The Wandering Disciple

Sarasota, Florida: Last night we spent the night camping at Oscar Scherer State Park.  After waking up, we took a drive around the park to evaluate the wildlife scene and it was very quiet so we decided to take the short drive to a personal favorite, Myakka River State Park. The drive out to the park was very eventful.  We saw eagles, kingfishers and much more activites.  The amount of activity we saw on the way into the park further solidified our decision to head to Myakka. The cooler weather has brought the park to life.  The river level has receded and the wading birds were in full force.  In addition, the skies were busy with birds of prey making today a huge success. The alligators have also returned in large numbers with 20+ seen today. Here is a list of what we saw on today's trip: American Alligator Bald Eagle  Belted Kingfisher Black Crowned Night Heron Double Creasted Cormorant Little Blue Heron Gray Squirrel Great Blue Heron G...

A Great Blue Heron and a Double Creasted Cormorant look for food in the Upper Myakka Lake at Myakka River State Park.  The cooler weather has brought the park back to life with birds and wildlife around every bend.  (Photo: November 13, 2016)

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...

I would like to thank all the Veterans who have served our country.  I am forever grateful for your selfless service toward ensuring our freedoms and protecting our liberties.  Thank-you.  (Photo: November 3, 2012)

Many people refer to Miami as the New York City of the south and if that analogy is true that would make the Freedom Tower Miami's equivlant to the Statue of Liberty.  Originaly built to house the Miami News, the Freedom Tower is known more for its role in welcoming refugees fleeing Cuban.  The towering building in downtown Miami was the first stop for the Cubans as they sought a new life in the US.  (Photo: April 23, 2010)

A full moon rises over Boca Grande as the sunshine gives way to the moonlight.  (Photo: March 27, 2010)

A reminder to the roots of Florida can be find in the quaint Spanish village at the South Florida Museum.  Here you can follow the footstep of Hernando DeSoto and see what life was like in a Spanish village.  There are many Spanish influences found in the Sarasota/Bradenton region thanks to the DeSoto settlers. (Photo: February 14, 2010)