Plant Photo: Goya or Bitter Melon

It's Actually a Fruit

This monster is hanging just outside my kitchen door, along with half a dozen others.

They look something like bumpy cucumbers but, these babies got some powerful kick.

This happens to be my first year, attempting to grow my own. Well, the wife's growing them.

I'm just the guy responsible for constructing the net, they hang from.

The Goya is plentiful on Okinawa and, I probably eat them 5 times a week.

Also known as Bitter Melon, Bitter Squash and Bitter Gourd, in Okinawa it's just Goya.

The scientific community, would call it, Momordica charantia. That's a sweet name.

Folks in China and Okinawa cook this in stir fry dishes and, it's healthy food.

Tofu, pork and even good old USA Spam or bacon are some of the ingredients in the recipe.

Not really a cook, I am a big fan of the meal called Goya Champuru.

The wife, knows the recipe and, all the secret ingredients added to the dish.

Lately, I've been getting Facebook messages, asking for the recipe. My wife's is the best.

For now, try some of Just Hungry's recipes and, see if you like the meal.

Someday if, you email me, I might show you another secret ingredient the woman adds.

This Sweetheart of the Month Could Be Lady of the Year

She Knows the Secret to Longevity

 

 

Going through the photo files today, I decided to try something different.

Not being a portrait photographer, I take lots of photos, when I do this sort of thing.

Then, select the best one for printing and, throw the rest away.

 But, I happen to like this gal's smile so, I experimented.

The Auto Awesome rules say, you have to upload 5 or more similar photos.

So, I gave them six and, waited, to see what would happen.

That Auto Awesomenator Dude must like her smiles just as much as I do.

That's where today's images were created.

Researchers Spent Years Studying Okinawan Longevity

 

 

Some Doctors from Canada even wrote a book about the Okinawan diet.

It's around here, somewhere.

There isn't enough time in the day for me to be cooking.

So, I quit reading the book.

But, I do remember, they said lots of things about diet.

And, the climate, exercise, lifestyle and social networks.

Social networks, back in those days, didn't mean Facebook and Twitter.

They weren't invented, yet.

They were talking about real people, with hands, legs and, faces, who talk to each other.

You know, without one of them little computer things held next to their ear.

Real people who talk to you and smile with the lips on their face.

The Secret to Longevity in Okinawa

 

 

It might have something to do with, living a long time.

If you get a chance, go visit Yohena's Hydrangea Garden in Motobu, Okinawa.

Don't be bothering my sweetheart with questions about the big secret.

That's because, if she were to tell you, it wouldn't be a secret, anymore !

How to Create A Motion GIF with Google+ Auto Awesome

Recently Published Photos and a Little RyukyuMike Secret

My favorite, of five photos published this week at YAHOO.COM is this one.

That's just because, ahem-ahum, I sneaked one of my favorite granddaughters in there. Hah !

Then, a few hours ago, this Coconut Crab grabbed some exposure over at

ENVIRONMENTAL GRAFFITI

I opened up my Adobe Elements and flipped the photos over so they face the other way.

And, what I'll do next is put them on Flickr.

Then make links back to the nice folks who published them for me.

That's one of the little secrets a Blogger can use to reach a million views.

There are a bunch more ways to get there. 

But, they have to stay secret awhile longer.

Here's My Secret Recipe For A Cold and Miserable, Cloudy Day (Photo)

The secret is this:  Look for the bright spot in a photo.

What were you expecting, me to give away some secret recipe of mine ?

HAH !

The thought had crossed my mind.  And, I know there are lots of folks who go online looking for recipes.  I do it myself, sometimes and find some mouthwatering-looking stuff.

Guaranteed, if you type the words "Secret" and "Recipe" into a search engine, you'd find something like almost a frazillion recipes you never heard of before.

So, I was thinking about doing a series of my secret recipes, someday.

There's a few problems with that, though.

I never measure stuff.

I don't write anything down when I do it.

If I wanted to put tomatoes in the mix but, didn't have any

I substitute with anything red like, red peppers, a bottle of ketchup or anything else red I can find.

There's a habit I developed over the years of eating the food

and forgetting to take pictures of it.

The biggest problem of all would be, say if I posted my 1001 secret-ways-of-cooking-beans recipes

THEY WOULDN'T BE SECRETS, ANYMORE !

So, all I'm giving away for now is my secret recipe for a cold and miserable, cloudy day.

Then, I'm heading home to make my secret remedy-for-a-cold recipe.

It involves some chicken soup, a whole can of chicken (to make up for what they forgot to put in the soup), some garlic, onions, corn, celery, pepper, eggs, whole wheat bread and a pinch of alcohol.  Maybe, some potato chips, too.

Just in case you haven't already guessed, my first, wicked cold of the year has arrived.

Culinary Institute people snooping around here, GIT !

Goina make my chicken soup and go back to bed.

The bright spot in that photo will be here for me tomorrow.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: LADY LIBERTY

Flower: Sakura (桜) Okinawa, Japan (Photo) and a Little Secret

Sakura (桜) is the Japanese word for Cherry Blossom. Yesterday I posted a blog entry about my trip up Nago Mountain in Okinawa, Japan to get some photos in my collection of the Cherryblossom Festival.

To my surprise, over 6,000 people viewed that blog !  It's going to take all day for me to reply to the tons of emails I recieved so, today's post will just be a quickie.

Now, I don't know if the sudden popularity was because someone likes my warped sense of humor or people just like to see photos of Cherry Blossoms.

A little secret I'll let you in on: I usually don't put my best photos on my blog.  The best of the best don't go on the internet, anywhere. I hide stuff like that under my futon.

But, today I'm putting one of my favorites here for you to see. I'll probably enter it in a contest, too.

If 6,000 people view this I really won't care what the contest judges think of my photography. Hah !

But, if you like it and they do, too I'll be tickled pinker than a Sakura (桜) up on the mountains of Okinawa, Japan !

Visit my Homepage for THE PHOTO OF THE DAY