The Wandering Disciple

At Oscar Scherer State Park, Lake Osprey offers a calm, scenic escape where glassy waters reflect the surrounding pine flatwoods and open skies. This freshwater lake is a favorite for kayaking, canoeing, and catch-and-release fishing, while its quiet shoreline provides the perfect vantage point for spotting birds—including the park’s namesake osprey soaring overhead. Whether you’re paddling across the gentle surface or relaxing along the bank, Lake Osprey captures the peaceful, natural beauty that defines this hidden gem along Florida’s Gulf Coast.   Taken: February 1, 2009 at Oscar Scherer State Park (Osprey, FL)

This is much more than a heap of shells and debris, this prehistoric trash pile is a glimpse into a world hundreds of years ago. A midden is a mound of shells and trash discarded by ancient tribes and can be used to give archeologists a look into their cultures.  This midden is located at Historic Spanish Point in Osprey, Florida. Life on this bayfront oasis dates back to 300 AD and the Manasota Culture. The midden has been preserved and visitors can look though the window and see the layers of shells, tools and pottery that date back as far back as the Late Archaic period.  Taken: November 3, 2013 at Historic Spanish Point (Osprey, FL)

 A wild orange grows along a hiking trail at Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey, Florida.  The orange we consume on a regular basis, also known as a sweet orange, is not a wild fruit.  It is actually a hybrid between a mandarin and a pomelo.  It created a sweet orange which was introduced to Florida by Spanish settlers in 1565 when Pedro Menendez de Aviles settled St Augustine.  Today much of the Florida oranges are used to create orange juice sold worldwide.  (Photo: January 20, 2018)

A little campfire provides some light in the night sky. A cozy campfire is a is a great way to cap off a day of wilderness exploring at Oscar Scherer State Park, part of the Florida State Park system. Located along the west coast of Florida, Oscar Scherer is known for its population of Florida Scrub Jays, an endangered bird found in scrub habitats in Florida. The park features miles of hiking trails and a full campground. (Photo: November 12, 2016)

Slow and steady wins the race. Well this gopher tortoise wasn't racing a hare but it was racing across the hiking trail at Oscar Scherer State Park. The threatened gopher tortoise can be found throughout Florida scrub habitats like the one here at Oscar Scherer. The gopher tortoise is important to the ecosystem as its burrow system provides homes to over 300 other species of animals. That is crucial in this landscape that is controlled by fire. (Photo: March 8, 2014)

Today the classic portal overlooks the lush green landscape of Historic Spanish Point. But in the era of Bertha Palmer, this portal once framed a view of bayside oasis of Webb's Cove. Bertha Palmer was not the only person attracted to this tropical oasis, in fact the land of Historic Spanish Point has been home to people for over 5,000 years. (Photo: November 3, 2013)

The slow and tranquil waters of the South Creek as it passes under an oak tree inside Oscar Scherer State Park.  The South Creek flows into the park from nearby Dryman Bay and provides the park with much needed life.  The creek is the center of life in the park, it is a source of drinking water for the animals of the park, home to the aquatic residents, a source of recreation for the park's visitors and a great photo op for photographers.  (Photo: November 8, 2009)

A nice stroll through the mangrove woods at Historic Spanish Point leads to this charming little pioneer church.  Mary's Chapel is a recreation of the pioneer era church that served the families that lived on this coastal property in the mid 1800's through early 1900's.  Today, the pioneer heritage is preserved at Historic Spanish Point and you can walk the very footsteps of the pioneers and take a glimpse into early Sarasota life.  (Photo: November 3, 2013)

An orb glows brightly along the Cock's Footbridge at Historic Spanish Point.  Each October, the grounds open at night for a ghost hunting tour in which museum curators take guests on a walk of the sprawling grounds and tell the haunted history of  Historic Spanish Point.  Orbs, mysterious music, shadows and hyperactive EVP's have all been experienced on the guided tour.  (Photo: October 25, 2013)

It has been a hectic few days here in Southwest Florida thanks to Hurricane Irma.  I have been away from the site as a result of the storm prep and increased workload at the my primary job with the fire department.  While the area was sparred catastrophic damage thanks to the last minute weakening of the Irma, there is still substantial damage statewide.  For us, we had minor damage (roof leak/damage in garage, siding peeled off the exterior, fence detroyed, tree split in half and flooding in living room/bedroom, no power for 2 days), there are plenty more in much worse condition.  Please consider helping Floridians recover if you can, there are plenty of volunteer organization and fundraisers established to help the efforts.  A big thanks goes out the all the fire/EMS, law enforcement, county/city/state federal assets and utlity workers helping with the recovery efforts.  These folks are sacrificing time with their families to ensure we get back on our f...

Osprey, Florida: After almost a year hiatus from camping, we pulled the gear back out for a weekend camping trip at Oscar Scherer State Park. Since this was the first trip in a while, we stayed close to home to home to make sure we could work the kinks out of our gear and set-up before embarking on longer adventures. Oscar Scherer is a good choice for us because of its close proximity to the house. It makes for a quick and easy weekend trip. This is actually our third camping trip here. While this was not out first camping trip, it felt like it. It has been a little while and our first trying to fit the gear in a car rather than an SUV. I am glad we didn’t bring the dogs because I don’t think we would have had enough room. Despite not having room for the dogs, the 2017 Hyundai Elantra fit more gear than I had expected. We were able to pack all of our regular camping gear and still comfortably seat our family of 3. Since we did not have the dogs, we were assigned a cam...

Osprey, Florida: For the third straight year, we went to Historic Spanish Point for their annual Ghost Hunting Tour. Life at Spanish Point dates back over 5,000 years and in turn has plenty of opportunities to have paranormal experiences. A little but of procrastination combined with a busy schedule almost caused us to miss this year’s event. But we managed to get booked on the 7pm tour. While I was a little worried that it would be a little too bright still at the beginning of the tour, it turned out to be dark at just the right time. Shortly after seven, our group led by our tour guide Kara set off on a journey through the haunted history of Historic Spanish Point. For much of the night, our paranormal phone app was relatively quiet which is unusual for Spanish Point. In the past, our app would be going off like crazy but tonight it seemed to not be as active. Even the stop at the Guptil House did not provide any hits on the app like in other visits. It wasn’t until...

A scrub jay stands on guard at Oscar Scherer State Park. The park is one of the few places where you can get close to a colony of Florida Scrub Jays, a species in the decline due to the development of scrub habitats in Florida. (Photo: March 8, 2014)

The Guptill House overlooking the bay at Historic Spanish Point was the home of one of Sarasota County’s pioneer family. At Spanish Point, you can explore the history of the region from American Indian, to pioneer, to socialites in a relaxing walking trail along the bay. (Photo: November 3, 2013)

The bright blue waters of Lake Osprey at Oscar Scherer State Park are a popular spot at this suburban park located just south of Sarasota.  The man made lake is open for swimming to help cool down from the hot Florida sun.  (Photo: November 8, 2009)

Osprey, Florida: As be get closer to Halloween, our tour of historic haunts continued with a ghost tour in our own backyard. We have been looking forward for the Spanish Point Ghost Hunting Tour for over a year. After our experiences last year, which you can read about here , we could barely hold back the anticipation for this year's tour. Historic Spanish Point is a thirty acre historical preserve located along Sarasota Bay.  The grounds feature over 5,000 years of history dating back to the Native American, through the pioneers of the late 1800's and eventually ending with the Palmer family in early 1900's.  With so many era's living on the property, it is only fitting that Spanish Point would be rich with paranormal activity. We booked the middle tour at 7:30.  The sun just set over the bay and the bats were flying overhead, setting the stage for a great tour.  We met our group of thirty people at the gazebo and set out for the tour. The first stop ...

A Florida Scrub Jay sits in the brush at Oscar Scherer State Park.  The Florida Scrub Jay is a threatened species found in scrub habitat throughout Florida.  Development throughout Florida is causing destruction of the scrub jay habitat, resulting in their threatened status.  (Photo: March 8, 2014)

Cock's Footbridge spans Webbs Cove at Historic Spanish Point in Osprey. Historic Spanish Point is a 30-acre environmental, archaeological, and historical site located along Little Sarasota Bay. (Photo: November 3, 2013)

Two juvenile bald eagles soar above Oscar Scherer State Park.  There are two active eagle nests within the state park. One of the nests is visible from the Green Trail and there is an observation station there to watch the nest activity from a distance.  (Photo: March 8, 2014)

A gopher tortoise searches for food along the Green Trail at Oscar Scherer State Park.  The 1,500 acre state park is home to many species of animals including the gopher tortoise and the threatened Florida Scrub Jay.  (Photo: March 8, 2014)