Not too long ago I was in an interesting living room in Seattle. Besides lots of cushion seating, there was this pattern of fabric on the high ceiling. I loved it.

You might enjoy a visit to  Ruby Tuesday 2 and Mellow Yellow Monday, but browse around here first, why don’t you?

Dear readers: I’ve been to several craft fairs with my book, “Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month by Month” and many people have told me what a great a gift it is for an older person who might be hard to buy for. People all over the country are enjoying the luscious photos of beautiful flowers displayed in Seattle’s iconic, threatened Conservatory, and how they change through the year.

Since Mother’s Day is Sunday, I’ve made a special offer on the shipping costs. Now U.S. Priority Mail shipping and handling is only $5.99 for up to THREE books, either paperback OR hardcover, and orders of four books or more are free shipping! That means you can get one for your mom, one for yourself and one for a friend, too, for just the $5.99 shipping cost (to the same continental U.S. address), and if you want to get a head start on the holidays, totally free Priority shipping on orders of four or more books to one U.S. address. Canada shipping is less, also, but will be sent First Class Mail. Please see Book Order page for more details, and the Home page here for more about the book, including sample pages.

If you’d like me to send your order directly to the recipient, please add that info in the Paypal comments section. Double check that address, because that’s exactly how we’ll send it. And if you’d like a special inscription with the recipient’s name along with my autograph, please include it there as well.

Books arrive in a pretty tissue wrap and include a gorgeous Angel’s Trumpet bookmark.

If you’d like it to arrive by Saturday, you must order by midnight Wednesday to be sure of it arriving on time. Thank you!

I had forgotten that Swiss chard really is a biennial plant in the garden, and was disappointed last summer when the small plants I had grown from seed just didn’t do that much. But after a fairly mild winter with no really hard freezes, the plants are looking just fine. Dinner! I like to pick a good bunch, cut the stems from the leaf parts, roll up the leaves and slice in half inch ribbons. Then start steaming the cut-up stems first, add the leaves after a few minutes, and when picked fresh from your garden, they don’t take long to cook. You can cook up a nice white sauce with cheese melted into it to go over the steamed chard, or go the Italian way with chard added to garlic fried in olive oil, all mixed together on steamed red potatoes. So good.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Ruby Tuesday 2 and Macro Monday, why don’t you? And if you enjoy the photos in this blog, please click the new follow widget to the right. Thanks for visiting and come back soon.!

I believe these are crocosmia leaves that I came across in the Highline Botanical Garden the other day. I have some in my own garden and they look just like this in the sunshine. They flower (spray of tiny red/orange flowers on a stem) only in late summer and spread so well they might be called invasive, but look at those neat patterns!

Visit Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and see the complete and up-to-date blog here by clicking on the curly lettering on the banner above.

Ah, Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the spring! Aren’t these just the most exciting tulips, even all still in bud? They make me think of a Dutch still life painting.

You might want to wander over to Ruby Tuesday 2, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, Mellow Yellow Monday, and Pink Saturday for many lovely images. And if you see only this one photo here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above for the complete blog with lots more photos you might like.

My favorite cousin just got back from her first trip to India, and she has shared her favorite photo with us, taken on the steps of the Ganges river. This is what she had to say about it: “The richness of multi-sensory experience was so palpable, I could only be in the present moment, always. This is in Hariwar, at Ma Ganga, washing, dunking, blessing, offering.”

I love this image and I hope you enjoy it also. I think it is remarkable and am calling it my Best Post of the Week.

It’s a good offering for Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Mellow Yellow Monday and Pink Saturday. Please follow this blog on the new widget to the right if you enjoy the photos. And thanks for visiting!

I’ve taken photos of this pond at Highline Botanical Garden, south of Seattle, before. This latest one was taken a week or so ago on my birthday. Wasn’t I lucky to have some blue sky and calm weather on my special day? Of course you’ve got to be quick, in a city where “sun breaks” is an actual weather forecast.

Lots of lovely blogs out there with other versions of photos with a theme. You might visit Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, A Piece of Heaven, Skywatch Friday, Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Weekend Reflections, and Wordless Wednesday. Do remember to click on the blog title, Sara’s Fave Photos Blog, for the complete story here. And thanks so much for visiting!

This is the second amaryllis plant that I have managed to make rebloom. Isn’t it pretty? This rebloom might even look better than the original bloom last year! Clever me. (Note: if you grow these, it is very important to put them in a heavy enough pot so they can’t tip over.) I use the Schultz liquid drops to make a weak fertilizer when I water so I don’t have to remember which plant needs what and when, and I think they like this regime, plus a south windowsill.

Of course, Ruby Tuesday 2 is the place to visit for more great shots with red featured in them. You also might want to visit Macro Monday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Today’s Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Why not? If there is only one post here, be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog on top or at upper right to see the whole enchilada here.

I love anemones. They are low to the ground and have no scent to speak of, but their brilliant contrast with those black centers just float my boat. I think I like them especially because I remember them in a still-life painting, by Redon (in google images, type in “redon artist anemones”) and was entranced. Somehow the fact that these flowers existed a long, long time ago adds to their allure.

You might want to check out Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Today’s Flowers, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Macro Monday, and Outdoor Wednesday, just for fun. If you’ve arrived via a link, clicking on the curly letters above of Sara’s Fave Photos Blog will bring you the latest and complete photoblog experience here. Thanks for visiting and hope to see you again soon.

I’m very excited that this week Sara’s Fave Photos Blog is the featured blog at Beverly’s delightful party of pink, Pink Saturday. Thank you, Beverly! I thought I’d have some special orchids from my recent visit to the New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show. It was amazing and inspirational. Here are three photos showcasing their remarkable display, in pink, of course.

Also, please visit Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Today’s Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Mellow Yellow Monday, if you have a moment or two. Great memes!