Sunday, January 24, 2010

"The Colour of Truth is Gray" Andre Gide

"Everything in life is gray, you know." ~ Jeannette Walls


"It is not time for mirth and laughter, the cold, gray dawn of the morning after."
~ George Ade






“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.”
~Bill Watterson






“But the gray and the cold are haunted by a beauty akin to pain, by a sense of a something wanted that never will come again.” ~ William Wetmore Story





“What if all tomorrow brings is ashes and glass, and I can't tell you child, 'this too shall pass.' If all the world were windswept, cold and gray. And in the end there's nothing left to say.” ~ Bob Weir





"Most consequential choices involve shades of gray, and some fog is often useful in getting things done." ~ Timothy Geithner





“O Time and change! - with hair as gray as was my sire's that winter day, how strange it seems, with so much gone of life and love, to still live on!”
~ John Greenleaf Whittier






“When all candles be out, all cats be gray” ~ Proverb





“My yesterdays walk with me. They keep step, they are gray faces that peer over my shoulder.” ~ William G. Golding





“The photographer's palette is a thousand shades of gray.” ~ H. E. Clark





“You don't necessarily have to be in love with this weather to get through it well. It's about attitude. Instead of seeing a gray sky and thinking gray equals bleak and sad and depressing, try something else. Try, when the skies are gray, there's a somber beauty to the landscape. Put a positive spin on it.” ~ Dan Weiner.

Something brighter coming up soon...

65 comments:

Fragrant Liar said...

Beautiful photos, if gray and sort of maudlin. The coldest one was appropriate for a poignant quote by Timothy Geithner.

ellen abbott said...

I like these, especially the feather. Oh and the willow and the first one and the water bird stretching it's wings. Gray is my preferred color to wear in winter.

Anita said...

eerie, yet beautiful

Tabor said...

Lovely gray photos and perfect quotes to match. Too bad today is such a gloomy gray day. I might enjoy these better on a sunny day. ;-)

Saz said...

everything in this world is shades of grey until the sun shines it's light upon it....

like ANita says 'Eerie yet beautiful'

saz x

Steve Gravano said...

The cat photo is beautiful. We had a cat named Green Eyes, but I don't believe her eyes were as green and electric as those. Beautiful

Jinksy said...

I love the gentleness that grey gives to photos like your tree overhanging the misty water. If we never had grey, how would we appreciate technicolour?

cheshire wife said...

The last quotation by Dan Weiner is so appropriate and really hits the nail on the head for this time of year.

Country Girl said...

I loved this post. You went to a lot of work to match the quotations with the photos. And I thank you for that. It was beautiful. The last one is a good lesson to learn.

Rosaria Williams said...

I like that: "the color of truth is gray." Much to ponder.

Excellent photos.
Lovely encouraging remarks.

Kelly H-Y said...

Despite being gray, these photos are stunning! And, the quotes go perfectly. Nicely done, as always.

Brian Miller said...

love the fog shots...always make me think of mystery...the clock is very stunning as well.e you had a great weekend hilary!

NJ said...

Hilary, I noticed you quoted Jeannette Walls and wondered if you read the Glass Castle. It was a book I really enjoyed and I gave my daughter her new one at Christmas so I'm hoping she will lend it to me once she's read it.

I'm glad we were able to enjoy a few less gray days recently.

Wendy said...

Nice pics, especially of the bare trees in winter. Our days have been gray too. I prefer sunshine!

Frank Baron said...

Gray is also wisdom. Or so I insist, whenever I get a glimpse of the mirror. ;)

Great shots. The ducks spoke to me.

And that guy in the last shot has a great butt!

And I'm not gay either. Not that there's anything wrong...oh, hi Van!

Karen said...

Your first pic is great. I must say the squirrels up there are much fatter than ours. Maybe it's all that winter coat. Ours have tropical wear. :)

Mental P Mama said...

Wow!

Sarah Anne said...

I think that, of all of the posts I've seen on your blog, this is my very favorite.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

“The photographer's palette is a thousand shades of gray."

Your color features of the past couple weeks are working for me. I appreciate the beauty of your work. Makes me want to have a clearer eye when I'm snapping away. Such a beautiful collection. Hmmmm.

Maggie May said...

Now I think I could compete with grey! Everything seems grey here, at this time of the year.

I love your photos even if they are grey and I love the way you have put appropriate quotes under your pictures.
Great idea this colour theme!

Nuts in May

Zuzana said...

You find at all times the most amazing objects to photograph. I love the cats eyes and I love the lonely tree (looks like some sort of a willow) with its branches resembling a sad veil. Beautiful. Always a pleasure to stop by...
xo
Zuzana

Sueann said...

All these photos are fabulous! I love the gray, the fog and the mist. It speaks of mystery and dreams and magic!! You captured that essence wonderfully!
Hugs
SueAnn

the Bag Lady said...

Hilary - you continue to out-do yourself! I love the weeping willow photo!
Excellent quotes, too.
You can make even gray seem okay!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that tree in the fog is spectacular! :)

Unknown said...

The photo of that willow with the quotation by Timothy Geithner is an absolute stunner! I'd frame that one, for sure.

Lady Fi said...

We've had lots of grey days - and it is as you say: lots of beauty in the grey anyway!

Gorgeous melancholy photos.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

OH! Sweetness :)

Cricket said...

Nothing wrong with gray to me. I like gray weather just fine. As a teacher of mine used to say: Beautiful! We're having weather!

Nice shots especially from, I assume, a walk in the park. Walking in the fog and mist is worth the time, just as much as in the sun.

Tough one on my mental soundtrack player, though. A Touch Of Gray seems a bit obvious. All Things Must Pass is a little closer, except I like gray... I don't need it to pass away. I'm going to have to go with one I like, and not many others will, perhaps:

1984 - Robert Fripp
(not a reference to the book, btw)

järnebrand said...

Mmmm, gorgeous gray... I love the photos! They go so well with the quotes you selected. Thank you for a beautiful read. /Johanna

Suldog said...

Nice photos as always, but I especially want to commend you on ascribing the quote to Watterson, rather than Calvin. Most folks couldn't have resisted the temptation to make it more readily recognizable :-)

Reb said...

Lovely photos and great quotes.

imbeingheldhostage said...

GRAYt theme today Hilary! I would enjoy the gray more if it wasn't every. single. day. Some more stunning photos :-)

Daryl said...

Super everyone .. but the willows speak to me .. so very sexy ..

Joanna Jenkins said...

So beautiful Hilary!
We've had a lot of gray in our neighborhood this week too. The weather everywhere seems to be so crazy these days.
LOVE this series!
More please.
xo

Unspoken said...

Hilary, this may be my favotrite post of yours. I love the grays and the quotes. This would be my choice for a POTW, if I could nominate :). Lovely!

Tammie Lee said...

winter surely is a gray time. there is comfort in it some days, other days it is hard to find a light spirit in the gray. Your photos and quotes are a lovely array of gray.

Elizabeth Bradley said...

I've always liked gray.

Brighter? These were brilliant, pics and quotes.

Hilary said...

• Fragrant Liar, thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

• Ellen, I'm not surprised that you like the feather. I'm glad you liked the post. :)

• Thank you, Anita. :)

• Tabor, I hope you have a sunny day soon. I hope I do too. :)

• Saz, so true. Thanks for that perspective. :)

• Steve, thanks for the kind words. Zephyr looks deep in thought behind his beautiful green eyes.. but I know better. ;)

• Jinsky, another fine perspective. Thanks for that. :)

• Cheshire Wife, it does indeed. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Thanks very kindly, Kate. I'm glad you appreciate it. :)

• Thank you, Lakeviewer. Very much appreciated. :)

• Kelly, thank you kindly. I'm so pleased that you like them. :)

• Brian, thanks so much for the kind words. :)

• NJ, I have not read Glass Castle. I scoured the web for these posts.. kind of an easy way out, eh? You might have to nudge your daughter to remind her to lend it to you. ;)

• Wendy, I prefer sunshine too. But every now and then a gray day happens. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Frank, I must not be very wise yet. You must be brilliant. ;) And yes he does butt I don't think Van visits here very often. :P :)

• Karen, thank you. I think our squirrels just look that way. They sure can fluff up when it's especially cold. :)

• MPM thanks for stopping by. :)

• Georgie, thanks very much. I'm glad you like it. :)

• Thanks so much for your very kind words, MJ. That means a lot to me. :)

• Maggie, thanks very kindly. I'm glad you're enjoying my colour theme. There's not too many left. :)

• Zuzana, that is indeed a weeping willow. It seems right for the gray mood. Thanks for your always kind words. :)

• Thanks so much, SueAnn. I'm so pleased that you think so. :)

• Baggie, thank you. I'm working on turning this gray day into a brighter one

• Thanks, Rain. Much appreciated. :)

• Thank you so much, Jane. I'm glad you feel that way. It makes me smile. :)

• Thanks very kindly, Lady Fi. Much appreciated. :)

• Thank you, Gary. :)

• Cricket, I like that "Beautiful! We're having weather!" line. I do like rainy days - often. And I love the fog. I quite enjoy being out in the fog with my camera. The best season for that though, is autumn. The muted colours are quite magical then. I have to say I look forward to your mental soundtracks as much as the rest of your comment. It's like an added bonus. Thank you for that. :)

• Järnebrand, welcome and thanks for the kind words. Very much appreciated. :)

• Suldog, thanks always for your kind words. The truth is that I simply searched a few quotes sites for usage of the word "gray" and that one came up correctly attributed. There was no temptation to resist. ;) Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thanks very much, Reb. :)

• IBHH, thank you. "Grayt" ;) Hopefully it won't be too much longer until there's some colour back in our world. I know I could use it. :)

• Thanks, Daryl. I'm glad you think so. :)

• Joanna, thank you. More coming up fairly soon. :)

• Thanks kindly, Amy, I'm touched that you think so. :)

• Tammie Lee, thanks very much. I agree though that some days it's hard to find that spirit. This might just be one of them. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Elizabeth, thanks so much. I truly appreciate that. :)

Anonymous said...

I love your pics here... especially of the walk ways!
The Bach

Cloudia said...

Wow
thanks for letting me wallow in the pewter of winter.


Aloha, Friend!


Comfort Spiral

colbymarshall said...

Love the photos. I've had a very "shades of gray" kind of a day, so this was a good one for me!

Dave said...

That blog was brilliant Hilary, with the little verses under each photo, and the photos great too! Very well done! Thanks! I specially liked the squirrel and the verse with it. - Dave

ethelmaepotter! said...

I never would have dreamed that gray could be so colorful.
The weeping willow overhanging the water is haunting; the branches look almost soft, like I want to rub them against my cheek. Brilliant. Again.

Pauline said...

Oh, but this was so lovely a combination of words and pictures! It reminds me of those calendars you can't bear to throw away because the photographs are so compelling it doesn't matter that the year has gone, you must keep the memories.

JC said...

Who knew gray could be so beautiful.

Dianne said...

the willow in the fog is stunning
the quotes are wonderful
I like gray
I like gray days, they sometimes feel cleaner, simpler - as though they don't ask for a smile or a good mood - they let you be

photowannabe said...

This is such a cleverly crafted post. I would never think about gray as my theme, but you mad it work. Delicious photos and perfect quotes to go with them.

Redbush said...

Love the gray photos. I've done gray, black and white monotone paintings, and loved doing them, and your photos have a special feel to them. Love the ducks sitting at the edge of the icy water. There's an edge to the grayness, like maybe mother winter is calling to baby spring!

Margo said...

Timothy Geithner - who knew? Stunning photos. No need to hurry with something brighter. I'm kind of with Bill Watterson on this.

Unknown said...

grey can be a season.... not to be held too long though.

how you weaved the words and images is truly incredible, Hilary. Each one it's own wonder.

SandyCarlson said...

Yes, indeed. I like what Geithner had to say. So very true. That image of the willow is just amazing. They all are, but that one especially got me. It seems to be raining willow!

blunoz said...

Thanks for continuing to share your wonderful photos! My favorites in this group were the clock tower and the cat.

tattytiara said...

Your grays are none of the drab and depressing things one normally associates with gray. Lovely, lovely post.

SandyCarlson said...

The title just got me. And it enriched each photo. Thanks.

Hilary said...

• Bach, I'm glad you could join me. Thanks. :)

• Cloudia, what a poetic comment. Why am I not surprised? Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Colby, thank you. I'm glad this was an apropos post for you. :)

• Dave, thank you so much. Your kind words are so very appreciated. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

• Ethelmae, thanks very kindly. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the post this much. Thanks for your warm words. :)

• Pauline, thank you very much for such a nice compliment. I'm so glad you enjoyed my post. Thanks for the visit. :)

• JC, you never know, eh? Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Dianne, I like gray days too. Much better than gray moods. Such an apt description of the kind of day. Thanks for that. :)

• Sue, thank you so much. I'm glad that gray seems to work. I wasn't sure when I started. Thanks for stopping by. :)

• Redbush, you have such a poetic way of describing the photos. I think I'll hire you for the word portion of my posts. Thank so much for your kindness. :)

• Margo, thanks for the kind words. I'll try not to be too bright from here on in. ;) Thanks for the visit. :)

• Deb, you're right about not wanting to hold on to the gray season for too long. I so appreciate your kind words. Thank you.

• Sandy, I like the idea of it raining willow. You always have such a poetic flair with your words. Thanks for your kind comment. :)

• Kevin, thanks kindly. I'm glad you're enjoying them. :)

• Tattytiara, thanks very much. I'm pleased that you think so. :)

• Thanks, Sandy. I'm glad that the title worked for you too. :)

Shrinky said...

What a wonderful collection of quotes to partner your equally wonderful photography.

Cedar said...

Your winter photos always remind me of Bronte Sisters novels.

abb said...

I think this is my favorite color so far. Love Geithner's words - damn true.

Hilary said...

• Thanks kindly, Shrinky. Much appreciated. :)

• Thank you, Cedar. That's a fine compliment. :)

• Thanks very much, TSannie. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

Louise said...

Who knew gray could look so good? The first shot is spectacular, and I also really,really loved the weeping willow one. Great quotes, too. My favorite was the one about savoring a bad mood. (But it improved my mood.)

lime said...

this series really creates a pensive mood. and being a calvin and hobbes fan it tickles me that you used a bill watterson quote. :)

~JarieLyn~ said...

These are all wonderful. I think gray is good.

Hilary said...

• Louise, thanks very kindly. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. Thanks for dropping in. :)

• Thank you, Lime. It pleases me that you got a kick out of that. Thanks for the visit. :)

• Thanks, JariLyn. I suppose it can be. Thanks for stopping by. :)

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

I love your greys!!!! love, love, love the weeping willow (?) shot! It's beautiful...

Like Ellen, I love to wear grey too......i generally pair it with pink :)I bought this ruffle-d scarf in grey from Burlington this winter...oh i love it!!!! :)

Hilary said...

Thank you so much, Moi. I love grey with pink too. And with peach. And yellow.. and.. I just really like gray. Thanks so much for your kind words. And yes, that's a weeping willow. :)