color – Waite for it…

That’s a lot of crayons!

Posted on June 14, 2024 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.

color

An explosion of color

Posted on March 11, 2024 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.

Life

A fiery evening sky

Posted on February 15, 2024 by William Douthwaite

At certain times of the year, as the sun sets, it almost looks like the sky is on fire.

I usually have my phone in my pocket while I am driving. But on this occasion I placed it on the center console so I could plug it in to charge it. So when I turned onto this road and saw the fiery sky, I could quickly get a picture.

A photo can’t capture the palette of colors on the horizon. Who knew there could be so many oranges, reds, and yellows? If kept driving west, would I eventually reach a blazing fire lighting up the sky? Would I reach an active volcano, glowing with molten lava? Is someone smelting steel in a giant blast furnace off in the distance?

It’s a good thing I got the picture when I did. Those colors only last a moment. By the time I crossed the intersection, they had faded. The clouds had moved. The moment was gone forever, except in my mind and in my phone.

New crayons are essential at the beginning of an elementary school year. A box of twenty-four is all you really need. There’s a box of forty-eight that doubles down on all the different colors. But the best is the box of sixty-four. The assortment of oranges, yellows, and reds challenges all you thought you knew about color. Who knew that orange-red was different than red-orange? With hues like tangerine, pumpkin, and carrot in your hand, your sunset sky might look just like this one!

garden, Moments of grace

Amaryllis Blooming: A Reminder to Slow Down and Enjoy Life’s Simple Pleasures

Posted on March 20, 2023March 21, 2023 by William Douthwaite

They are sneaky. You forget all about them for most of the year. Then suddenly, one day, BAM! There they are. The amaryllis.

I didn’t even notice as the plants began poking their heads through the pine needles and bark much. Even when they were a foot tall, they blended in with stalks of hibiscus and other plants that had died when the temperature dipped below freezing for a few days. The perfect disguise.

One afternoon, walking through the backyard, a tiny glimpse of red caught my eye. I couldn’t ignore them any longer. They had blown their cover. They weren’t coming; they were here.

The next day it looked like someone had run through the garden with leaking buckets of bright red paint. Flames shot out in every direction from the stems. The colors shouted from the brownish-gray backdrop, “It’s spring!”

The brilliant hues make me laugh out loud. I can’t contain the joy inspired by sudden spring color. I have to stop and look and look and look again. They are beautiful.