These are so pretty, aren’t they? I didn’t have a strong zoom lens and you can’t get too close without scaring them off the rocks, our boat captain (hi Chuck!) told us, so here’s a group portrait of harbor seals for you, taken on the waters off Anacortes, WA.

Watery Wednesday has amazing water photos of all sorts, Outdoor Wednesday has outdoor shots and Camera Critters, well, you get the idea. Also, Scenic Sunday and Weekend Reflections are well worth visiting.

Browse around here in a new search, tag or category. Water, perhaps? And you can always return to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

I can hardly believe that I got any tomatoes at all, but here is proof. September is a bit late for first tomatoes, though, don’t you think? I threw a couple of handfuls of dolomitic lime on the soil at planting and it made a huge difference. No more yucky blossom-end rot, and the vines look GREAT. Here in the Pacific Northwest the soil tends to be pretty acidic, thus easy success with rhodies, blueberries and evergreens. But tomatoes seem to prefer a more alkaline soil.

Gardening note: I was always hesitant to use dolomitic lime because I was sure it must make the soil more acidic—because it was “lime” and that had to be acid, right? WRONG. Silly me. It makes the soil more alkaline just like it says on the box and is great for plants like lilacs, peonies (mine flowered for the first time!) and hellebores, all of which really hate an acid soil.

How about browsing the “Vegetables/Fruits” category here—then visit Ruby Tuesday for more things red and ruby, Color Carnival for more brilliant color, and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. And if you’ve arrived here from a link, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the full blog with the latest and the greatest photos.

This is the third year for this hanging begonia basket. Doesn’t the recent rain make the petals look even better? Picotee means those pretty edges of color it has, by the way.

I bring it inside in the winter, it dies back, and in the spring I give it fresh soil, feed it some acid fertilizer and voila! This year the weather was so un-summery that it didn’t really bloom until the beginning of September. So much for summer flowering. Well, I’ll enjoy it all fall until the really cold weather when it will come in again.

Visit Flowers for Today for flowers from around the planet and Color Carnival for brilliant color; Macro Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday are also great sites, and SOOC has more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. Such fun!

While you are here, try a search for something like “begonias” to see this plant last year, perhaps. And if you’ve arrived via a link or a search engine, you can always click on Sara’s Fave Photos above for the latest posts.

I know I’ve posted close ups of this kind of lily before, but they are just so showy! And I am so thrilled when something SO exciting blooms in my very own garden. Be careful about the pollen, you know. Florists pull off those pretty pollen things because they can stain your clothes badly. But photos are safe!

Visit Pink Saturday, Color Carnival and Macro Flowers Saturday for great photo browsing, and SOOC has more straight out of the camera shots. And you can always poke around here for something like “pink” or “lily” in the search field. Return to the latest blog post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

There’s a little bonus at the bottom of the page. Aren’t they cute?

I had such a wonderful day today. Friends with a boat took us crabbing out from Anacortes, Washington, which is a couple of hours north of Seattle on Puget Sound, and the weather even turned fine. Scenic and delicious—my kind of day.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies seen round the world, Blue Monday, Scenic Sunday and Weekend Reflections, too. SOOC has more straight-out-of-the-camera shots.

I’ve tagged this post Best Post of the Week because it really floats my boat (almost literally!). And don’t forget to feed the fish at the bottom of the page.

This road that I saw on a neighborhood walk is an invitation to me. What’s down there? I want to explore, but don’t think the owners would appreciate my strolling into their space. But my curiosity sure is piqued. What do you imagine is there?

Scenic Sunday has more interesting and beautiful outdoor photos, and SOOC has more straight out of the camera shots. Go check it out.

This adorable little lake looked almost European in the late-day light the other evening. Lake Burien is just a few acres, south of Seattle, much beloved by the homeowners around it and invited visitors like myself.

Visit Watery Wednesday for more water photos of all kinds, and Outdoor Wednesday is fun also. Scenic Sunday and SOOC or Straight Out of the Camera are both very worth a visit, too.

You might try the “scenic” tag while you are here, or perhaps “water”? You can always return to the full blog by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

At the Pike Place Market in Seattle a couple of weeks ago, the dahlia display was breathtaking. Every color, every form, and armloads of them, all grown locally of course. Here are some red ones for you to enjoy.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more redness of all kinds. Perhaps click on the tag “red” while you are here? Visit the latest post always by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

Here’s a bouquet of roses I picked for my cousin Sheila who is visiting. If only you could smell the fragrance! The top dark orange one is Dolly Parton (love that name!), the yellow one is Peace, and the apricot one is Sundowner, I’m pretty sure. One day, I hope in my lifetime, there will be a device attached to your computer which will emit odors. Good smells only, of course. After all, if there’s enough computing power, why not? Fragrance is only molecules wafting towards us. In the meantime, you must imagine.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival and Macro Monday for more of the same, and SOOC has more straight out of the camera shots. And you might try a search for bouquet here, always returning to the full blog by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

Here is a  magenta and white waterlily for your enjoyment, seen at Hendricks Garden in the Federal Way Garden Tour last month.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, Today’s Flowers and SOOC for more great photos. And try clicking on a tag like My Garden, perhaps, for a new photo selection. If you’ve gotten here via the permalink, you can find the latest photos always at Sara’s Fave Photos above.