This week’s official WordPress photo challenge is “blue” – images cast somehow in the color blue. This challenge comes late – on a Monday. Usually we get them Friday and have the weekend to dig through our archives. (Not that a silly retired person like me can’t find time on a weekday!) So although I happily participated in the alternate unofficial “Reflections” challenge posted by Ailsa at wheresmybackpack, here are some entries for the official theme of the week:
1) As fortune would have it, I went to the grocery store today – and in the florist section, they had this amazing blue orchid. I had to touch it to believe it – It’s a real plant, but I suspect they doctored the color somehow! I grabbed this with my cell phone:
2) These next two I took at the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008 – the acrobats were suspended above the arena – it was amazing:
3) Then there’s the good ol’ wild blue yonder – here seen through the pyramid at the Louvre, and behind the statue of Admiral Nelson in Trafalgar Square:
4) And there’s always the deep blue sea, both of these taken in Hawaii – the first on the famous North Shore of Oahu, and the other at Laupahoehoe Harbor on the northeast shore of the big island of Hawaii – where the water was an unreal color:
5) And last – surf & sky together! Both of these were taken on Oahu – the first at the Kualoa Ranch, and the other on the North Shore, showing a variety of teal and blue:
So… that’s me in blue….
And here are a few of the other entries:
- Weekly Photo Challenge – Blue (katharinetrauger.wordpress.com)
- Dreamy Blue: Weekly Photo Challenge (Blue) (suvesabun.wordpress.com)
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue (thetaskmistress.me)
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue (mtlawleyshire.wordpress.com)
- “Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue” (sahbinahvioletflynn.wordpress.com)
- Weekly Photo Challenge – Blue (cherylandrews.wordpress.com)
The Retiring Sort 
The blue orchid is outstanding…thank you for sharing the photo…and such a good one.
I love your blue photos, but the orchid is my favorite…because it is one of a kind, I’m sure.
Peace,
Siggi in Downeast Maine
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Thanks! 😉
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Great choices. I love blue, so you had me at the category! 🙂
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Me too – Blue is my favorite color! 😉
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The orchid is a Vanda, and while they aim for blue they usually come out more purple. I suspect it has been possibly treated in some way, which is a shame because they are a stunning flower, and worth appreciating in their natural colour.
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I am sure they did play with it somehow, but it certainly did jump out at me!
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That is one unusual orchid. I probably would not have been able to leave it at the store… although my husband already complains that our house is turning into a jungle and he will have to purchase a machete and a pith helmet soon.
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😉 It was tempting!
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How beautiful. The color is so beautiful.
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Thank you! Blue has always been my favorite color – it soothes me somehow, So this was a lovely challenge for me! 😉
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I really like your blue photos. WELCOME! Thank you for subscribing to follow my blog. I hope you are encouraged, inspired and enjoy the photos I take. I look forward to sharing posts with you in the future.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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Thanks for the comment – and you’re welcome!
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: “Blue” « Just another wake-up call
Pingback: BLUE BY BLUE : WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. « 2012 – ON THE BENCH
I grow orchids as a hobby. I haven’t come across a blue one but plan to be on the look-out.
Nice collection of blues …..
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Thanks so much. There are some other early posts for this challenge that had these orchids – but I still suspect the color is somehow artificially created or enhanced. In any case, they were stunning!
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Really beautiful collection of blues. Love that you’ve posted several different shades too.
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Thank you, Gracie!
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You should have bought that orchid!!! I know I would not be able to resist 😀
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It was pretty amazing! 😉
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Very beautiful blues!
Thank you for visiting and following my blog. I am honored. Your blog is very interesting and I shall visit again.
Peace,
Alexandria
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Thank you, Alexandria!
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what a beautiful collection of the blues 🙂
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Thanks!! 😉
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stunning photos!
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Thank you, Sania! 😉
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue in London | Autumn in Bruges
Great collection of pictures. Like them all. Great post! 🙂
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Thanks so much, Arindam! 🙂
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the games are very colorful, the catamaran looks fun
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Thanks – both trips were incredible. We sailed out into the bay by the island they call Chinaman’s Hat, and looked for sea turtles in the water on the way back. Both soooo different from New England! 😉
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So many amazing places that you’ve been! I recognize the Louvre!!
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I should probably do a post on saving for travel! It’s really where most of our “recreational dollars” go, and we spend a lot of time planning. We’ve never been sorry we’ve taken any trips, though!
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That would be great!
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I am jealous of each and every one of these photos. I mean REALLY? You were at the closing ceremonies? I want to retire like you have! And the blue of the water and flowers… great examples.
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Thanks! We went to Beijing BEFORE I retired – can’t believe it was four years ago almost that we were there – but yes, it was a once in a lifetime thing for us to get to China, and an exceptional experience! 🙂
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Fabulous selections… Love them all! 🙂
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Many thanks!! 🙂
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The orchids look as if they’ve popped out of a painting, so beautiful. My other fav is the ones from Hawaii. Lovely! 🙂
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Thank you, Ash! 🙂
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Blue orchids, playful blue ocean waves, the fun filled performance, all pulsates with excitement and adventure. Beautiful in every way. Thank you….
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Thank YOU! And thanks for stopping in to visit!
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Great Blues! Love the Beijing shots- how exciting to be there. The orchids look like they are HDR- stunning. Appreciate you stopping by to see my “blues” today. Thanks.
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Thanks for the loveley comments, Jane! 🙂
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Stunning images! I love the Beijing ones. I like the way you lay out the images 2 by 2 together. Lovely! How do you do that? The blue is your images looks is non-diluted blue — I don’t get to see a lot of this gorgeous blue in England!
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Thanks! 🙂 To get the side by side images, I go down a line from the text and click on the media icon. I choose the first photo, make it Medium size, and mark it to justify left. Then go right back and select the next, mark it Medium size, and select None for the justification.
As for the blue in England, we were there two years ago during a heat wave – we had warm clothes and were melting – every day had sunlight. Our niece was actually sad that it wasn’t misty when we went to Stonehenge! Of course we’ve had our share of rainy day trips there as well… Thanks for the comments! 😉
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Thank you so much for your tips. I’ll try it next time. I’m not good with lining up images on my blog post — they go right and left with their own mind…….
p/s: We have quite a bit of rain today!
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Raining here too – I think the last setting you used comes up when you open the next image, so make sure you select for each and save it if you aren’t inserting it right into the post!
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those flowers are amazing!
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I couldn’t believe it when I spotted them – I was just thinking about what I should use for the challenge as I walked into the store, too!
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I have seen a flower so blue. I like all your blue pictures.
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Thanks for the comment and for visiting, Connie!
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I forgot the word never. I have never seen a flower so blue. It is beautiful.
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😉
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So many lovely shades of blue. Nice to dream away 🙂
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Thank you, Anette! 😉
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beautiful orchids, never seen before!!!! 🙂
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I hadn’t either – but go and look at the other posts for the challenge – they show up in some other posts as well! 😉
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The orchids look like they are painted. Beautiful.
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Thanks – they don’t look real, do they? Not sure if it’s the cell phone capture or the fact that we aren’t programmed to see them in this color!
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Blue Orchid 😀 beautiful flower
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Thanks! I’d never seen one before! 😉
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There are some very amazing blues in the plant world and that Orchid looks fantastic. I wonder if they were using a special type of flourescent lighting – there’s one called growlux that enhances the UV part of the spectrum and makes the veins like those in the petals stand out (insects and some birds see more of the UV spectrum than we do and plants utilise that to attract polinators).
Nelson reminds me of an old Spike Milligan ditty…
Tis due to Pigeons that alight,
on Nelson’s hat,
That makes it white.
😉
Nice set of shots for the challenge 🙂
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Thanks! As I’ve looked at other entries, I’ve seen two other examples of these blue orchids – your theory on the light is fascinating!
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Should have said before – LOL – the poem is too true!
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beautiful blue entries 🙂
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Thank you, Marina! 😉
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The orchids look like a painting on top of a photo. Cool!
Oh, and you look good in blue 🙂 Awesome shots. Enjoy your retirement – like I need to tell you that.
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Thanks so much for all of these comments! I enjoyed your Caesar’s Palace shot, too! 😉
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itu kembangnya asli ya? wahhh,,,, cantik ^^
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hmmmm? 😉
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Great blues! And also to say many thanks for the ‘Like’ on my blog! 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by! 😉
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terrific collection of blue shots…
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Thanks! Loved yours, too! 🙂
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue | Cardboard Me Travels
Great! I hope I could visit some places over there someday 😀
I love them
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Thank you! 🙂
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Love all the pictures! 🙂
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Thank you for that! 🙂
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I love the blues of the Olympics – lucky you to be there to capture them, and very well captured!
Your Orchid is quite fascinating too.
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Thanks! The acrobats were amazing. Those red suspended circles are drums with drummers on either side!
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No need for words. It’s amazing…
The fourth set, i like it the most. The water on the right picture looks like ice. Cool.
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It was amazing! I could have stayed al day and watched the waves! Thanks for your visit & kind comments!
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Oh wow, you have amazing photographs here. The blues look stunning!
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Many, many thanks! 🙂
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They tell me there is no such thing as a blue flower, how wrong can they be!
I like your photos this week.
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Many thanks!! 🙂
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Great collection of blue themed photos! I still cannot believe that orchid is real…have not seen those at our markets yet…
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I couldn’t believe it either – had to take the photo! I wonder if they fed it blue food coloring in the water…
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Lovely blue photos. But my eyes are on those orchids. Are those truly truly blue ones? Orchids are very popular where I am from _ we have lots of them and our neighbors too – but in all my life, I have not seen a blue one. That’s why your orchid photo is just so special to me. 🙂
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It was a living plant, but I did wonder whether they somehow colored the soil or water to get it that color!
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It’s fantastic in any case. 🙂
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That’s a lot of amazing blue! The unbelievable orchid and Oahu shots are my favourites. Thanks for the pingback.
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Thanks for the kind comments – and you’re wolcome!
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Oh these are lovely – those flowers! The sea 🙂 I love all the blues the sea reveals 🙂
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Thank so much – I am always drawn to the water! 😉
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So many lovely blues! The one of the sky through the Louvre pyramid is stunning, and I am captivated by the Beijing Olympics shots, particularly the one on the right, it’s really eye-catching. Ahh, yes, Hawaii, I had to include a shot of Hawaii in my post too, such an incredible place. xxx Ailsa
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Thanks for the lovely comments, Ailsa! 😉
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