Don't Just Go for a Ride. Get Out and Shoot Some Stuff !

Today a few friends and I piled in a car and got out of town.  It was looking like the sun might shine, finally, after what seems like weeks of clouds and rain.

Head north.  That was the only plan we had because there was a rumor going around, that's where the sun was going to shine, all day long.  Well, we weren't just going for a joy ride.  We wanted to shoot our cameras.  Shootin' out of a car window isn't much fun.  So, we stopped a lot and got off the beaten path.

Up in the northern areas of Okinawa there must be thousands of places the average citizen doesn't even know about.  Every time I go up there,  I find something I've never seen before.  And I shoot it.

Once in awhile the wind blows clouds in over our island.

That's when we hop back in the car and take the bridge to somebody else's island.

Because we didn't take the car along just to ride.  We wanted to go shoot some stuff.

And we did.

NOTE:  For the Christmas Holidays SANTA GIRL WILL BE FEATURED ON MY HOMEPAGE

THE PHOTO OF THE DAY MAY BE VIEWED HERE

Sunday's Silly Sign (Photo) DEC 18, 2011 Please Don't Break !

This Sunday's Silly Sign was discovered when I went to the men's room to ahem, ahum, fix my hair at one of the finer drinking establishments in town.

This Please Don't Break sign,

I'm not sure if it was installed too early, or too late.

But, I thought it kinda added to the atmosphere of the joint.

I went back and grabbed my camera to snap this photo.

There doesn't appear to be any copyright or trademark visible anywhere.

So, feel free to borrow the idea if you ever want to add some class to your powder room !

SEE MORE SUNDAY'S SILLY SIGNS IN THE DOOZIES

VISIT MY WESBITE FOR THE PHOTO OF THE DAY

Wildlife Photo: Moray Eel (Gymnothorax sp) by Shawn Miller

Moray Eels may be found hiding in rocks and coral reefs throughout most of the tropics and there about 200 different species ranging in size from 4.5 inches (11.5cm) all the way up to 9.8 feet (3 meters) of the Giant Moray.

This character, photographed by Shawn Miller, was at a depth of 15 feet shortly after 7PM on Dec 14, 2001.

   He took the shot using a Nikon D90 with an Ikelite housing and strobe light.

Check out this photo and all of Shawn's photorgaphy at

OKINAWA NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY ON FLICKR

Moray Eels get a bad rap because the film industry likes to portray them as viscious man eating animals.  The truth is they are really timid and would rather hide from you than chew your arms and legs off.

They are carnivorous, eating mostly other fish, crustaceans and mollusks but, if you go poking around in their house, they might decide to bite you.

They really have poor eyesite and find their food by sense of smell.

To attract tourists some geniouses set up operations where people could hand feed Moray Eels in different locations around the world.  Well, some people feeding the eels happened to loose their fingers after they ran out of fish and Moray Eel feeding had to be banned.

DON'T GO FOOLIN' AROUND WITH MORAY EELS IF

YOU HAVE STINKY FINGERS !

Wildlife Photos: Fiddler Crab (Uca perplexa) Ryukyu Islands

Here's a character found in the mangrove marshes of the Ryukyu Islands during low tide.

Fiddler Crabs can be found in many places other than Okinawa, Japan. 

They help keep the marshes clean by eating algae, fungus and decaying matter.

So, if you want to save some money when you're ready to die just go lay down in the swamps where these guys live.  They'll be glad to help you out.

Some scientists think these crabs wave their big claw at the ladies to impress them.

And some of them do stuff like dishonest signaling.  Crynoutloud.....

 I  think those scientists are

NUTS !

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Rice Paper and Blue Admiral Butterfly Photos

Today's photos came from a Butterfly House located in Naha Okinawa, Japan.

The Rice Paper Butterfly above I had photographed and researched before.  Also known as a Paper Kite (Idea leuconoe) it is the largest butterfly in Japan.

This little guy, I had seen before but never bothered to try and identify.

Chasing them around with a tripod and the Pentax K5 using natural light was fun.

These photos aren't what I'd enter in any sort of contest.

And they aren't something I would print and frame for sale.

Shots like this I use just for identification.

That MASTER OF DISGUISE: THE BLUE ADMIRAL that looks like a dead leaf sometimes,

is really this character when he's in the blue mode.

Locally, he is better known as the RYUKYU ASAGIMADARA

The scientific name of this species is Ideopsis similis but, go ahead and call it a Blue Admiral, if you like.  That's what I plan on doing from now on whenever I get a chance to speak english.