – Boeing 757-200 (Delta Air Lines)   N550NW – Boeing 757-200 (Delta Air Lines) ...

The Daytona 500 winning Chevy Monte Carlo of Dale Earnhardt Jr sits on display at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. Jr won the prestigious Daytona 500 in 2004 just six years following his dad's win in the super bowl of stock car racing. Budweiser is a major sponsor for NASCAR and many other sports. As a result of this partnership, several of the NASCAR's can be seen on display in the Anheuser-Busch theme parks. Taken: September 3, 2007 at Busch Gardens Africa (Tampa, FL)

Fort Myers, Florida: This week on my trip over to Page Field, I saw a pair of nice looking business jets on the ramp at Base Ops.  I was pretty busy during the visit and didn't spend much time along the flight line, but I did grab a pic of these two before leaving. N702SA – Bombardier CRJ-200 (ViaJet)  N2121 – Gulfstream IV Click on the the aircraft name above to view photos of the plane. Be sure to follow Suncoast Spotter on Facebook and Instagram to see these and more aviation photos.

  As you stroll the streets of this tiny town, you instantly realize something is different. Welcome to Kid City, the pint sized town for the youngest members of the city. This city features miniature homes, stores and even government building, providing a one of a kind play opportunity allowing kids to run the city. Kids City was a popular children's attraction located near Lowry Park.  Opened in 1986 it was the almost two acre city was the largest permanent safety village in the world. It even features miniature replicas of Tampa landmarks like City Hall and the County Courthouse. Kid City served area kids until its closure in December 2008.   Taken: August 25, 2007 at Kid City (Tampa, FL)

Knock, knock. A gopher tortoise stops by our front door in North Port. With much of the city underdeveloped, your neighbor tends to be wildlife rather than people. Gopher Tortoises are a threatened tortoise found in the Southeastern US. Known for digging burrows, the gopher tortoise burrow can be home to over 300 other animals as well, making them a critical keystone of the ecosystem. Taken: July 23, 2007 (North Port, FL)

Miami, Florida:   During a recent visit to South Florida, we got by Miami International Airport for a little planespotting before heading home.  We spotted from the El Dorado store located along the threshold of Runway 9 at the southern end of the airport.  Spotting at Runway 9 always provides a bunch of heavy aircraft and this stop featured a few.  During our visit, the skies quickly turned dark and an afternoon shower/storm hung around the field for a bit, but that didn’t keep us from trying to squeeze in as much spotting as the weather allowed. Here is a look at what we saw during the trip.   If you click on the aircraft name, the link will take you to the photo of the aircraft. 20-1949 – C-37Gulfstream V (US Air Force) A7-BEJ – Boeing 777-300 (Qatar Airways) C6-BFY – Boeing 737-700 (Bahamasair) CC-BBD – Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (LATAM Airlines) CS-TUJ – Airbus A330 (TAP Air Portugal) EC-LZX – Airbus A330 (Iberia) EI-EJH – Airbus A330 (ITA Airways) HI1066...

Coconut Creek, Florida: The subtropical climate of South Florida isn't just good for vacationing, it makes for a great place to find colorful butterflies. While the region is home to a vast variety of butterflies, Butterfly World brings species from all over the world to the Sunshine State.  Opened in 1988, Butterfly World is the largest butterfly butterfly park in the world. It is home to over 20,000 colorful butterflies ranging from 50 different species. And its not just butterflies found here, the park is home to free flight aviaries, an insect museum and much more.  Your journey to Butterfly World begins in the Grand Plaza. Once you pay your admission fee, it's time to begin your adventure. The first stop of the self-guided/self-paced tour is the laboratory. From the observation windows of the lab, you can get an inside look at the life cycle of butterflies. Butterflies have a four stage life cycle; egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly.  As you pass through t...