Palette

You get blind to certain colors after awhile. Those who live in the Southwest probably forget how startling red rock is to northerners. Tourists from more arid regions come to Wisconsin in the summer and keep exclaiming “but it’s so green!”

All summer long our eyes get accustomed to vivid flowers and blue skies. Autumn glows with changing leaves and winter snow can reduce the number of colors in the world to black and white.

But when you travel, you get to experience a different palette. It’s more than just the seasonal changes. Instead, it’s the vivid or muted hues of a world that evolved a little bit differently from the one you’re used to. Nature used different colors on the palette, and the effect is at once startling and intriguing and delightful.

 Moss in Oregon

 Pre-dawn in the Bahamas

 Dry grasses in Colorado

Consider it a reminder to use all the colors in your crayon box.