Category Archives: Color

The Orange Robe

By Ron | Published April 7, 2011

There are some thirty-four active Buddhist Temples or Wats and an estimated 2,000 monks in and around Luang Prabang, Laos. Boys as young a ten years old can enter a temple to receive religious training as well as a general education. A Monk’s day starts very early, usually around 4:00AM, with prayer and meditation in preparation for their alms gathering. Several hundred Monks walk barefooted through the streets of Luang Prabang at first light gathering alms from the faithful, a very solemn ritual that has occurred daily for over seven hundred years. The Monks then return to their Wats for their main meal of the day and then retire to their quarters in the afternoon for meditation and rest.

When one wanders around the temples in the afternoon, they appear deserted. A quiet serenity settles over the temple grounds. This is especially so in the more rural Wats where the only sounds are birds singing and bamboo rustling in the breeze. But there is a subtle indication that the monks are there: the ubiquitous orange robe. One is neatly folded across a window sill, a freshly laundered robe is drying on bamboo, or several are on a makeshift clothesline.

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More articles and pictures of Laos and Luang Prabang are here.

 

 

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Photo of the Day – Florida Livin’

By Ron | Published May 3, 2010

Florida Livin'

Florida Livin'

Also posted in Florida, General, Note Cards, Photo of the Day, Pine Island | Leave a comment

Sunset

By Ron | Published March 26, 2010

Sunset is an angel weeping
Holding out a bloody sword
No matter how I squint I cannot
Make out what it’s pointing toward
Sometimes you feel like you live too long
Days drip slowly on the page
You catch yourself
Pacing the cage

Pacing the Cage ~ Jimmy Buffett

Surely, sunset is God’s daily gift to us. Many places boast about their sunsets but Pine Island sunsets are as good as they get. On many an evening, the thunderheads that have formed over the Everglades from the afternoon heat are pushed west by the trade winds and position themselves perfectly to reflect the sun’s last rays over the Gulf of Mexico. The result is an explosion of reds, oranges and vermilion, along with the bruised purple of the remnants of the thunderstorms. You owe it to yourself and a loved one to stop and enjoy and perhaps toast God’s gift.

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Colors of Haiti

By Ron | Published February 26, 2010
Colors of Haiti 1

Colors of Haiti (click to enlarge)

“Beyond mountains, are more mountains.”

“Little by little the bird builds its nest.”

Haitian Proverbs

An extract from the 1983 poem “meme le soleil est nu” by Haitian born Anthony Phelps reads:

There once was a Country

There once was a City

There once was a Country

whose children did not dream

Colors of Haiti 2

Colors of Haiti (click to enlarge)

There is a spirit and spirituality in Haiti like nowhere else. Haitians are resolute and tenacious and, in time, will move beyond the horrendous hardships they are currently facing. Haiti changes you. Below the flow of everyday life is a rhythm that knows how to celebrate being alive. A rhythm that gives memories to all of the senses.For me it is the sights. Haitians have a vibrancy for life that shows in the bold, tropical colors they surround themselves with. No matter how humble their abode it will be brightly painted and often the clothes they wear or the utensils they use in their daily lives are just as bright and cheerful.

Preparing the Colors of Haiti Gallery has been so much fun. Choosing from the hundreds of images I have of Haiti was a very enjoyable reminiscence.  The entire nation seems to be in bright and lively motion. The countryside is like a continuous market with an endless variety of all things imaginable for sale. The towns with their vividly painted modest dwellings, also where all things imaginable being for sale,  are a riot of color. Psychedelic comes to mind. Haiti changes you and I look forward to being changed again.

Colors of Haiti 3

Colors of Haiti (click to enlarge)

Also posted in Haiti, Les Cayes, Note Cards, Port-au-Prince | Leave a comment

RED: A Photo Essay

By Ron | Published January 26, 2010

Red Pillows

What is it with the color red? Research shows that red is hardly anybody’s  favorite color. Only about eight percent say it is their favorite. But it seems that nearly everyone is drawn to the color. I know I am. Red is a strong color, a hot color. It represents love and passion as well as warfare and violence. Throughout nature red is used as a warning, signaling danger. The color is used to indicate ripeness and courtship as well. 4SYP6XA46CV5

Sleeping Hibiscus

I like making visually strong photos.  There are a lot of factors that influence the strength of an image. Colors that evoke emotion and passion can have a lot to do with an image’s success.

Question for the day: Why is red associated with both cupid and the devil?

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