Welcome to the last monthly color challenge of 2022! Cobalt Blue is the color we shall explore this week.

I tend to gravitate toward the rich, deep tones of cobalt blue. It is such a vibrant and mesmerizing shade of blue. Cobalt is a strong color but seems to mimic a dark, clear blue sky and deep waterscapes found in nature.

“Blue, blue, my world is blue…” ~songwriter John Boulter

Cobalt Blue in Nature

But first, a little fun for Cee’s Black and White Challenge: After a good snowfall in early December, the sky was a cobalt blue reflected in the depths of the snow. I desaturated the colors to suggest a hint of cobalt. All those lines you see are deer trails–right next to our house.

Clear and Stormy Skies

“If snow melts down to water, does it still remember being snow?” — Jennifer McMahon

cobalt sky and snowDesaturated cobalt
View of my house and property

As I prepared images for this photo challenge this week, I saw that the theme for Lens-Artists is “patterns.” As a photographer, I see patterns in almost everything my eye is drawn to, and I hope you see the various patterns in many of these images as well.

“The natural world is built upon common motifs and patterns. Recognizing patterns in nature creates a map for locating yourself in change, and anticipation what is yet to come.” — Sharon Weil

Full moon Perspective
Delta Moon
Cloud puff temporarily hides the sun
cumulonimbus calvas cloud
Spring Storm Clouds (cumulonimbus calvas)
Out of a clear blue sky…

“My experiences remind me that it’s those black clouds that make the blue skies even more beautiful.” – Kelly Clarkson

Blue Angels beween the lines
Blue Angels Air Show Sacramento
Blue Angels
The Blue Angels grace cobalt skies in Sacramento

Cobalt Shores

“Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean.” ~Lord Byron

Watson Lake
Paddling is popular at Watson Lake
Klamath Falls sunset
Cobalt sunset Klamath Falls
Lake Wenatchee
Diamond peaks, cobalt waves, quartz pebbles
Summer day at La Jolla
Cool waters at La Jolla

Blue Hydrangeas

“Blue thou art, intensely blue; Flower, whence came to thy dazzling hue?” – James Montgomery

Cobalt hydrangea
Blue-ming hydrangea at Portland’s International Rose Garden
Blue hydrangea bloomed
Blue and purple hydrangeas
Opening hydrangeas
My lovely hydrangeas in Sacramento

Did you know? Unlike other colors in nature, blue pigments are very rare in flowers. Natural blue flowers are uncommon to find. Sources say there are about 40 floral species worldwide.

Blue Light Specials

Cobalt blue is frequently seen in holiday lights.

Lights2
Blue-Light-Special
Christmas lights close-up

There sure were a lot of deep blues at our local Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony last weekend.

Christmas Tree Lighting

Inspiring Photo Challenges this Week

Each week I am inspired by my fellow bloggers’ photo challenges. I find it fun to incorporate these into my Sunday Stills weekly themes.

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

Sunday Stills weekly photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

This Week’s Featured Bloggers

Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared cobalt blue photos. I add these all week as new links are posted.

winter white mug on cobalt cloth

I am also sharing for Natalie’s second-to-last Weekend Coffee Share of 2022. This is my last Sunday Stills post before I go on a break. I’ll have a Wordless Wednesday post on Dec 14th.

Cozy house in first snow
Cozy Cobalt Winter

I will see you all back at Second Wind Leisure on January 1st as we look back at the year 2022! What did YOU do in 2022?

Winter bitmoji

© 2022-2031 Copyright — secondwindleisure.com — All Rights Reserved

Published by Terri Webster Schrandt

Now retired, I am former university adjunct faculty, self-published author, and retired recreation and parks practitioner living in Eastern Washington State near the Idaho border. Second Wind Leisure Perspectives is my blog about living a leisure lifestyle that includes fitness, photography, and fun.

133 thoughts on “Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: My World of #Cobalt Blue”

  2. Pingback: Blue fish in yellow water | Graham's Island

  4. Another beautiful collection of photos. I didn’t realize how much I am drawn to that color until I started to notice it everywhere. Blue Hydrangeas are so fascinating. I wish I could grow them in my yard, but it’s not shady enough. I had heard one time that they aren’t naturally that color but dyed in the watering process. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Forget-me-knots are blue too, they’re such a sweet flower. I love all the deer tracks, it’s amazing how much they wander around at night! I hope you have a special and Merry Christmas, enjoy your blogging break, and I’ll see you back here in 2023!

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    1. Thank you, Shelley! I’m not sure how hydrangeas turn blue, but mine were all natural, LOL! Cobalt is so rich and it occurs everywhere. We now have almost 2 feet of snow, so the deer may shorten their wanderings a bit for a while. Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your family!

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      1. You’re welcome. It could’ve been a friend of mine making it up about the hydrangeas. It’s nice to know they can be all natural!!
        Wow – 2 feet of snow. We’re still at about 2 inches and melting fast. I do like snow at Christmas time, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed we get a little more. You’re right, the deer will shorten their wanderings and take cover when it’s that deep.
        Same to you – Merry Christmas!! See you back here on the 1st!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Lots of blue around here today, Terri, but not a lot of cobalt. Love that last image of your house, lit up against the snow. A good place to be cosy. Wishing you a wonderful festive season. Will you be traveling or are family coming to you?

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    1. Thank you, Jo! We got so much snow the last few days–that pic is from last December, but that first one with the image compare was a few days ago. I am traveling to San Diego next Friday for a special event. We are spending Christmas with family here at home.

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  15. Loved the color choice this week Terri and your many interpretations of it. The jet fighters are very cool (and a lovely pattern as well) and my very favorite is your closing image of your home with the deep blue cobalt sky reflecting on the pure snow. Lovely and cozy!

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  16. A beautiful collection of photos, Terri. I love all of them. We just had snow showers today but not as much snow as what’s in your first two photos. Thank you for your contribution to #Weekendcoffeeshare. I’ll be back with an entry for Sunday Stills later this week.

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  18. These are all brilliant examples of cobalt blue Terri, the skies, the water the natural world is amazing for vibrant colours. I must admit to feeling a bit ‘blue’ at the moment due to having Covid on my birthday 😦 but all is well and we’re on the mend from a very mild dose. Enjoy your festivities and I look forward to participating in Sunday Stills with you in 2023!

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  19. I love cobalt blue… and blue is just about all its shades. I once had the great idea to paint our small powder room cobalt blue. Hubby said to go ahead but it would be too dark… so I went ahead. It was too dark 😦 I don’t know what was worse: that I had to admit he was right, or that I had to repaint several coats to change the color to something lighter (periwinkle).

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  23. Look at all the gorgeous examples of this brilliant blue. Love the capture of the Blue Angels. And the hydrangeas. My grandmother had a beautiful blue hydrangea in front of her house. Cannot for the life of me get them to grow in El Paso. Hope to do better about joining you for Sunday Stills in the coming year. Happy holidays!!

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    1. Hi Leslie! You’ve been off the grid a while! I saw your story on Facebook, you look so beautiful! My blue hydrangeas grew well in my shaded yard in Sacramento, but they were water hogs. The name hydra- ngeas should be the tip off. 🤣 They seem to do well here in Spokane area where it is pretty dry. Thank you, hope to see you in 2023.

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  24. I didn’t know that about flowers. Your hydrangeas were beautiful. I think they change colours based on PH? Not that mine every really flower! Love your multi challenge approach. I’m taking the easy route here and posting a photo of cobalt blue that has ZERO editing. Natural and scary as could be at the time.

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  28. Pingback: Sunday Stills: Monthly Color Challenge: #Cobalt Blue – nowathome

  30. This was a lovely collection of photos, I really like the cobalt blue colour. I think many people are drawn to patterns, and that’s why it’s used as a composition tool in photography. I don’t use it a lot, but if I find an especially attractive pattern or texture, then I will.

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  33. Terri, you did such a fabulous job with your cobalt blues! They are all stunning and very compelling! I love the black and white picture of your home with the cobalt sky. That turned out so well. I can’t believe we saw the same flower in Portland. My pictures look so different. That is what is fun about going on a photo shoot. When the new year hits, we should look ahead at both of our challenges, each of us could go to a pretty place at the same time for about an hour, take pictures, and text them back and forth to inspire each other. We could invite others to join us in their own area. What do you think? I need some new photos. BTW, we have about 3 inches. There was a blue cast when I took my first pictures.

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    1. Oh you got 3 inches, Marsha! I’m not surprised–La Nina is everywhere this winter. We had blue skies yesterday and “warm” temps at 37, LOL, but the deep freeze is settling in tomorrow. And now we have fog. Glad I’m heading to San Diego for a few days this coming Friday.
      Not a bad idea for a text challenge? I like that idea. We’ll have to gab on the phone this week. Glad you liked my compelling cobalts 😀

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      1. I am bound and determined to wear out that gorgeous word before the new year starts. Have fun in San Diego. Enjoy being warm for a few days. We had another snow fall this afternoon. If it continues into the evening, we will get a bunch more accumulated by morning. I wore my boots today. So warm and cozy.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Walmart special last year after the snows stopped, LOL. They were about an eighth of the price of the more expensive brands that looked similar. My friend Natalie, who is quite a dresser, clues me in on where to get things for the best prices. She even bought me a blouse once from Goodwill for $1. I wear it a lot! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

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  43. What a fabulous colour to end the Sunday Stills Challenge on, Terri. It always reminds me of Christmas, regardless of where it is. I think of Christmas if it’s in the ocean during the summer. I see Santa on his sleigh if the sky is cobalt any time of the year.

    I love your town’s Christmas tree and lights. It intrigued me because of the coloured fairy lights. Are most of the holiday lights in North America coloured? They take me back to my childhood Christmases when the tree lights were always coloured. These days, the majority of Christmas lights in the UK seem to be warm white, cold white or ice white.

    I’ll be joining in with my Wordless Wednesday post this week.

    Enjoy the rest of the week.

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    1. Thanks, Hugh, I agree cobalt symbolizes the richness of the Christmas season in the cold winter night skies and beyond. I’ve seen a variety of lights, but blue with a mix of white lights seems to be more popular. I decorated my large tree last year with those colors. I’ve noticed the old fashioned bigger lights on homes as well in the last few years. So retro, and like what we had on our houses when I was a kid.

      I look forward to your post, Hugh! Have a great week!

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  51. Terri,
    I’m running behind this busy season, but I’m so glad I stopped by. I love Cobalt Blue and especially blue hydrangeas. We grew them at the lake, and many came out pink. I learned that acid in the soil is needed to turn them blue. I bought some liquid soil acid at a garden store and used it the following year. It worked! My contribution is a Cobalt Blue Pool in Yellowstone. Have a blessed Christmas. Joe

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    1. It is a busy time of year for sure, Joe–glad you could check out my cobalt world! So that’s how to get blue hydrangeas–I have no idea how mine turned blue–there must have been enough acid in the soil from all the Redwoods we had in our Sacramento backyard (very acidic soil). Your pic of the blue pool in Yellowstone is spectacular–thank you for adding that shot! I wish you and Helen a blessed and memorable Christmas season and glad you are both in good health!

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  52. Pingback: Sunday Stills Color Challenge on Tuesday: Cobalt Blue – Calling-all-RushBabes

  53. Terri, your various blue images are stunning, especially against the stark white of the snow. I have Twist-and-Shout Hydrangeas which turn pink or blue depending on the acidity in your soil. Mine are pink, so the soil is alkaline, not acidic. The City tree and posing near it is a nice photo.

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    1. Thank you, Linda! 😁 Now I wonder if my original pink hydrangeas turned blur due to the acidic soil my redwoods provided in the soil. The flowers were in their own pots but were possibly exposed to the pine needles. Anyway, it’s quite the mystery and I’ve learned a lot from the comments in this post!

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