The Wandering Disciple

Port Charlotte, Florida: Professional baseball has returned to Charlotte County with the inaugural spring training game for the Tampa Bay Rays. The memories of 2008 filled the stadium as the American League Championship trophy was on display in the team store, the championship flag was raised in left field and the roster was stocked full of the players that made the championship run possible. But unfortunately the Rays fell to the Cincinnati Reds 7-0 in the opening day of spring training. Cincinnati broke the scoreless tie in the fifth inning. Ramon Hernandez, Jacque Jones and Willy Taveras singled to load the bases for the Reds. Then Jerry Hairston Jr. cleared the bases with a grand slam. Adam Rosales then reached base on an error to put another runner aboard. Darnell McDonald drove Rosales home with a single to center, giving Cincinnati a 5-0 lead. The Reds posted two more runs in the ninth inning. Daryle Ward singled to center with two outs to get things started. Then Adam ...

St. Petersburg, Florida: The Tampa Bay Rays are a major league baseball team in St. Petersburg. They play in the East Division of the America League. The team entered the league as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as part of the 1998 league expansion. The club plays its home games at Tropicana Field, one of the last few remaining dome stadiums in the league. The Devil Rays played their first game on March 31, 1998 at Tropicana Field against the Detroit Tigers. Then they reached another major milestone in 1999 when Wade Boggs collected his 3,000th career hit on August 7th. The Devil Rays struggles through the early years, finishing in last place of the division every year of existence until 2004. In 2004 the club finished 70-91 and in fourth place of the division, a first for both (first time winning over 70 games and first time not finishing in last place). But the club returned to its usual basement dwelling the following season and remained there for the next few years. Following the ...

Port Charlotte, Florida: Charlotte Sports Park is a baseball stadium located in Port Charlotte, Florida. The 7,000 spectator stadium is home to the Tampa Bay Rays and Charlotte Stone Crabs. Originally built in 1988, Ranger Stadium was the spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Florida State League Charlotte Rangers. The complex saw many historical moments in baseball during its time with the Rangers including the signing of Alex Rodriguez, Michael Jordan playing baseball for the White Sox and the announcement of Nolan Ryan’s retirement. At the end of the 2001 season, the Texas Rangers determined that the stadium could no longer accommodate their operations and moved the team to Arizona. The stadium was renamed Charlotte County Stadium following the relocation of the Rangers. The stadium remained without a professional team for several years. During this time, it played host to amateur baseball, concerts and fairs. In 2007, the stadium became home to sanction baseball once ...

Washington, DC: Located outside the National Gallery of Art on the National Mall lies the Sculpture Garden. The garden is a mix of artwork and native plants that makes it a tranquil setting amongst the hustle and bustle of busy DC. Opened in 1999, the gardens is home to the Gallery of Art’s contemporary sculpture collection. The seventeen exhibits are scattered among six acres of native American trees, flowers and shrubbery. In addition to the permanent sculptures, the gardens are also homes to several exhibitions throughout the year. The centerpiece of the Sculpture Gardens is the water fountain. The fountain offers a place for guests to sit and relax while enjoying the wonderful views the gardens have to offer. During the winter, the fountain doubles as an outdoor ice skating rink. There is also a café inside the fences of the garden. The Pavilion Café is opened year round and offers views of the gardens along with a menu consisting of sandwiches, salads and more. For more...

Washington, DC: On the south side of the National Mall lies the most popular of the Smithsonian Institute’s museums. Accommodating over nine million visitors annually, the National Air and Space Museum is home to over 50,000 aviation related artifacts ranging from helmets to actual aircraft and rockets. The museum’s existence began by an act of Congress in 1946 declaring the need for a national museum to house the growing aviation collection. President Harry Truman singed the act into law, establishing the National Air Museum as a branch of the Smithsonian Institute. During the early days of the museum, the exhibits were housed in the Smithsonian Arts and Sciences building. In 1948, the museum received possession of the 1903 Wright Brothers Flyer, the keystone of aviation history. The aircraft collection continued to grow and in 1958 President Dwight Eisenhower approved the planning of a new facility. It wasn’t until 1972 before Congress approved the funding to construct the faci...

Washington, DC: President’s Day marked the final day of our Washington DC Trip. The day began with me taking a solo stroll through the National Mall, photographing the monuments along the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Along the way, I stopped by the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. The fact that I was already walking for over an hour and my family was waiting for me to return with breakfast kept me from finishing the circle through the remainder of the monuments. After breakfast, we toured the hotel and the museum inside the hotel prior to checking out of our room. We checked our baggage at the hotel so we could make a few more stops before flying out of town in the evening. We hailed a cab and took the ten minute cab ride over to the National Air and Space Museum. The three story museum had exhibits from throughout the history of flight both on earth and in space. The museum was definitely a hit for our son. After finishing the museum, we cro...

Washington, DC: Madame Tussauds in the heart of downtown Washington brings history to life. Here guests can mingle beside a mix of historical figures and current celebrities along with a few interactive exhibits along the way. The story of Madame Tussaud begins in France during the late 1700’s. Tussaud learned wax working from Dr. Philippe Curtius. She created her first wax figure in 1777, a figure of Voltaire. She continued to create figures of many prominent Revolution era citizens. The death of her mentor led to the creation of the traveling museum as she hit the road with to works created by her and Dr. Curtius. Tussaud established her first permanent museum in London in 1835. Marie Tussaud passed away in 1850 and the control of the collection went to her family. Today there are museums in Amsterdam, Berlin, Hollywood, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Shanghai and Washington, DC. The Washington DC museum opened to the public in 2007. The vast majority of the exhibits on dis...