The Wandering Disciple

The boats in the harbor, lively music from the piazza and authentic Italian architecture as far as the eye can see, Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando spares no detail in making you feel like you have been swept away to Italy. The vibrant colors of the buildings come to life as the sun sets over the resort. (Photo: January 27, 2006)

Its a common sight in cities across the country to find the roadways jammed pack with many varieties of cars and trucks. But in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, transportation takes a different approach as many of the county residents resort to more old-fashion methods of travel, the horse and buggy. Lancaster County is home to one of the largest population of Amish residents in the country. The Amish still live their lives without many of the modern conveniences we take for granted. They still travel via Horse and Buggy just like the ancestors did. This one here is seen Route 896 just outside Strasburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo: April 23, 2004)

I was going through my in-box and it occurred to me that it has been a while since I have posted some cruise deals. Although summer tends to be a little more expensive due to summer break, there are still great deals to be found if you look around. But why spend your time looking when there is Dick Gothner of Skyscraper Tours there to get you a great deal. Dick's recent cruise deals contains over 25 sailings onboard Carnival Cruise Line consisting of several exciting itineraries. Here are three that he has highlighted: Carnival Dream sets sail on 11/26/2011 from Port Canaveral on a 7-night Western Caribbean Cruise. The ship makes stops in Cozumel, Roatan, Belize City and Costa Maya while also including two fun days at sea. Prices begin at $439. The Carnival Legend sails out of Tampa on 11/6/2011 for a 7-night Western Caribbean Cruise to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Roatan and Belize. Prices start at $419. Finally the Carnival Liberty departs the Port of Miami on 9/24/2011 for a 7-night W...

I have entered a photo of mine into a Herald-Tribune photo contest. The topic of this content is cutest pet and the winner is selected by readers/visitors of the Herald Tribune's website. You can register to vote for the photo by visiting the website by clicking here . First register an account. Then click on the vote tab and search for "My Puppy and Me" to locate the photo. The photo is in a field of over 900. The first round of the oting opens July 25 and I ask all of you to vote daily to help the photo win. Thanks for your help.

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Stone Crabs celebrated Christmas in July on Saturday night and the Stone Crabs go their gift in the form of a go-ahead triple by Brett Nommensen in the bottom of the eighth. This late game rally helped the Stone Crabs beat the Dunedin Blue Jays 3-2. The Stone Crabs took an early lead in the second inning. Mike Sheridan reached on a force out. Sheridan later scored on a single by Reid Fronk to give the Stone Crabs a 1-0 lead. The Blue Jays tied the game an inning later. Ivan Contreras singled to lead off the inning. He advanced to third on a ground out by AJ Jimenez and then later scored on a single by Kevin Ahrens to tie the game 1-1. The game would remain tied until the bottom of the eighth inning. Ty Morrison reached on a bunt single with two outs to get the rally started. Brett Nommensen then plated the go-ahead run with an RBI triple to right. Nommensen later scored on a single by Mark Thomas to give the Stone Crabs a 3-1 lead. Dunedin tried to mount a...

The Northern Crested Caracara is a bird of prey found in the falcon family. It is originally from Cuba but has migrated to South America, Central America and the Southern United States. The one seen here found in Sarasota, Florida and is a relict population of the species. They can be found in central Florida and are hold-overs from the last glacial period. Loss of habitat of the Florida population has caused them to be listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service while the remainder of the species worldwide is listed as a species of least concern. (Photo: July 18, 2011)

"> Port Charlotte, Florida: The Stone Crabs failed to pick up the sweep as they fell to the Clearwater Threshers 4-1 on Saturday night at Charlotte Sports Park. Despite the loss, the Stone Crabs won the season series 5-3. Clearwater took the lead early in the first inning. Jiwan James reached base after being hit by a pitch. James advanced to third on a throwing error as a pick-off throw by Mark Thomas sailed into center field. Jonathan Singleton then drove home the runner with an RBI single to put them ahead 1-0. The Threshers increased their lead in the third inning off a solo home run by Brian Gump to put them up 2-0. The Stone Crabs reached the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ty Morrison singled on a bunt to put a runner aboard. Morrison would later score on an RBI single by Tyler Bortnick to pull within a run of the lead 2-1. But Clearwater made up for that run in the sixth inning. Michael Dabbs singled on a line drive to lead off the inning. Dabbs then adv...