St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest city in the United States. Now get ready for the qualifiers. Established in 1565 by Spanish explorers, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited, European-established settlement in the contiguous United States. Despite all that, the old world charm of the city is unmatched! This post will talk about a few of my favorite sites to see while in St. Augustine.

April in central Florida may generate thoughts of Spring Break, beaches, sun and fun but the last two are what brings 200,000+ people to Lakeland, FL for Florida’s largest convention. The Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo is the Mecca for everyone from aviation enthusiasts to kids. Serving as “Aviation’s Season Opener,” it is “Spring Break for Pilots” and so much more. Whether you are looking to watch amazing aerial demonstrations by the nation’s best pilots, climb through the incredible warbirds or meander through what seems like miles of aviation vendors, Sun ‘n Fun has it all!

One of the greatest things about Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, FL is the interactions with the flying community. If you have never attended a fly-in, I would highly suggest it over an air show. It is absolutely the best place to see so many different types of aircraft in one location.

The year was 1920 and the world looked very different than it does today - and at the same time it was eerily familiar. World War I had just taken 100,000 lives and the flu pandemic another 650,000 but it was the beginning of a new decade. The decade that would popularize art deco and become known as the roaring twenties. In September of 1920, my grandfather, my dad’s dad was born. In September of 2020, we would celebrate his 100th birthday!

The Embassy Suites by Hilton in Deerfield Beach is a great place to relax and spend a few days at the beach. It is close enough to all of the excitement to still partake in that south Florida life if you choose. It is also just far enough to allow you to just relax by the pool if that is what you are looking for.

The Coronavirus pandemic has really put a damper on travel both domestically and around the world this year. Being someone who loves travel and does so a lot, I have felt like something was missing in my life for the past few months. So, as soon as the opportunity arose to travel to Florida, we took it.

One of the most spectacular spots to visit in Central Florida has nothing to do with a mouse or a theme park - it is a hole in the ground - literally. The collapsed sink hole affectionately know as the Devil's Den has increased in popularity of the last few years, as many sites have, due to Instagram.

Growing up in Florida I have seen so many launches, from rockets to the space shuttle, but it never gets old. I was fortunate enough to be there for work during the first operational launch of the Falcon 9 Heavy. After a delay and then a scrub on the first attempt, I was able to make it back for the next night and the actual launch.

Rocket launches are one of the toughest things to photograph but also one of the most rewarding to photograph. One of the biggest challenges is timing and that starts with the launch itself. Some times you can travel great distances and make sacrifices to arrive at your perfect location, the weather may cooperate but in the end, the rocket may not launch. The launch is scrubbed. This happened to me on the most recent SpaceX Falcon 9 Heavy launch from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.