It’s the end of February here in Port Charlotte, Fla., which means 2011 Spring Training Season for the Tampa Bay Rays is in full swing at the Charlotte Sports Park. Since Monday was President’s Day and I had the day off, I spent the morning watching players practice, chatting with fans and constantly looking up when players as Manny Ramirez took the batting cage and balls were flying into the spectator area. I was speaking with a fan who had brain surgery in December and I was really worried she’d take one in the head. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.
Honestly, I’m not really a baseball fan but love the energy around spring training. Enjoy these snapshots.
Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training, Feb. 21, 2011
Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training, Feb. 21, 2011
David Price Signs Autographs for Fans, Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training, Feb. 21, 2011
Fan Asks Evan Longoria for a Ball, Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training, Feb. 21, 2011
Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon at Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training, Port Charlotte, Fla., Feb. 21, 2011
Jennifer A. Huber is an award-winning travel and outdoor blogger and writer in Southwest Florida. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., a hiking trail led her to a career path in the tourism industry for more than 30 years. She spent a decade with a park management company in Yellowstone, Death Valley, and Everglades National Parks. She founded the travel blog, SoloTravelGirl.com with the goal of inspiring others to travel alone, not lonely.
The unexpected death of her former husband in 2008 reminded her how short life is. His passing was a catalyst for sharing her experiences with the goal of inspiring and empowering others to travel solo.
Jennifer holds a Travel Marketing Professional certification from the Southeast Tourism Society, is a certified food judge, member of the NASA Social community, and alum of the FBI Citizens Academy. When not traveling, she is either in the kitchen, practicing her photography skills, or road tripping with her dog, Radcliff.
Step into another world to learn about Florida’s sea life during a nighttime seagrass wading trip into Lemon Bay with the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center in Englewood, Fla.
Some people choose to run with the bulls. I chose to swim with the bull sharks! My experience with Florida Shark Diving out of Jupiter, Fla., was JAWESOME! I needed a little adrenaline rush in my life and this trip on April 1, 2023, yes, April Fool’s Day, was perfect.
