Category: color

Posted in color, memories

Glowing orange skies

Posted on by William Douthwaite

After yesterday’s post, the evening sky called and demanded equal time.

I’ve written about the colors of dusk before, awed as the sun painted the bottom of the clouds one final time before retiring for the night. No shade of orange was left behind at the end of this day.

While pink greets me at the beginning a new day, orange won’t let go when that day comes to a close. It hangs on like the embers in the fire pit that glow long after everyone has closed their eyes for the night.

Once again, before I passed two utility poles, the colors had faded, stars appeared, and darkness punched in for the overnight shift.

This picture reminds me of a moment twenty-seven years ago when wild fires burned out of control in our county. A day before we were told to evacuate, we could see the glow on the horizon, wondering if the flames would consume our home. Thankfully, the fire came no closer than half a mile. But the memory is seared into my mind, reawakened when the day ends drenched in every shade of orange you can imagine.

Posted in color

Another unique pink dawn sky

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The rays of pink penetrating the dawn sky took away my breath. I took a picture, knowing they would last but a few moments.

For some reason, two-thirds of the way through summer, the sun, clouds, and sky collaborate to create living works of art.

Thick air greeted me as I stepped out of the house. Even though the sky was clear, no humidity had escaped overnight. The moon and a couple of planets hadn’t yet retired for the night. The birds had just begun to sing. The longer red and pink wavelengths stretched up from behind the trees, rewarding early morning walkers with a beautiful pallet of colors.

I’ve seen lots of pink dawn skies, but I’ve never seen this one. And I’ll never see it again.

Posted in color

That’s a lot of crayons!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

As I wandered through Staples the other day, a box of crayons caught my eye. It was a box of ninety-six Crayola crayons! Ninety-six? Are you kidding? I thought the ultimate was a box of 64. The small print reads, “96 Different Colors.” Nice.

But wait. There’s more. I turned the corner and saw another display with a box of one hundred and twenty crayons! “120 Different Colors”! Wow. That’s almost double what I thought was the ultimate box of crayons.

But wait. There’s more. I saw

  • A box of 24 Metallic Crayons
  • A box of 24 Pearl Crayons
  • A box of 24 Glitter Crayons
  • A box of 24 “Colors of Kindness”
  • A box of 24 “Colors of the World”
  • A box of 24 “Ultra-clean Washable Crayons”
  • A box of 8 Neon Crayons
  • A box of 24 Bold and Bright Construction Paper Crayons

I almost had to sit down. I don’t even know what some of these are. But I want to find out. I want to buy a box of each. I think I need about $50 for the whole set. I just want to see what all these different colors are called and what they look like on paper.

So I Googled “Crayola Crayons.” There are more!

  • Confetti Crayons
  • Pastel Crayons
  • An Ultimate 152 Crayon Collection
  • BJ’s Wholesale Club sells a bucket of 200 crayons!
  • Cosmic Crayons
  • Swirl Crayons
  • Mythical Creatures Crayons
  • Uni-Crayons

I may have a new hobby here: collecting Crayola crayons.

Posted in color

An explosion of color

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The dogs and I walk by this azalea at least three times a week. It’s only half a mile from our house on our favorite 1-1/2 mile loop. The last time I walked by, it was just a shrub. But with a little rain and arecent sunshine, it exploded into this gorgeous pink.

When I saw it, I gasped. I made the dogs sit and I stood on their leashes so I could take this photo. I’m glad I did. See all those blossoms on the ground? The others will join them in a few days. The next time I walk by, it will be an ordinary bush once again.

This color is spectacular. “Pink” doesn’t do it justice. But what else can you call it. If you could capture that color in a crayon, what creative name would you print on the wrapper? Flamingo? Rose? Piggy?

This color is temporary. If I hadn’t gone for a walk today, I would have missed it. Some of the most beautiful things in the world only last a moment. So, take the time to enjoy them.

I couldn’t ignore this color. This pink made me smile, made me say “Wow!”, prompted me to take a picture, and moved me to write about the moment.

Color goes deep. Color can change the way you feel. I love opening up a new box of crayons to see the array of colors. Color touches your soul.

I am grateful for color.