Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: The Earth Laughs in Brown and Auburn

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Welcome to the Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge! This week begins the two-week cycle of posts that continues through the first week of February. November through mid-January always tends to be a slower time in the blogging world, as bloggers take breaks to enjoy the various holidays. I did not want to take a long break, so this 2-week posting cycle is a happy medium.

Surrounded by fiery rocks
Colors in the Valley of Fire State Park

“It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.” Sarah Addison Allen

Brown color palette

Earth’s Tones

“Brown is the color of the earth, the foundation upon which all life is built.” -Unknown

You probably know I love nature and being outdoors. Our adventures take my husband and me on many, including our brown dogs and sometimes family members. We loved visiting Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park, and my visit to Antelope Canyon was unforgettable.

Walking through Antelope Canyon
Walking through Antelope Canyon

Made in Man-Made Shades

“Brown is a restful color and symbolizes stability and wholesomeness.” – Ward Bennet

We love to build and decorate in shades of brown and auburn. Here are some homey examples.

Rustic hook
Rustic wall at Fort Vancouver
vivid dried corn
Red barn in snow

Hans created this towel rack out of old driftwood. We chose to leave it in our former home.

Lowly 2x6 board abandoned at the delta gets re-purposed into bathroom towel rack

A Plain, Brown Bird…Is Not

“Paint the flying spirit of the bird rather than its feathers.” — Robert Henri

Juvenile American Bald Eagle
Juvenile Bald Eagle

All The Leaves Are…

“The transition from summer to autumn is marked by the turning of leaves to shades of auburn, symbolizing change and the cyclical nature of life.” ~ Spiritualsynonyms

Brown oak leaf

Flowers of the Day…for Cee

“Dahlias are the cabaret act in the autumn garden” Sean A. Pritchard

Auburn Dahlia
An Oregon Dahlia for Cee

“Express gratitude for the greatness of small things.” — Richie Norton

Sharing for Cee’s FOTD, Dawn’s Festival of Leaves, Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday, and Lens-Artists: Gratitude.

brown swatch

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have *two weeks to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.

*A reminder that beginning with today’s post, the following Sunday Stills themes will each be published in two-week cycles. I am ever grateful for your interest in reading my posts each week.

I can’t wait to see how you interpret the various shades of brown and auburn from November 17-24. Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme. Join me on December 1-8 as we explore TRADITIONS.

Please visit my Sunday Stills Page for the schedule.

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137 responses to “Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: The Earth Laughs in Brown and Auburn”

  1. […] First off today is Terri’s Birthday so if you’ve not wished her go send her birthday greeting on her blog. Here is my entry for Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge. […]

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Beautiful textures and colours, Terri, including the blue ribbon on your post. Happy birthday for the 4th. Karen (Underdown)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Karen! I appreciate you stopping by. I’ve seen your blog initials on other people’s posts.

      Like

  3. Happy Birthday Terri. 😀 😀 Love your dahlia photo, of course.

    Here is my entry for the week 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Cee! I was so happy to grow those dahlias!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. […] First off today is Terri’s Birthday so if you’ve not wished her go send her birthday greeting on her blog. Here is my entry for Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge. […]

    Liked by 1 person

  5. […] Sunday Stills: The Earth Laughs in Brown and Auburn […]

    Liked by 1 person

  6. […] Sunday-Stills:…Colour-Brown-Auburn […]

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Terri, I just published a new post for your monthly challenge. I loved the color palette you chose for the challenge. Here’s my post:

    https://throughbrazilianeyes.com/a-brush-with-beauty-the-red-admiral-and-its-powerful-symbolism/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Egidio! I’m so excited!

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I love the colours in those desert landscapes! The birds and dahlias are pretty too. My browns are taken from nature but are more sombre than yours. However I have a feeling you’ll like them! https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/walking-among-giants/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Sarah! I’ve enjoyed photographing certain areas of the deserts in Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Great to see your link 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Your welcome 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  9. […] I’ve started my Paperwhites for this year’s Christmas sale and the photo works for Sunday Stills Brown 2.0 […]

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I would like to spend Thanksgiving with my daughter’s family but Lynton wants to see his family also. Lynton has five siblings, four married with children and grandchildren. There’ll be about 30 without in-laws, and just two of us.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I used to like everything brown including shoes, clothes, purses, etc. Terri, until I felt bored. The auburn color palette has some nice shades. I like the color of the barn, your top at the canyon, Antelope Canyon, the Rayford ash tree, and the corns. I can name more.

    I can’t believe there are five weeks before the year is over. Where did the time go? I may post about the Thanksgiving tradition next week. We’ll go to California to spend Thanksgiving with my husband’s family. His family used to get together three times a year – Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. As the kids became grown children and had their children, his siblings spent Christmas with their own family instead of the extended family. Thanksgiving is the only time they get together with the extended family.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Miriam! Didn’t 2024 fly by? I hope you share a post if you have time. We’re staying local for Thanksgiving this year, but heading south to Arizona in time for Christmas. Sounds like your Thanksgiving will have a lot of family to visit with! Enjoy!

      Liked by 1 person

  12. By the way, I got a scam page that locked up my computer when I visited Jez’s site. I pressed continue when I shouldn’t have. I wanted to warn anyone who visited it and possibly others. It was super loud. Vince was able to unlock it, but I did call the microsoft number provided, and I’ve gotten two scam call since then from other numbers.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh no. I don’t visit his blog because of all the pop up ads. 😢 Hackers and scammers are everywhere. It doesn’t take much. I’m just suspicious by nature. Thanks for the warning.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. My computer sounded an alarm, and I couldn’t do anything. Vince was able to get out of it, but not before I had called “Microsoft!” Just call me Cindy.

        Liked by 1 person

  13. We have really turned brown in this new house. I love it. Today we decorate a bit. I wish you were here to help with your creative eye. Here’s my post. http://alwayswrite.blog/2024/11/20/celebrating-story-chat-vol-ii-over-a-cuppa/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Can’t wait to see it, at least in pics for now!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I’ll take some new pics with furniture tomorrow.

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Beautiful browns, Terri. What a rich color that doesn’t often get the attention it deserves. You do it justice.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Aww, thank you, Diana! The colors brown and I have a close relationship 🤎

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I love the towel rack made of driftwood, Terri. Using Mother Nature’s free gifts is a fabulous way to keep our planet safe.

    Would you believe that I used to have auburn-coloured hair? Because of this, I received many nicknames, some of which I can’t repeat here.

    I used to wear a lot of brown, but I don’t see much of it these days. I have a gorgeous brown jug I bought many years ago in an art gallery. I’ll have to take a picture of it and share it.

    There are lots of brown leaves around at the moment, and some of them do make lovely picture opportunities.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hans wants to create another towel rack. That one was made of driftwood found at the delta. He was very proud of it, thank you!
      I remembered you are a fellow redhead. Trust me when ive heard all the names and jokes, Hugh. When we were younger there weren’t a lot of color choices in fashion. Much had changed since then, thankfully.
      I love this image of the steps covered with leaves! Stunning! Still brown here in terms of landscape…our predicted snow was a bust.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. […] Sunday Stills Monthly Colour Challenge: The Earth Laughs in Brown and Auburn […]

    Liked by 1 person

  17. […] Author’s Note: Here is a reblog of a 2024 post of mine for this week’s Sunday Stills. […]

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Love those pictures.. hope you can also read mine too.🥹

    Liked by 1 person

  19. […] Sunday-Stills:…Colour-Brown-Auburn […]

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Beautiful shades of brown and auburn, Terri. The barn photo looks like a postcard. I also love the photos of the bald eagle and rain drops on an oak leaf. My entry includes farm buildings and stave churches in Norway: https://natalietheexplorer.home.blog/2024/11/15/norway-lillehammer-lom-and-sogndal/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Natalie! The earth in our area is brown all around now, but by morning everything will look like a postcard after the 4 inches of snow we’re expecting overnight! Great to see your link! Have a great week!

      Like

  21. […] with Terri’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge […]

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Such lovely photosbof different shades of brown. Thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much for stopping by.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. Beautiful colors of nature Terri. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  24. […] Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge Color Challenge – Shades of Auburn and Brown […]

    Liked by 1 person

  25. […] Sunday Stills: The Earth Laughs in Brown and Auburn […]

    Liked by 1 person

  26. I’m glad you chose brown. I think it’s an underrated color and you showcased the beauty and versatility of those wonderful hues.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Debra! I agree it is underrated, but wow, what would do without all of its rich shades?

      Liked by 1 person

  27. This is my favorite color palate. Your photos are all excellent and some bring back some delicious memories of our time with Kirstin at Ft. Vancouver – at least they remind me of that trip – the corn. The Sacramento sunflower is translucent, which is unusual in a dark color. Fabulous pictures for Cee. They will cheer her up. These are definitely your colors. Your hair fits right into the color scheme. Again, I can’t pick a favorite. The birds are amazing. It’s like they pose for you. You should charge them for portraits. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Marsha! The colors of brown and auburn are calming but warm and cozy at the same time. Our trip with Kirstin to Vancouver was so much fun. I remember we were looking for compelling, dilapidated things to photograph 😆
      I have the seeds for the dark red sunflower and bought more types to plant for 2025. As for the birds, I get lucky, and my zoom lens on the camera does a good job. I’ve made a few canvas prints of the birds.
      I hope all is well in your winter home. A major winter storm is hours away. Californians may get some rain from it! Talk soon xoxo

      Like

      1. Yes, it is supposed to be a big storm. We have sunshine right now. My house fits your Sunday Stills. I’ll link it soon. Bob’s Furniture is delivering our furniture as we speak. I can now sit down and blog! Yay!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Our side of the state managed to escape the storm. Barely any snow or wind. One bullet dodged! Friends, family and bloggers in Seattle bore the brunt! 😔

        How exciting your furniture is coming!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I’m glad you are okay. We have friends that just moved up north of Seattle. I hope they are ok!

        Liked by 1 person

  28. Hi, Terri – All of your photos are beautiful here, but I especially like the opening one.It is absolutely stunning!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much, Donna! The red barn is something I pass by frequently. Looks good in the snow.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Brown sugar and cinnamon, my kind of desert… and dessert. 👏

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Gorgeous Photos, Terri! Love seeing the fall colors. Jacqui sent me 💓

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Cindy, thank you very much! This was the brown part of autumn, but still beautiful!

      Like

  31. What a great shot of the eagle!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, he was perched in a tree close to the sidewalk!

      Like

  32. Glorious autumn colors, Terri! Our autumn was strange and very short lived. I feel the poor trees in our area are confused with some already bare and others still sporting their autumn colors.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Eugi! Brown seems to be the color of the day here. Our fall has fallen and snow is expected Wednesday. I agree that autumn was a bit confused this year everywhere.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re most welcome, Terri.

        Liked by 1 person

  33. Love your Earth colours, Terri, and the eagle is impressive despite it being young.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Anne-Christine! That young eagle was up close and personal and didn’t mind the people gawking at him.

      Like

  34. Lovin’ the browns Terri 👍😀

    Liked by 1 person

  35. Autumn colors are my absolute favorite Terri so of course I thoroughly enjoyed your examples this week! All of the images are lovely but of course the gorgeous juvenile eagle has to be the favorite this week.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Tina! Autumn had an extended stay this year once temps cooled down. I love that young eagle! He sat in a tree close to the sidewalk and occasionally flew down to the lake to hunt/fish. He seemed unconcerned with gawkers, like me!

      Like

  36. Yes indeed! The earth laughs in brown and auburn, and all your wonderful pictures prove it! Hard to pick a favorite but I love the corn, the leaves, and the dahlia! Here’s my offering this week! Lots of brown to be had out on the trail. National Take a Hike Day – Cats and Trails and Garden Tales

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Susanne! I have a LOT of brown in my archives as well as my images.

      Liked by 1 person

  37. […] And since there are so many wonderful shades of brown in this post, I’m sharing with Sunday Stills, #Brown. […]

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Hello Terri, Your pictures are filled with the warmth and richness that brown and Auburn evoke in me.
    Your birds, flowers and southwest photos are fabulous! Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Nancy! I’m eager to collect more SW images. We’re 6 weeks away from getting there. Enjoy some sun for me!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. See you very soon! 🥰🥰🥰

        Liked by 1 person

  39. Terri, back in my working days (on site), I loved dressing up and always bought dressy clothing in shades of brown … there was no favorite shade of brown … I liked them all! I like brown tones in the house too, especially rustic-looking items. Now, I am more comfortable in sweats or shorts – any color will do. I like this quote you had “It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.” That’s exactly how that photograph looks. Your brown leaves (and I liked the Mamas and Papas reference) look much more colorful than our brown leaves. By the time our leaves are brown, they are brittle, crunchy and not so pretty at that point. We both like Fall and its colors. While I like the pastels that spring forth in early Spring, the muted colors of Fall are my favorite.

    Here is my post, a little long, but I had a large portion of the post about brown Mallard ducks, thus the title.

    Fifty shades of brown!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much, Linda! I prefer the muted colors of fall, too. They go better with my complexion 😉 I found that quote which seemed to describe both brown and auburn. I dug through previous images and found that one of me visiting the Valley of Fire in Nevada. The colors really did look like cinnamon and brown sugar! Hooray for luck!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Subtle and muted colors go hand-in-hand for me too Terri. Cinnamon and brown sugar is a perfect description and I meant to mention how perfect your clothing was for that photo!

        Liked by 1 person

  40. […] I am joining Terri’s Sunday Stills Photo Color Challenge:  Auburn or Brown. […]

    Liked by 1 person

  41. Thank you, Terri for the thought-provoking photo prompt. The color brown had me truly reflecting and taking note of all the fabulous things in life that are brown. And of course, you did a wonderful job sharing a diversity of photos showcasing the prompt. Nicely done!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Many thanks, Ingrid! I love the color brown for many reasons. It’s amazing that we take the color for granted. A necessary neutral!

      Liked by 1 person

  42. Stunning photos and this quote may change my views and perspective….“Brown is a restful color and symbolizes stability and wholesomeness.” – Ward Bennet. I always want the snow to brighten up the brown but I am going looking today to see these restful colours that you used in your post. Absolutely loved all your photos and how you tied the colours physically into your post! Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Bernie! We had some snow last night that brightened up the brown dirt, but the snow melted pretty fast. I’m sure you will come up with something great!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. We haven’t had a drop of moisture since some time in August.

        Liked by 1 person

  43. Everything’s better in brown. I wore it all the time as a kid. You sure look good in it. My Tags stopped working so I’m glad I can comment. The Washington Scenery is so gorgeous!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Carol! I had trouble with my tags, too! I figured out how to cut and paste from WORD, then hit enter really quick! I couldn’t get my Sunday Stills tag to work. 😦

      Like

  44. […] agree with Terri today when she gives us “The Earth Laughs in Brown in Autumn” for our Sunday Still […]

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  45. Glorious images, Terri! This post was uplifting in its message and beautiful images. It’s hard to imagine a winter scene yet. Here in Texas, for example, I was meditating outside in shorts and t-shirt with temperatures only in the low 70s.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much, Egidio! 70 degrees? You’re near Austin, right–makes sense! Enjoy, because I know it snows in much of the state (a lot of family members still live in various cities).

      Liked by 1 person

      1. That’s right, Terri. The Texas Panhandle gets plenty of snow at times. Here in Central Texas (Austin area), snow is very rare.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. East Texas up by Texarkana used to get snow. I wonder if they still do and if climate change has edited that. Enjoy that warm air!

        Liked by 1 person

  46. Hi Terri, beautiful browns and auburns. These are colours I use a lot for painting.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Robbie! Browns make sense since you paint a lot of wildlife!

      Like

      1. Yes, that is exactly right. I am painting a leopard now. Using a lot of cream, yellows and browns. Animals have so much variation of colour and texture in their fur.

        Liked by 1 person

  47. beautiful, beautiful pictures!!!

    mine is here

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Marina! Off to read yours!

      Like

  48. Terri,

    We absolutely love Dahlias, and your wine-red one is stunning. Snow!?! Say it ain’t so. We’re basking on sun-drenched sand at the beach, and I captured an image of a gull with brown wings. I include it here as my contribution. Great pictures, as always. Have a great week! Joe

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Very cool to see your brown-winged seagull, Joe! Oh that warm sand and blue sky looks inviting! I walked home from church (about a 10 minute walk) in blustery conditions, just a few minutes ago. Our snow completely melted, which was expected. It will be back mid-week. About the dahlias, I was very pleased with these. I managed to dig up the tubers and store them away to replant next year. Enjoy your week!

      Liked by 1 person

  49. Nature uses the color brown beautifully!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. you’re welcome, have a great new week, Terri. 😊

        Liked by 1 person

  50. Winter is here for us, no snow yet but it’s rare to get it anyway. I have the sense that it was a quick Autumn for us, the leaves are all gone now. Lovely photos, Terri. It’s such a photogenic time of the year.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Sofia! Most of our leaves are gone now. We got a bit of snow last night, but it will soon melt. The brown landscape that surrounds us now is dotted with snow.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. It most be pretty 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  51. I love the browns of nature, Terri…the scenery, wildlife and florals, so beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Cathy! I like to think auburn is brown blushing profusely 😁🤎

      Like

  52. Love the earth tones, Terri, but my favorite is the red building against the snow!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, John! That barn is close by and stands out so beautifully against the snow. We got some last night. I guess winter has made its appearance.

      Liked by 1 person

  53. “Paint the flying spirit of the bird rather than its feathers.” “–what a great idea.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Jacqui! Isn’t that a great quote? We have a lot of brown birds here and they are all quite striking in their shades of brown!

      Liked by 1 person

  54. Love the theme Terri and the juvi Baldie!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Wayne! Isn’t that eagle a cutie! I saw him last November at the Kokanee hunting grounds on Lake Coeur d’Alene. He was close by and seemed to enjoy the attention.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. right place at the right time!

        Liked by 1 person

  55. Splendid selection Terri. The Southwest scenes are beautiful, and I love those birds. I really like that towel rack too. Nice job by Hans. My rustic creations look like they’re falling apart! Here’s mine this week: https://grahamsisland.com/2024/11/17/getting-down-with-brown/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Graham! It’s funny how many brown subjects I photograph, as well as the colors of auburn. To take that huge towel rack with us meant detaching it from the wall, then replastering and painting–we ran out of time! I showed him the blog image today and he wants to make another one 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. He likes his projects then!

        Liked by 1 person

  56. It got down in the high 30s last night. So our snowless winter is here also!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yep, good ole’ Sacramento and the cold nights! I enjoyed the cold when we lived there, just not the endless Tule fog.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. No more Tule fog. Too bad.

        Liked by 1 person

  57. Beautiful autumn colors Terri!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Anne, Autumn pulled out the stops this year with color and longevity. It snowed here last night, so winter is here!

      Liked by 1 person

  58. […] month’s Sunday Stills color challenge is ‘Auburn or Brown.’ See more responses here. Captions on the […]

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  59. […] Sunday Stills photo challenge this week is the color ‘Brown’. This challenge has me rethinking my thoughts on the […]

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About Me

I’m a former university adjunct Professor and retired recreation & parks practitioner living in North-Eastern Washington State near the Idaho border. Second Wind Leisure Perspectives is my blog about living a leisure lifestyle, including photography, friends, fitness, and fun.

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