October for me is always about color.

Fall foliage, especially, always feeds my soul somehow. As Brian Doyle used to say, “Nice work, there, God! Now you’re just showing off.”

 I’ve also been enjoying color in a few of the classes I mentioned last month.  My first photography class with Eli Vega has started, and I’m loving it. He absolutely knows what to do with color. Check out his website here. Now I’m scrambling to get my technical skills up a bit to be able to even attempt some of the things he’s demonstrating. But until that happens, you can revisit a few of our more colorful adventures, like the Outer Banks and colorful Key West and the post about the maddening butterflies.

I’ve also started the “Loose Watercolor” class with Steve Griggs, another who knows his way around the color wheel. Check out his website here. One of the great things about that class is that it’s on Zoom, so NO ONE can see what I’m painting, or rather the mess I’m making, so it’s 100% stress-free. Super fun. 

The “Food and Culture” class with Chef Larry Canepa was only three weeks, so that one’s finished. Here’s his website, including recipes. Yay! His visual aids were a feast of color, especially yesterday, when he talked about herbs and spices. Reminded me of a great little restaurant we enjoyed in La Rochelle in 2017 with Tom and Lexi. I’m afraid his spice photos were way cooler than anything I have on hand, so you’ll have to use your imagination (or maybe stay tuned, if the photography class goes well). 

My life is very much about reading and writing, so literally black and white much of the time. I have to lift my eyes from the page to notice and appreciate all the color around me, but it’s worth it every time I do. 

Beckett appreciates his fall leaves in a slightly different manner.

What a great gift color is. I’ve tried to give you about as much of it as I can fit into one post, but I hope you get out and savor the real thing in nature, even if you, like Beckett, prefer rolling on the ground to unleash the full joy of the moment. Enjoy!