The Wandering Disciple

Largo, Florida: A hidden gem in heart of Pinellas County, the Florida Botanical Gardens is a great escape to walk along bright colorful gardens and see Florida wildlife at its finest. The lush gardens in Largo are great for traveling on a budget as admission is free. This garden rivals the neighboring pay-to-visit gardens and if you time your visit right, you can visit the neighboring Historical Village which is also free. No two visits to the gardens are the same as there is always something new in bloom. Click on the photo above to see more photos from the garden by visiting my Florida Botanical Gardens photo gallery .

Firefighters from the Largo Fire Department operated a master stream from the aerial during a large commercial fire.  When a fire scene becomes too dangerous for firefighters to operate from within the structure, the call for defensive attack is made by the incident commander.  At that point, master streams like this one become the only way of fighting the fire.  (Photo: June 15, 2019)

A honeybee is one of the hardest working insects in the animal world. Flying from one plant to another, these little pollinators are responsible for the beautiful flowers and tasty fruits that we enjoy. While some view them as pests, look past that sting and see that without bees we would not have some of our favorite things. (Photo: April 21, 2019)

Wanted…John Herbert Dillinger. Long before television, local law enforcement and the FBI needed a way to alert the public of wanted fugitives. This was done by posting wanted posters like this in local post offices. The post office was the town hub where residents would go to get mail and was usually home to the town’s telegraph which could be used to message the authorities if a fugitive was found. This wanted posted is on display at the HC Smith Store located at the Pinellas County Heritage Village. (Photo: April 21, 2019)

The quaint coastal town of Tarpon Springs was built on Greek immigrants and the sponging industry.   After moving to Tarpon Springs, they reinvented the industry and put Tarpon Springs and sponging on the map.   Today you can see this industry in action at Tarpon Springs or learn more about it at the Pinellas County Heritage Village where this sponging warehouse is part of the historical village highlighting Pinellas County’s rich history.   (Photo: March 16, 2019)

Largo, Florida: The sunshine state, a state of perpetual tropical weather. The lack of cold winter and freezes makes it an ideal place to grow a garden and because of its location in the tropics, the gardens support a wide array of flora and fauna. That is what you will find at the Florida Botanical Gardens. Here you can find bright colorful flowers, thriving fruit trees and even a succulent or two…who doesn’t like a good succulent. The Florida Botanical Gardens was established to help educate both residents and visitors about the natural resources in our environment. In addition to enjoying or in my case photographing the gardens, you can also learn how you can plant and sustain a beautiful Florida friendly yard. Visitors to the garden can get lost in the over 10,000 plants found within the garden. The gardens are quite large, thirty acres to be exact. It is separated into two sections, the east gardens and the west gardens with McKay Creek separating the two. The west gar...