Colors...

[DDT (12)]

 
So pleasing to the eye… and the soul. I do enjoy colors. The colors of Spring are my favorite, but I like them all. I do not respond to the employment of colors by folks intending to excite or incite a response from others… No, it’s the colors themselves I relish, with no regard to any superficial sentiments attached to them.
 
I do admit to a bias of sorts, I suppose... that is, to preferring those of the Spring season. Spring has always had an encouraging, soothing, good connotation for this simple gypsy, and as far back as I can remember I’ve always eagerly anticipated its arrival.

Spring represents an end to the gloom of winter, the blandness, cold, and inconvenience of that time, offering instead the promise of more pleasant days ahead… It used to mean a lengthy hiatus from school would soon follow, for most of my formative years, and the hope of much fun fast approaching… Logically then, anything associated with Spring shares in that feeling of exuberance…
 
The first appearance of buds on recently barren, seemingly lifeless trees and bushes gets my juices flowing! Yes, the dark, dismal days are beginning to lengthen, the bite of cold is lessening, and… Oh wow!

Those varying shades of fresh, vibrant green begin to appear, then the whites of Dogwoods, Bradford Pears, and the pastel reds, pinks, and innumerable shades in between of those beautiful trees compliment the palate building to the magnificent crescendo when Buttercups and Daffodils yield to the splendor of Azaleas, Mountain Laurels, Wisteria, and Rhododendrons…
 
Spring in the mountains is… well, indescribable, actually. I can’t resist going out of my way to view the incredible display, though, and I’ve been doing that most years since I first discovered the beauty there for the enjoyment. Spring in the low country is awesome, too, of course, and most of my life I’ve been content to revel in that… but… I happened to make my first motorcycle ride to the mountains in Spring, and there I was surprised and delighted beyond anything I could have anticipated!
 
I’m not going to be able to make that pilgrimage this year, unfortunately, as that darned ol’ virus named for an imported beer makes such a trek unwise… I will sorely miss that. Oh well, assuming I survive this latest challenge, I will think about such a ride for next year… when once again colors signal hope has returned, and the promise of better days once again beckons ALI and her partner onward and upward…
 
DDT

[hubcapsc]

Laurel will be blooming in the mountains over the next two months...
I always enjoy getting those late spring flowers...

-Mike

[Oldfishguy]

 Excellent piece of work!

Let me see if I can illuminate it a bit. Do you ever wonder where Mother Honda took the color pallete from?  Look no further than nature itself.  A black machine is nice but Mother Honda had quite an adventures spirit with colors over the decades. The examples could go on and on.

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1971 Honda CB500
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[msb]

Love the beginnings of Spring here... the contrast of Winter still in the mountains and the vibrant Green of the valleys below.
I agree with you Bruce, there's something positive about all 4 seasons (for those of us that actually have 4 distinct seasons weather-wise  ) and I enjoy them all, but there's an extra something about the excitement and emotional uplift that Spring finally taking hold offers...it represents the start of many things and a renewed energy for those young and old.

[Bigwolf]

Good read Bruce,
I too enjoy the colors of early spring.  These, and more, are in my yard today.  The photos don’t do them justice and the other photos I took didn’t come out well at all.



Bigwolf

[The emperor has no clothes]

Spring in Alaska was the worst ! I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was 4 years old and experienced my first "breakup". It stunk so bad ! The lawns decomposing under the wet snow, mix in 6 months of accumulated dog poop, and it was enough to make a kid want to play inside. Then as I got older, you got to deal with dirty cars and flooding streets. Yep, spring time in Alaska is the worst !

But in a few short weeks it becomes heaven.

[msb]

Spring in Alaska was the worst ! I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was 4 years old and experienced my first "breakup". It stunk so bad ! The lawns decomposing under the wet snow, mix in 6 months of accumulated dog poop, and it was enough to make a kid want to play inside. Then as I got older, you got to deal with dirty cars and flooding streets. Yep, spring time in Alaska is the worst !

But in a few short weeks it becomes heaven.

My daughter and Son in Law up in Northern BC know of what you speak. They do not like Spring (not there yet, still lots of snow). Spring means muck and bog and dirty gravely roads. Summers are great, but they much prefer Winter to Spring... well, as long as it doesn't extend past 5 months, which it looks like it is this year.