Sunday, November 1, 2009

Soul Colors





Halloween was warm, extremely windy, and perfectly spooky.  The photo above is of one of my favorite houses on the island.  During the day it glows a warm, cheerful yellow, but last night it looked about as creepy as a house can look, especially since its owners have packed up and left the island for the winter.


For me, this weekend has been all about color:
the ocean, marshes, the harvest,
and the passing of flowers and leaves.


The rugosa rose bushes turn the most vivid gold;
they almost appear to be on fire against the backdrop of the grey waves.


The salt marshes, too, burn russet and gold.




The tree above is one of my favorites on the island.
Want to climb it with me?

The last brown-eyed Susan in my neighbor's garden,
all the more lovely for its imperfections.

I have been collecting sea glass compulsively.
Here are a couple of jars of these beach gems
and a pretty pitcher of red berries from a bush in the yard.

Sunset tonight was, well, you can see for yourself . . .



A dried hydrangea blossom I found on the road.
As the last rays of the sun hit its translucent petals,
I was transfixed by its colors.

Then I glanced over my shoulder,
and the moon and clouds and rugosas
seemed to mimic the hydrangea.

The whole world swam in these colors.
I was in love.

32 comments:

  1. It is beautiful, all of it. You know for as many times as I've walked on beaches...I have never found sea glass. I love it and I have actually bought pieces of it, but I've never found my own.

    Sue

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  2. Wow, gorgeous pictures! What an awesome place that you are calling home right now! I'll race you up the tree! :) xxoo

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  3. Beautiful colors!....That sky with the moon is stunning!...It's crazy how much sea glass you have found!...and I'll climb to...at least I'll try:)

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  4. Wow! Stunning shots Gigi! I love coastal towns off-season. You've done a wonderful job of capturing the moment.

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  5. I cannot imagine how delicious it would be to spend Halloween by the sea. Very Annabel Lee, I should think! Lovely, atmospheric photographs!

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  6. Gigi,
    You quite possibly had the most incredible Halloween night of nature's splendor than anyone else on this magnificent planet! Wow!
    Bises,
    Melissa

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  7. The tree photo is just fantastic love it, and yes I'd climb it with you, it's a perfect climbing tree!

    The spooky house, ooo love it, how creepy.

    All the photo's are gorgeous, you see the beauty in everything darling Gigi.
    xxx

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  8. Ooohhh...my heart is breaking for joy over the beauty of these photos, Gigi! Just thrilling to the golden glow and autumn glory...mmm... Happy Week, my friend :o) ((HUGS))

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  9. I'm always stunned and thrilled to vibration when I see how *you* see the world, Gigi! With such a sharp eye for beauty at every turn, around every corner, in every tree and every leaf in the tree and in every moon moon with enrobing clouds and in every flower and every petal on it. And in so much more, too!

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  10. Ooooo, that house does look scary, Gigi.
    Your Autumn photographs are beautiful...they really sum up the season......wonderful, GIgi.Wonderful XXXX

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  11. What glorious photos Gigi. Just yesterday we went off to gather Winterberry for the planters. I love the colors and textures of nature this time of year.

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  12. What a magical place to spend Halloween. These photos are gorgeous. Looking at them made me realize I don't recall ever seeing rugosa rose bushes in Autumn, only in summer...

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  13. Great photos! You have managed to capture a special mood.

    Wish you a good week, and thank you so much for the nice comment you left on my blog! Made me happy :-)

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  14. Beautiful images! Hope you had a wonderful Halloween weekend! :)

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  15. Absolutely amazing pictures, a land of warm sunshine and pretty pinks. Deceptive the colurs as I think you are heading into winter over there. Absoulutely divine.

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  16. omg. that tree is unbelievably stunning.

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  17. Love those first pictures of the sky! x

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  18. Those top two photos of the spooky house are so striking - they look as though they are felted art wall-hangings.

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  19. Hi Gigi,
    We could do a magical swap-you can come over for Pizza and the Southbank and I can come ober and stroll around the beautiful place that you live! I love all of these pictures and the autumnal story they tell. This is such a beautiful time of the year!

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  20. These photos are gorrrrgeous! I just came over from Secret Notebooks and fell in love with your photos! I also just graduated from college with a degree in English, so it's fun to read the blog of a professor!

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  21. The island looks amazing! Autumn is the best time of year.

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  22. These are have a beautiful, warm, magical glow about them!

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  23. We have the same kind of tree at the old house on our property. It's so big I don't think I could ever climb it. I do think of it sometimes.
    I've been transfixed by the pink sky lately too that only the fall seems to provide!
    LOVE thihs post!
    xxx...........C

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  24. Your photos are breathtaking! Wow! What a sweet and beautiful blog you have here. I am so glad I stumbled across it.

    Say...There is a London expat getting ready to throw a virtual English Christmas Tea Party. I'm most certain you would love it. You can visit here to read about it and sign up to attend:

    http://goodteatoo.blogspot.com/2009/11/official-invitation-your-chance-to-rsvp.html

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  25. What great photos! Loving those first spooky ones and your autumn ones are so lovely!

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  26. How is it possible I haven't commented on this post? I have visited it at least three times. Visited and swooned over all the yummy colors, they hydreangeas, sea glass, and sunsets. And that perfect, perfect tree. Sigh. Such beauty.

    Oh, and that super-creepy "haunted house". Oh my!

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  27. I find your photographs to be just stunningly beautiful. The colours are amazing but it's something more than that that you seem to capture. Truly gorgeous shots of nature at her finest.

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  28. Oh my! The warmth of the light coming through your window infusing your sea glass jars with golden hues..so so beautiful!
    I collect sea glass too.

    ~*

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  29. That house photo is incredibly spooky!!

    I love your rugosa roses. I can't grow them in my mild climate - too bad, because I loved them when I lived in a colder place.

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