Color A Day #16 - Spectacular Sky

Sometimes we forget about the sky.  We forget how astonishingly blue it can be.  And then, when you catch sight of it, and it takes your breath away with it's brilliance.  And if there are clouds, that blue can look even more intense as your eye compares it to the puffy white.   And, if one is off in the wide open wilderness, or on the open ocean, it hits you how BIG the sky is.  And how beautiful.  My recent trip to Joshua Tree reminded me of this; the sky was spectacular.    These photos are an example...this is un-retouched - no photoshop here.  Just straight-up Spectacular Sky.

Color A Day #15 - Mojave Gray

The Mojave Desert.  It's the driest place in North America, and is the site of the highest recorded temperature as well.  Conditions are harsh, with huge extremes in temperature and blustery winds.  This place is brutal.  So, it makes sense that the colors of the place are bleached and muted.  Vivid colors don't stand a chance in this environment.  But, there is a great beauty and nuance in these soft hues, as these photos taken at Joshua Tree prove.

Color A Day #14 - Golden Monzogranite

 Joshua Tree National Park is an inspiring spot.  It's a place full of a great variety of textures; prickly cactus, rough stone, sandy foot-paths, spiked succulents, and weathered wood.  The monzogranite rock formations of this place are simply stunning.  But the colors of the place are strikingly muted: greys, browns, tans, taupes, silvers, and golds.  These neutrals combine together to form a warm golden tan, strikingly juxtaposed by a brilliant blue sky.