The Wandering Disciple

Marco Island, Florida: What better way to spend Earth Day than exploring nature. For Earth Day 2023, we headed down south to Tigertail Beach Park for a hike on the beach. This Gulf front park features an unspoiled stretch of beach that is one of the best birdwatching spots in all of Southwest Florida.  We got to the beach a little after 8am and began the trek to the beach. This early in the morning, there was just a handful of people on the beach and plenty of wildlife to be seen. It was like having the beach all to ourselves at time. We strolled about three miles of beach. On the way we collected plenty of colorful shells from the shore line and saw plenty of birds. From Osprey and Pelicans soaring above to Sanderling and Willet playing in the surf, there was plenty of nature to explore during the stroll.  We enjoyed our trip and it was certainly worth the drive. We will be back again in the future! Tigertail Beach Park is a public park operated by Collier County Pa...

Tampa, Florida:  Be prepared to enter the world of bugs as Bugtopia invades ZooTampa.  Until the end of April, guest to the zoo can get up close to some larger than life crawling creatures.   Your journey into Bugtopia begins by passing through the Shrinking Machine.  Then journey along the path and get up close to unique insects from across the globe.  Emperor Scorpions from Africa, Red-Tailed Bumblebees from Europe, Meadow Grasshoppers from North America and so much more are on display in the interactive exhibit.  In all you will encounter and learn about thirteen species of insects. When your journey with Professor Alexander is complete, pass through the U-Shrinking Machine a rejoin the human world and continue your journey through the zoo and learn more about the world around you.  Be sure to keep your eyes out for other insects you might see around the zoo, from Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers to colorful butterflies.   We enjoyed our ...

Englewood, Florida:   It may be part Mexican, part American and part Italian but don't let that fool you, this place is totally delicious.  Before our trip up to the zoo in Tampa, we stopped by Maria Restaurant in Englewood for breakfast to fuel the journey. Located in the heart of Englewood along State Road 776, Maria Restaurant is a local family run restaurant that has a big menu.  With a menu that spans three ethnic palettes, there is something for everyone on the menu.  From omelets and biscuits and gravy for breakfast to tacos and pasta for lunch, a stop here will fill your stomach with delicious food at a great price.  Despite being just a short trip from the house, this was our first visit.  The biscuits and gravy were flavorful and the biscuits just melted in your mouth.  My wife had the omelet in which was packed with toppings and left you leaving with a full stomach.  We will be back again and I highly recommend giving them a try if you ...

Sarasota, Florida: A visit to the Pinecraft community in Sarasota takes you into the heart of the winter residence of the Amish community. For years, Amish from northern states spend winter months in the sun and warmth of the Suncoast. As more and more Amish took residence in Pinecraft, Amish businesses began to pop up and a staple of them has been Yoder's Restaurant.  Yoder's Restaurant is the creation of Levi and Amanda Yoder who settled in Sarasota after selling their farm in Indiana. They opened a restaurant on Main Street in downtown Sarasota in 1975. In 1986, they moved to their current location on Bahia Vista Street in the heart of Pinecraft.  Today the popular restaurant is know for their hearty comfort meals and they delicious and massive pies and cakes. In fact on holiday, patrons line the parking lot to get pies for their holiday meals. Having grown up in central Pennsylvania's Amish country, it is a taste of home having Yoder's just a quick trip from ...

Sarasota, Florida: I got a JetTip alert for a Qatar Executive flight coming into Sarasota so we headed up north to Sarasota for some quick planespotting. Runway 14 was active at SRQ so we headed to one of my favorite spotting locations located at the dead-end of Somerset Avenue. From here you have a great vantage point of planes on short final to the runway as well as close-up shots of aircraft taxiing to the runway on Taxiway Alpha. Here is a look at what we saw during out quick stop to SRQ:  A7-CGA - Gulfstream G650ER (Qatar Executive)   N191NV - Airbus A320 (Allegiant Air)   N247NV - Airbus A320 (Allegiant Air)   N610PG - Cessna Citation III   N710PT - Cessna Citation III   N787CM - Cessna Citation V   N815AW - Airbus A319 (American Airlines)   N13718 - Boeing 737-700 (United Airlines)   N24715 - Boeing 737-700 (United Airlines)   Click on each aircraft above to be taken to the photos of the plane and be sure to follow Suncoast S...

Wauchula, Florida: As we enter Holy Week, it is important to understand the journey of Jesus and how his time in Jerusalem shapes our faith. To do this, Power and Life Productions presents Jerusalem Times, an immersive experience in which you get embedded in Jesus’s journey through live actors, animals and realistic scenes that bring the pages of the bible to life.  Your journey begins in the streets of Jerusalem. Browse the market and meet the vendors and residents. As you travel the streets soon Jesus and his disciples begin to make their way through the market. Watch as Jesus plays with the kids, delivers parables and heals the sick.  Soon Jesus invited you to the temple. As you journey to the temple, you can see the reception begin to change. You notice the condemnation towards Jesus. The Roman guards are close by keeping an eye on things and Jesus is mocked around every corner of the temple.  The journey concludes with the sentencing, death and resurrection o...

Lakeland, Florida: The airspace above Lakeland Linder International Airport came to life during the annual Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo. The annual week long airshow is the season opener for the airshow season and attracts world class pilots and hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts to Central Florida for a week of fun in the sun.  The Sun ‘n Fun Expo got its start in 1974 as a fly-in event for sport plane enthusiasts. Today the show has grown to one of the largest events in the world. It features over 500 exhibitors, static aircraft from both the civilian and military field, the top names in aerial aerobatics and demonstrations from the military top teams all for a good cause.  This year’s show took place from March 28th through August 2nd and was headlined by the US Navy Blue Angels. No two shows are alike during Sun ‘n Fun, each day provides different entertainers and different aircraft. We attended Saturday’s edition of the Sun ‘n Fun.  Saturday’s show kicked off w...

Lakeland, Florida: You don’t have to travel to Louisiana to experience some delicious New Orleans cuisine. In fact, if you are in north and central Florida, you are never just a short drive away from authentic NOLA food. The owners of Harry’s Seafood bar and Grille have been bringing the tastes of the Big Easy to the Sunshine State since 1987.  From a twenty stool bar in Jacksonville to six locations throughout the state, you are never far away from quality Cajun food. We found Harry’s on a trip to Gainesville last year and have been fans ever since! We make it a point to work a meal at Harry’s into the itinerary every chance we can. We did just that on our recent trip to Lakeland. We were headed up to shoot the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo and made sure to stop at the downtown Lakeland location for lunch before the show.  Lakeland’s location is in the heart of downtown adjacent to Munn Park and feature a full lunch and dinner menu as well as an early bird menu. My favori...