The Wandering Disciple

The tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico in Boca Grande, Florida. The beaches are part of the Gasparilla Island State Park and have several beach access along the Gulf. They are well known for great fishing and great shelling as well as their clear, warm waters. (Photo: April 6, 2008)

Florida Gulf Coast 1835 is the work-horse locomotive that powers day excursions at the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum in Parrish, Florida. The locomotive was built in 1951 and served as US Army 1835 on the Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal in North Carolina. In 1993, the Department of Defense donated the locomotive to the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad museum where it is now used to pull train enthusiasts along a six mile stretch of track. (Photo: September 18, 2005)

The sign says it all; "Caution: Rhinos have the right of way". A White Rhinoceros stands in the roadway at drive-through safari at Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Florida. Here you can come close to the wildlife during a five mile drive-through safari featuring seven different animal habitats. (Photo: September 7, 2009)

Fort Myers, Florida: Nestled between the bank of the Caloosahatchee River and the tree lined McGregor Boulevard lies the winter retreat of two of the country’s leading men who helped shaped America by creating some of the modern conveniences we use on a daily basis. The Edison and Ford Winter Estates is a collection of buildings that were once the vacation homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. It is here where the two friends took a break from the hectic world. Thomas Edison first visited Florida in 1885 to escape the cold weather from his native New Jersey. He purchased a tract of land along a cattle trail that ran into Punta Rassa. The 13 acre property along the river contained a cracker house that was a hold-over for the cattle ranchers are the moved the herd down the path. Edison purchased the property from $2750 and his Florida retreat was becoming a reality. Edison’s first major project on the property was to build his homestead in which he called the Seminole Lodge. The Semino...

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Stone Crabs came out swinging to avoid a sweep as they defeated the Palm Beach Cardinals 9-2 on Saturday night at Charlotte Sports Park. The Stone Crabs offense led by Mike Sheridan and Mark Thomas helped lead Jake Thompson to his first win of the season. Palm Beach jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. They loaded the bases with back to back singles to Adam Melker and Alan Ahmady followed by a walk to Xavier Scruggs. Rainel Rosario drove home the first run on a sac fly to score Melker. But the Stone Crabs worked out of the jam and limited the damage to just one run. The Cardinals continued the momentum into the second inning where they struck for another run. Luis Mateo struck a two-out double to center. But Mateo was injured on the play and was replaced by pinch runner Greg Garcia. Garcia scored on an RBI single by Melker to increase the lead to 2-0. The Stone Crabs battled back to take the lead in the third inning. Back to back walks by Reid ...

Sitting on the launch pad at LC-39A on a hazy afternoon at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Space Shuttle Endeavour awaits its launch for STS-130 mission to the International Space Station. This was taken two week before Endeavour's second to final flight while onboard the "Discover KSC: Today and Tomorrow" tour. The space shuttle program is scheduled to come to an end following the STS-135 mission scheduled for July 2011. (Photo: January 23, 2010)

On September 11, 2001 the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, New York were destroyed by a terrorist act. When the towers fell, much of the surrounding buildings and infrastructure was destroyed. During recovery at the site, workers found the large sphere sculpture that once stood in the plaza between the two building and it was mostly intact. It was relocated to Battery Park and now serves as a memorial for those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center. The sphere remains in the original condition it was recovered and has an eternal flame at its base. (Photo: April 27, 2004)