38/52 Orlando Odditorium

Our June vacation to Orlando included a tour of the 10,000-square-foot Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium that appears to be sinking into a Florida sinkhole! (Okay, that’s the only thing in the brochure that isn’t true. Through scholarly research and irrefutable facts, all Ripley’s stories and exhibits are 100% authentic!)

There are more than 30 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums around the world, the brochure states, and the amazing world of Robert L. Ripley in Orlando includes 16 galleries and over 400 exhibits, including this Grab the Jewel illusion and the Vortex (see gallery), which were the only two attractions I really tried hard to get a decent photo of so I could  feature them here on the blog.

The jewel is actually a hologram. So on my second attempt I made sure to turn off the flash. I shot the tunnel standing at the entrance and made several adjustments before capturing the spinning motion. Both challenges were difficult, but hey, I tried my best.

Another shutterbug interrupted the flow of visitors through the museum while he took a photo of his lady companion. Everyone stopped a few moments to wait for the man to snap his photo before entering the next exhibit room. The flash went off, but he didn’t! I’ll admit the wax figure also fooled me for a couple of seconds.

If you are intrigued by the exhibit behind the cameraman, that’s The Incombustible Man Chamouni who sat inside an electric oven at a temperature high enough to cook a tray of meat! Believe It or Not!

Other oddities, curiosities and fun exhibits include The Pico De Gallo Art Car, people who could pop their eyes out of their sockets, Padaung and Ubangi women who stretch their necks and lips, a horse and rider made out of license plates, a shooting gallery, the world’s largest tire, and a collage of 600 images of Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll. FYI: The plaques about the MUSICAR and the Tracking Geronimo Paper Sculpture are interesting reads.

I didn’t snap photos of all the wild and bizarre, weird and wacky, exotic and eclectic, and kreepy, krazy and kooky exhibits because – believe it or not – Ripley’s is more fun without the camera.

Visit www.ripleys.com for more information on Ripley, the cartoonist, explorer, reporter, adventurer and collector who traveled to 201 countries in 35 years seeking odd, unique and authentic stories and artifacts for his vast collection.

Photo of the Week series: Every Sunday in 2012 I will either share a photo from my archives or something new I just can’t wait to get feedback on for future art shows/exhibits.

Blogger participation: My hope is to receive enough input on each week’s photo to later post a Bloggers’ Choice of the Month and wrap up 2012 with a Bloggers’ Choice of the Year.

34/52 Orlando Moth

This beauty with the black blotches and iridescent blue spots is a Giant Leopard Moth, also referred to as Eyed Tiger Moth. I found him outside the Publix grocery near the Thousand Trails Orlando Nature Preserve Campground and RV Resort. I captured him and took him back to our vacation cabin so I could take these photos.

Photo of the Week series: Every Sunday in 2012 I will either share a photo from my archives or something new I just can’t wait to get feedback on for future art shows/exhibits.

Blogger participation: My hope is to receive enough input on each week’s photo to later post a Bloggers’ Choice of the Month and wrap up 2012 with a Bloggers’ Choice of the Year.

33/52 Orlando Anole

My daughter’s tomboyish friend caught this cute little lizard during our June vacation at Thousand Trails Orlando Nature Preserve and RV Resort. She held it against the brown wood siding of our cabin so I could take a couple close-ups and this green Anole quickly turned brown before my camera’s eye.

I read on a Google search that “Anoles do not change color voluntarily. They change unwillingly, but it still has significance. A green Anole that is solid green, is in good health. If a green Anole is brown for a prolonged period of time, it is either very stressed, or very ill. If a green Anole is temporarily brown it may be frightened, or cold – meaning it is darker to easily absorb more heat.”

I’m certain this one was just frightened. I’m glad I said no to “Can we keep it, can we keep it, pllleeeaaasssseee!” If I had said yes, they would have found a way to sneak a Green Tree Frog, two stray cats and a 10-pound tortoise into their luggage … sure grounds for immediate revocation of our campground membership!

Photo of the Week series: Every Sunday in 2012 I will either share a photo from my archives or something new I just can’t wait to get feedback on for future art shows/exhibits.

Blogger participation: My hope is to receive enough input on each week’s photo to later post a Bloggers’ Choice of the Month and wrap up 2012 with a Bloggers’ Choice of the Year.

32/52 Orlando crooner

I know nothing about tree frogs, so I can’t be 100 percent sure that this cute little amphibian we found in our hot tub on our cabin deck at the Orlando Thousand Trails Nature Preserve and RV Resort is the American Green Tree Frog.

I have read that they “call” or  ”sing” to attract mates and defend territories.  This one was a real crooner.

Photo of the Week series: Every Sunday in 2012 I will either share a photo from my archives or something new I just can’t wait to get feedback on for future art shows/exhibits.

Blogger participation: My hope is to receive enough input on each week’s photo to later post a Bloggers’ Choice of the Month and wrap up 2012 with a Bloggers’ Choice of the Year.

29/52 “The One That Got Away”

Imagine my delight when I happened on this sculpture on our June road trip from Southern Indiana to Orlando, Florida. “The One That Got Away” by Sherri Warner-Hunter greets motorists eastbound on Interstate 24 making a pit stop at a rest area near Chattanooga, Tenn.

I was so excited and a bit rushed by my family wanting to keep moving on down the highway that I made the mistake of getting my shadow on the plaque and the frog close-up. And the turtle you see in the background of the sculpture  truly was “the one that got away!” No close-up to show.

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Photo of the Week series: Every Sunday in 2012 I will either share a photo from my archives or something new I just can’t wait to get feedback on for future art shows/exhibits.

Blogger participation: My hope is to receive enough input on each week’s photo to later post a Bloggers’ Choice of the Month and wrap up 2012 with a Bloggers’ Choice of the Year.