This is from last year when we went camping at the Dungeness Recreation Area campground in the Olympic Peninsula in the Pacific Northwest. To me, the water and the pinkish, foggy air is even more beautiful than the big flying bird, but it was quite a moment in any case.

Visit Wordless Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Scenic Sunday, Skywatch Friday and Camera Critters for more photo fabulousness.

Last minute reminder: If you are in Seattle tomorrow on Thursday, August 4 at 6-8pm, please come to the Conservatory’s free Open House and book signing for my new book, Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month By Month. Take a tour and meet the author (me!). You can find more info about the book on the home page here, or order at pre-launch prices with free shipping on the Book Order page. Thanks for visiting!

I am pleased to announce that so far, the squirrels seem completely uninterested in the raspberries which are bearing this year for the first time. As opposed to, let’s say, strawberries, of which I have picked NOT ONE. Nuts. I guess I can’t complain, having so few garden pests or predators, but still. You grow them and you want to eat them, or at least taste them! I’ve also learned that raspberries, even unwashed and in an open container, get moldy after three days or so in the fridge. I won’t let that happen again.

Visit Ruby Tuesday (and these berries are ruby colored, for sure!) Color Carnival, Macro Monday, and Macro Friday. If there is only the one berry photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the rest of them. Thanks for visiting!

A warm evening in the summer is heaven anywhere, but here in the Seattle area we feel particularly blessed when we can eat dinner on the patio and take in the garden view. This was last evening’s lovely view. Hope you can enjoy it with me.

Visit Pink Saturday, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers, and Wordless Wednesday. Also, I think it is so cool that my new book and the launch party at Volunteer Park Conservatory on Thursday, August 4 got a mention in the Seattle PI garden blog!

Dusty is one of those kitties who loves everyone. Doesn’t matter if you love cats or not, smell of dogs or not, feed her or not, she is your friend. “Pet me!” she says. In our last house we had a deck with weathered wood, and I swear sometimes it was hard to see her when she lounged on it. She’s still a bit camouflaged here on our patio but makes herself known quite well.

Shadow Shot Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Camera Critters this week have other interesting insights. Take a look! But do browse around here first. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos here if there is only one photo below. Thanks for visiting!

I believe that the name of this rose is Simplicity, but if anyone knows for sure, I would appreciate your letting me know. I saw it in a neighbor’s yard on a walk yesterday. I love this flower, and if that’s the name, it surely is perfect for it.

Visit Pink Saturday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers, Outdoor Wednesday and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Clicking on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner above brings you back to the latest post here, always.

Reminder about the free Open House Aug. 4 at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory where I’ll be signing my new book! Hope you can make it.

Looks like Seattle is going ahead with the tunnel, but we still get these great views, for now.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Skywatch Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for more fascinating photos with a theme.You can always see the complete and up-to-date blog here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos, or the SFP banner above.

If you are in Seattle on Thursday, August 4 at 6-8pm, please come to the Conservatory’s free Open House and book signing for my new book, Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month By Month. Take a tour and meet the author! You can find more info about the book on the home page here, or order at pre-launch prices with free shipping on the Book Order page. Thanks for visiting!

Last week it rained, before the beautiful weekend we enjoyed, so of course I had to head out to the garden when it stopped. I’m enjoying the daylilies this year in their varying shades of orange, burgundy and peach. I think I have a yellow one, but it hasn’t bloomed yet.

Visit Wordless Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Ruby Tuesday for more fun photos.

Please see my Big Announcement below if you missed it! And thanks for visiting.

It’s party time! Thank you to all my blog readers and followers who have supported me over the last three years by your encouragement and creative, thoughtful comments. You gave me the confidence and courage to actually do this! My new book, Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month By Month is just about here and we are ready to ship books very soon. My Best Post of the Week, for sure!

This book was born from a dozen or so visits to the Conservatory here in Seattle over the course of a year. It changed so much each time I visited. I was entranced and enthralled by the beauty of the displays and the opportunity for thrilling, perfect flower photos, and could not believe there was not even one book about this incredible gem of a place. Thus this book was born. Side note: The flowers on the book’s cover image are brugmansia, or Angel’s Trumpet.

The launch party and free Open House is coming up next week at the Conservatory on Thurs., August 4, 2011, 6-8pm, so if you are in the area, please do stop by and say hello, and get the very first look at the book in person.

By the way, there is a special pre-launch price available to my loyal readers. More info about the book is on the home page lovethatimage.com (you can always get there by clicking on the photo banner at the top of the page) and the order info is here.

This cover image qualifies for these memes: Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers, Pink Saturday, and Ruby Tuesday. Thanks again to all meme hosts and participants for your encouragement on this big, big project.

At an after-hours meeting at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory about their campaign for needed restoration, of course I couldn’t help taking a few photos. Thank goodness that the last time I was there I snapped a photo of the cheat sheet they had posted, a key to the outdoor plantings, so I know that this amazing geranium is called ‘Mrs. Pollack. Even though it’s just coming into flower, that hardly matters with foliage like this.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Ruby Tuesday. Clicking on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner above brings you back to the latest post here, always.

And if you are in Seattle on Thursday, August 4 at 6-8pm, please come to the Conservatory’s free Open House and book signing for my new book, Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month By Month. Take a tour and meet the author!

From a couple of weeks ago, some flowers in my garden. The orange and yellow ones are alstroemeria, the purple on the left is linaria (VERY easy to grow and reseeds vigorously) and the blue and pink in the middle are bachelor buttons, also reseed well. I love gardening for moments like this one.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Scenic Sunday, Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers and Blue Monday. Please click on the banner above, Sara’s Fave Photos, to see the latest photos here. And thanks for visiting!