Seeing the World Through Rainbow Colored Glasses (Rainbow Connection Winners)

We saw rainbows everywhere on our recent vacation to California. Now that I have some of our photos downloaded, I'd like to share some of them with you!

We flew out of the Minneapolis / St. Paul Airport very early on a cold, dreary morning, after a very short night and almost no sleep. It was so hard getting things organized and done ahead of time at work before we left that I was convinced I shouldn't even be going on vacation - when I saw these lights lining the concourse, I finally felt at peace about leaving.

My husband noticed the rainbow-colored weather map - one more reason to head for warmer places!

When we arrived in California, we were greeted by a host of my husband's relatives and treated to my sister-in-law's delightful hospitality. The first thing I spotted was a rainbow-colored Longaberger  basket .

A coordinating pottery bowl was full of chips...

And I made some of my favorite, very colorful, Fiesta Dip to go with the rest of the goodies.

We saw more rainbows when we went uptown to shop...

...and another when we walked through the Sunday School rooms at her church that Sunday.

I was with my sister-in-law (Becky D) when she bought this purse in Scotland, and thought it was fun she was using it while I was visiting.

We saw all kind of rainbows at a local thrift shop...

...and along Historic Route 66 when we set out for Kingman and Williams, Arizona, to see the Grand Canyon.

Next stop... Las Vegas... no shortage of rainbows in this town...

... although I did not win a pot of gold, it was fun!

It was quite a switch going from the brilliant, gaudy rainbow lights of Las Vegas...

...to the more subtle, naturally colored rainbows we found in Death Valley...

If you look closely, you can see yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and green in the mountains of Death Valley. What a beautiful panorama of color!

The next link of our journey took us further west to the coast, where we were fortunate enough to visit Linda K's lovely home. These art pens were still tucked under her Christmas tree, and judging by the lovely artwork she has displayed in her home, she will be using them to design more magical creations.

Although we never saw a single "real" rainbow on our trip (I suppose going to the desert lessens the odds a bit...), there were rainbows everywhere we looked...

... reminders, promises, signs of new life and hope...

Even in the midst of winter, there are rainbows surrounding us on every side.

All you have to do is look!

Please join me in congratulating the Winners of Rainbow Connection's Rainbow Competition!

My thanks to everyone who entered!

Creative Alterations and Images

1st Place is a Pair of Photos by Sue M:  Fruit and Veggie Rainbow AND  Rainbow of Colors

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Poetry

1st Place is by Curt L:   A Winter's Rainbow Recipe ~ For Shannon (yeah, whatevah!) W. & You

2nd Place is by Granny Janny H:  Rainbow

3rd Place is by Cristina S:  RAINBOW

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Photos

1st Place is a Triple Crown of Photos by Jessie L:  Reflection of a Billboard in a High-Rise in NYC AND  Adirondack Balloon Festival AND  Lake Harris in Newcomb, NY

2nd Place is a Tie Between Jan S:  Double Rainbow by Skidway Lake, Michigan AND Katherine "Kat" W:  End of the Rainbow

3rd Place is by Shannon (zzzzzzzzzzzz) W:  Prism Reflected on the Stair

4rd Place is a Pair of Photos by Marianne R:  Stained Glass Window AND Just Add Air

5th Place is a Tie Between Cristina S:  Sunlight Filtered Through Cut Glass AND

Geeta *Buzzy*:  Rainbow Boy

6th Place is by jenn g:  my tattoo

7th Place is by Mary M:  A Painted Rocket

8th place is a Pair of Photos by Gary H:  Rainbow of Tulips

9th Place is by Madame Donna C:  Simple Fresh Blueberry Coffee Cake

10th Place is a Tie Between carolyn b:  Notebooks and Highlighters AND

Deneen L:  Rainbow Stars

11th Place is by Xelene*:  A Rainbow of Dolls

12th Place is a Pair of Photos by Marianne M:  Rainbow Colored Confection AND Art Deco Pierrot Candy Dish

Lucky 13th Place is by Linda G:  Surf Shop

14th Place is a Tie Between Kitty L:  Rainbow Over "Old Stoney" AND

Kay M:  Rainbow

15th Place is by Ruth Luce:  Rainbow Art

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Photo Essays

1st Place is by elizabeth e:  A Rainbow Inauguration from a Child's Point of View

2nd Place is by Karen R:  Rainbows Are All Around Us