The Wandering Disciple

St Petersburg, Florida: Located in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, the Florida Holocaust Museum is one of the largest institutions of its kind in the United States, dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and educating future generations about the dangers of hatred and intolerance. Founded in 1992 by Holocaust survivors Walter and Edith Lobenberg, the museum has grown into a deeply moving cultural and educational destination that encourages visitors to reflect on history while promoting a more compassionate future.  Overview of the Museum  The museum’s core exhibit, “History, Heritage, and Hope,” takes visitors on a chronological journey through the Holocaust, beginning with the roots of antisemitism and continuing through the rise of Nazi Germany, World War II, and eventual liberation. The experience is largely self-guided, allowing visitors to move at their own pace while engaging with photographs, personal artifacts, and survivor testimonies.  One o...

Quick, grab the hydrant and stretch a line. At Engine Company 15, kids get a chance to become firefighters for the day from gearing up to working the hose line.  Engine Company 15 is just of the realistic play areas at Great Explorations Children's Museum in St Petersburg. Here kids learn through play with hands-on science and technology themed exhibits and life like vocations like the fire station, a Publix grocery store, a restaurant, veterinary office and more.  Taken: December 22, 2007 at Great Explorations (St Petersburg, FL)

The fishing vessel Rolling Tide heads under the Sunshine State Skyway on its way out to sea. Fishing vessels like these make a living bring fresh seafood from the Gulf to your plate. Ships like this are a common sight on the gulf coast of Florida. On this particular passing, there were three fishing vessels headed out to the Gulf of Mexico from Tampa Bay. (Photo: April 29, 2020)

A drive down Bayshore Drive in St Petersburg is one of the most beautiful drives in the Tampa Bay area. From the colorful waters of Tampa Bay, the vibrant shops and restaurants of downtown and the shady oasis of the many city parks, a drive along this stretch of roadway offers something for everyone. Spanning the eastern edge of the city along Tampa Bay, this drive is listed as a Scenic Drive. Once a year, the southern portion of the drive pictured here becomes part of the Grand Prix of St Petersburg Indycar street circuit. (Photo: August 28, 2021)

Like a work of art coming to life, this bench seems to bring to life a Salvador Dali masterpiece in the heart of St Pete. St Petersburg is home to The Dali Museum, the second largest collection of artwork in the world by the surrealist painter. While there are hundreds of masterpieces on the gallery walls inside the museum, there are plenty of Dali influences around the grounds as well like this bench and even the building itself. (Photo: August 28, 2021)

St Petersburg, Florida: When it comes to surrealism art, there is no one more renowned than Salvador Dali.  In the course of his career, Dali created more than 1,500 works of art with some of them being among the most known masterpieces in the art community.  While his works are displayed in art museums across the globe there are two museums dedicated solely to his work, the Dali Theatre-Museum in his hometown of Figueres, Spain and The Dali Museum right here in St Petersburg, Florida.    Located in the art district along the St Pete waterfront, the Dali Museum is a work of art in itself.  This iconic waterfront landmark may be the vision of the museum now, the collection was not always displayed here. It got its start in an Ohio family's private collection in the 1940's. The collection that is now on display in St Pete started when Reynolds and Eleanor Morse attended an art exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art which showcased works by Dali. The purchase...

During a period of devastating hurricanes over the Florida Keys, the Sand Key lighthouse suffered catastrophic damage and was almost lost to the seas. But thanks to the hard work of keeper Joshua Appleby, the lighthouse was rebuilt and fortified and continued to stand as a beacon to ships passing through the Keys. But Appleby lost his battle to hurricanes in 1846 when the Great Havana Hurricane swept him, his daughter and his grandson out to sea. To pay tribute to Appleby, the Coast Guard commissioned the Cutter Joshua Appleby in his honor in 1998. The USCGC Joshua Appleby is a 175 foot Keeper-class cutter that is one of the most technological advanced ships in the Coast Guard fleet. Based out of St Petersburg, this ship is responsible to maintaining over 400 aids to navigation from on the west coast of Florida from Tampa Bay to the Florida Keys. (Photo: August 30, 2021)

In the early 1900's, mascots on the radiators of cars were becoming a popular fashion trend. In an effort of maintaining a classy look on the iconic Rolls-Royce, one of the designers Claude Johnson decided to have a dignified mascot created for the Rolls-Royce. The Spirit of Ecstasy was is a sculpture created by Charles Robinson Sykes and features a woman that appears to be flying. The final product was given to Rolls-Royce in February 1911 and initially became an add-on option for the car but by 1920 it was a standard feature of all Rolls-Royce cars. While the ornament may have evolved over the years since, it still remains one of the most iconic features of this classy sedan. This particular mascot comes from an exhibit at The Dali Museum in St Petersburg entitled "Rainy Day Rolls", a modern day take of Dali's iconic rainy day taxi. (Photo: August 28, 2021)

In the shadows of the downtown skyline, Boyd Hill Nature Preserve provides an wilderness oasis in the hustle and bustle of city life.  Located on the banks of Lake Maggiore, the nature preserve provides hiking trails where you can spot some of Florida native wildlife.  (Photo: December 29, 2018)

The Tampa Bay region has become united to support the hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers on their quest to win the Super Bowl. From signs in downtown Tampa, murals in St Pete and the Bucs colors shining bright on the Sunshine Skyway; the whole Bay area is showing support for the home team. The iconic Sunshine Skyway was outfitted with LED lighting about a year ago to celebrate holidays and special occasions like tonight's support of the Buccaneers. (Photo: January 24, 2021).

The joke has always been that Florida has one season, summer.  While the snow may stay away and the temperatures are usual mild, if you look closely you can see some signs of seasons.  Unlike most of the country that sees leaves turn colors in the Fall, you will see reds and oranges in the foliage during Winter.  These colors are seen along the boardwalk at Sawgrass Lakes Park in St Petersburg.  (Photo: December 15, 2018)

Good luck to the Tampa Bay Rays as they continue their quest for the World Series Title tonight in Game One of the World Series.  The American League champs take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a best of seven series at Globe Life Field, a neutral site due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  This is the second time in franchise history that the Rays have made it all the way to the World Series.  (Photo: September 30, 2017)

The Sunshine Skyway bridge is an icon of the Tampa Bay region.  Spanning the mouth of Tampa Bay and connecting the mainland of Manatee County with the peninsula of Pinellas County, the bridge is more than just a landmark.  It provides commuters with a direct route route across the bay without having to circumnavigate the expansive bay.  There have actually been two bridges at this site.  The original bridge suffered a fatal collapse as a result of being hit by a barge in 1980 during bad weather.  The surviving portions of this bridge service as a fishing pier operated by the Florida State Parks.  The current bridge opened in in 1987 and services almost 60,000 cars a day.  (Photo: February 10, 2018)

Boats line the docks of the St Petersburg Marina in downtown.  Surrounded by water, boating and water sports are a popular recreation in this city by the bay.  The yacht basin downtown is just one of the many marinas located in the city where you can embark on your fun day on the water.  (Photo: October 30, 2018)

St Petersburg, Florida: On the way back from the zoo, I checked Flightradar to see if there was anything good coming in to TPA or PIE as we passed them on the way back home. The search of TPA yielded nothing exciting but when I looked at PIE, it showed an Allegiant inbound within the hour featuring Aeroflot livery from when it was added to the Allegiant fleet in February. So we headed over there only to find the location I spotted from before was not helpful due to Runway 18/36 being closed. There was one plane on approach and I tried it from this location, however it was a little to far away and the fence was a factor. We needed a new spot.  After scouting the area a bit, it appeared that the west end of the parking lot of the Hampton Inn would be a good spot. But this was going to be a make or break shot as there was no test aircraft and the next incoming would be the one I was trying to get. Well good news/bad news, the spot was perfect however the plane had already gotte...

Take a glimpse inside the clubhouse of the Tampa Bay Rays. Located under the stands of Tropicana Field, this is the home of the Rays. Rays greats from past to present have called this clubhouse their home during the regular season. During Rays Fan Fest, fans can take a tour of the clubhouse and see what life like a major leaguer is like. (Photo: February 4, 2017)

A lone box car fills up the rotunda of the Florida Holocaust Museum as a solemn reminder of a dark era in World history. This was the final journey for many persecuted Jews as they met their fate at Hitler’s concentration camps. It is a painful but necessary reminder to make sure these heinous acts are never conducted again. (Photo: September 23, 2016)

The Tampa Bay Rays sport their Sunday blues for a home game against Toronto in 2016. But this season, the Sunday blues takes a new meaning as Major League Baseball has yet to take to the field for a game due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season was put on hold during spring training and has yet to resume almost one month into the regular season. (Photo: September 4, 2016)

A full moon rises over downtown St Petersburg following a Tampa Bay Rays game. While the stadium may be quiet due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the moon continues to rise as a reminder that everything will be alright. (Photo: August 19, 2016)

Navy Midshipman Malcom Perry takes it 52 yards to the end zone for a fourth quarter touchdown in the 2020 East-West Shrine Bowl held at Tropicana Field. The annual college football all-star game featured a 31-27 win for the east coast squad. This annual event in its 95th season not only showcases some of the top college football candidates for the NFL draft, it benefits the Shriner's Hospital for Children. (Photo: January 18, 2020)