Putting Fingers to Keyboard and Taking in Life Around Me: #WQ/#sundaystills: Theme: Fire/Color Challenge: Orange

It's another week of  Wednesday Quotes, hosted by Marsha from Always Write. If you're interested in joining, you can find more about #WQ here.

AND.......

This #sundaystills challenge is hosted by Terri from Second Wind Leisure. It's a great themed photography challenge that you'll enjoy. I love seeing the other participants interpretation of the theme each week...it causes me to think outside the box. I joined in hopes of it pushing me to get out and take more photos...I have to some degree, but I also like that Terri is okay with us finding photos in our archives, which is also a lot of fun. So check out my photos and then head over to Terri's page to participate or visit other's posts. There are some awesome contributors who always inspire me.

This week we are a bit busy and are going to be out of town from Wednesday through Saturday so I decided since Marsha's theme for #WQ and Terri's theme for #sundaystills were similar, I'd just combine both posts in one. I know many do that regularly, but I like doing separate posts. We are heading to a small town called Seabrook, Wa on the Washington coast. Because we live so close to Oregon we 9/10 times always go to the Oregon coast. I'm looking forward to checking out this little town and hoping I can find some inspiration for photos for upcoming challenges....something I want to get better at. 

The theme this week for #WQ is Fire/Color Challenge, and Terri's theme for #sundaystills is a monthly color challenge and it's Orange.

While we were at the beach this last week, we took a drive "on" the beach, which you can do in parts of Washington, and this hillside caught my eye with it's orange tint. 

The color orange typically symbolizes (though it probably depends on who you ask), ambition, adventure, creativity, and sociability. We often think of orange in relation to autumn and the harvest. 

One year when the girls were younger, we got to go watch a controlled burn because one of our friends (pictured) was on the fire department running it. It was pretty fascinating. 

I love the color orange but it really depends on the tone of the color and what it is on. I'm not a fan of orange cars and I rarely wear the color orange, but I love orange doors, flowers and the fruit! 

I love orange in nature. From leaves to flowers to sunrises and sunsets. 

The orange in these steps is pretty. I spotted this when we were in Palm Springs at the resort we were staying in. How fun are they? 

I can't do a post about orange without including several photos of Italy. Above is Bellagio and below is Burano.

One of the buildings in Venice. I wonder if the color has faded over time or if that is the color it's meant to be. It was one of my favorite buildings. 

I loved the thought in this quote. What does it mean to set your life on fire? I think, for me, it means pursuing things that give me joy, spark excitement, etc...even in the daily routines of everyday life. We need to surround ourselves with people who encourage us in those things. 

More Venice above and below. I know I've said this, but there's probably no other place I've been where I would think all these colorful houses were beautiful...haha. It just fits.

We can't leave out fall leaves. New Hampshire above, and at one of our local lakes below. I need to take some photos here again this year. 

YES! When our souls are on fire, we are unstoppable, we are passionate, we are a force to be reckoned with, we bring encouragement to others. Just like a fire, the flame may spread to those around us, not in a destructive way, but perhaps in a refining way, a way that cleanses, a way that causes them to want their soul to be aflame. 

As I was just loading photos this morning I thought "you know, you should organize these better". However I didn't, but will try in the future to group them together by theme. 

Sunset and sunrises are some of my favorite things. I'm so glad they are a part of creation. Above is from our airbnb on Orcas Island. The land in the distance is Canada. 

Below is from Plymouth, Mass. We took several walks along the water. 

On our recent trip to Seabrook, Wa I spotted this orange door. I think it's such a pretty shade of orange. 

Aahh...what sets my soul on fire...this goes with the quote above and I just now realized it. I know that often, the fire in my soul is dull, it's just smoking and barely recognizable. Way too often in fact. I let the opinions and thoughts of others dictate my flame. I need to stop that 

A monarch butterfly at the Butterfly conservatory we visited last fall. 

Orange dahlias in this mixed bouquet given to me by a friend. Dahlias are my favorite. 

I spotted this pumpkin display on our vacation. We stopped at a farm stand and I loved the set up. 

This one made me chuckle, but it is true isn't it. We don't pause long enough to grasp a meaning behind a painting we are looking at. To take in it's meaning, to get a real feel for it. We quickly move on. We don't linger, we quickly move on to the next one. I can be guilty of doing this. Don't hand me headphones in a museum...I don't want to stand there that long. Hmm...maybe I should go visit a museum and take time to linger. 

Visiting Montpelier, VT. 

On our last day in Seabrook we took a walk with the grandkids and spotted this fun sign. "I spy orange", so we had to stop and get a photo. 

Haha! I should've put this one with the sunrise/sunset photos, but oh well...Again, guilty of not taking the time to organize my posts better. I loved this quote. I love that God has given us both the sunrise and the sunset to enjoy. When I see them, I find myself saying, "thank you God for showing me again how much you love me". 

Another photo of our local lake in Longview. So many pretty colors. 

Orange tulips from our local tulip fields. Beautiful. And below....tons of carrots at the Farmers Market. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin