This is the first monthly color challenge for 2023. Combining the colors white and gray seemed fitting for this time of year.
For some reason, white and gray are colors I associate with winter in the northern hemisphere. But these colors appear in all seasons.
“Working in white makes people look into it. White is ethereal. There’s a purity to it, it makes things look elevated in a way. There’s a whole palette of white…” ~Jonathan Milne
For this combined color photo challenge, use both colors in your images, or use them separately with other colors, or alone.
“A gray day provides the best light.” ~Leonardo da Vinci
Winter’s White (and Gray) Flowers
Enjoy this gallery of white flowers–which one has gray in it?
Days of Gray and White
I knew full well when we decided to move to Northeastern Washington that there were four clearly defined seasons. Yep, that means snow all winter and dark, gray days. Bring it on, I say. Enjoy this gallery of past whites and grays.
“Put variety in white.” ~Charles Webster Hawthorne, American painter, 1872-1930
Sky Views
I must share the white eye of the sky with this October full moon.
On my trip to San Diego in December, I made sure to get the window seat flying over California. I found it quite amazing to see Yosemite Valley from 10,000 feet and covered in winter’s white and gray blanket no less! The iconic peaks of the valley, Half Dome and El Capitan are visible in the lower right of the image
Flying back I wanted to sit on the West side of the plane to try to see the Sacramento Delta, but the impressive cloud deck obscured the view.
Which also means everything under it was a dull gray!
A Light Illuminates the Gray
I’m super excited to announce my collaboration with Poetry Guru and Self-Published Author Colleen Chesebro and her popular Tanka Tuesday Challenge! Last December, she reached out and asked if I could contribute images to the challenge as inspiration for Tanka Tuesday.
Flattered and excited, I had no idea that my first image below would spark such beautiful and incredible poetry.
As each blogger shares their work on their blog, they link back to my About Me page and I have enjoyed reading these all week! When folks wrote poems inspired by this view of my home, I was incredibly touched by their words. Somehow these lovely poems validated everything we worked so hard for in 2019-2020 to be able to move to Washington and enjoy our new home and lifestyle.
This one in particular, moved me to tears, by Tao Talk. This poem is published with her permission.
Dawn’s Blankets
Dawn’s pink and blue crystal blankets
Faux-warm, smiling crystal blankets
Quiet world stirs, begins anew
Our home hearth burnsWind lost, aimless chimney smoke curls
Disperses in lightening sky
Dawn’s pink and blue crystal blankets
Our home hearth burnsYesterday’s blizzard swept away
Awake, awed with morning’s pastel,
Sip hot coffee and give thanks while
Our home hearth burns
Here is Colleen’s lovely tanka:
“blue twilight descends
snow-light fades, shadows flourish
remains of the day
hearthstone warmth invites me home
where your memory lingers”
© Colleen M. Chesebro
And One More…
This image of Hans and I wearing our wedding white evokes the belly laugh theme for Marsha’s Wednesday Quotes coming this week!
Photo Challenges this Week
Each week I am inspired by my fellow bloggers’ photo challenges. I enjoy incorporating these into my Sunday Stills weekly themes.
- Cee’s Flower of the Day
- Hammad’s Weekend Sky
- Johnbo’s CellPic Sunday
- Marsha’s Wednesday Quotes: belly laugh coming Jan 18
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
The Sunday Stills weekly-themed 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 their white and gray photos. I add these all week as new links are posted.
- YOUR BLOG’S NAME HERE…
- Always Write
- Beachwalk Reflections: White
- Beachwalk Reflections: Gray
- Between the Lines
- Bushboys World
- Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
- Cee’s Photo Challenges
- Change is Hard
- NEW! Colleen M Chesebro
- Dandelion Fuzz
- Deb’s World Image shared in comments and on Instagram
- Denyse Whelan Blogs
- Easin’ Along Image shared in comments
- Equipoise Life
- Explore Newness
- NEW! Flights of the Soul
- Geriatrix Fotogallery
- Graham’s Island
- Hugh’s Views and News
- Lady Lee Manila
- LifeLessons
- Light Write Life New Year’s Plunge
- Light Words
- Loving Life
- NEW! Middleton Road
- Musin’ With Susan More Plunging
- Natalie the Explorer
- Now At Home
- Philosophy through Photography
- Quaint Revival
- This is Another Story
- Tofino Photography
- Travels and Trifles
- Travel With Me
- Woolly Muses
- Working On Exploring
I can’t wait to see how you interpret the colors of gray and white this week! Join me next week as we explore…Silence!
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