Not too long ago, someone e-mailed me. They had just moved to Albuquerque. They said, horrified, "it's so brown here!" Perhaps in other cities there are other predominant colors in the landscape: green in milder climates, white and black in wetter/colder climates. In the summer here in Albuquerque, there is probably more brown in the landscape than in many other wetter cities, and in the winter, brown is definitely the predominant color in the natural landscape.
I think it is time that I learned to be more appreciative of the color brown. I do love the color brown in the home: it is a comforting color, reminding me of warm blankets, a comfortable leather chair, gooey caramel, chocolate, stews, single malt scotch. So why not in the landscape?
We are green right now, it looks a little like Ireland. With the rain we are getting this week we may actually stay green into May...usually by April our hillsides are all brown - I call it golden until fall when it is really brown. The last few years with almost no rain we have been brown year round!
ReplyDeleteHere in San Diego we sometimes get a hint of green (although it is just from invasive grasses on our hillsides) so I have had years to embrace the brown. As an avid hiker, I think it is really restful on the eyes. Especially the last image you posted, looks full of subtle color to me: golden yellow, sage green, rust. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteSure, I see more brown (or tawny, or blonde) than green. But in *each* shot, there is a nice green scattering of Nolina, Quercus, or Juniperus in combination one does not get in colder Fanta Se, or back east, in the dead of winter. I think the contrast in brown and green from the foothills of central NM and points S is almost divine!
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