Three years ago I went to The Event in the Desert, AKA Burning Man, in Black Rock, Nevada. It was hot, believe me, and dry heat or no it was way too hot for me. But I was there, so I was determined to have as much fun as I could. The peak of it was one big fire fest, late at night, many thousands of people watching. This column of flame was well over a hundred feet tall, maybe two hundred. It was far away for safety and it was HOT.

The theme this week for Thursday Challenge is Hot. Visit SOOC Sunday for other straight-out-of-the-camera shots. And you can always browse around here and find your way back to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

Here’s another view of that lovely water feature on the garden tour from the weekend. Hope you like it.

Visit Watery Wednesday for more water photos of all kinds and Outdoor Wednesday for photos of, well, the outdoors. And you might try clicking on the “water” tag while browsing around here. Return to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

This lovely lily is probably a ‘Stargazer’ lily, rubrum speciosa, taken on that Federal Way Symphony Garden Tour yesterday. I understand that all lilies like this used to point downwards, and growers managed to develop one whose blooms pointed upwards, thus “star gazer.” Great name, no?

Visit Today’s Flowers for more wonderful blossoms of all kinds, Macro Flowers Saturday and Macro Monday for close ups, Ruby Tuesday for wonderful reds and Color Carnival for brilliant color. Whew!

You might click on the “pink” or “red” tag at left or search for something new as long as you are here. Return to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

Today I went on the Federal Way (Washington) Garden Tour. It benefits the Federal Way Symphony and I got to see six of the nine gardens. Whew! Here’s a delightful water feature from an amazing hidden jungle in the Hendricks garden.

For more fascinating shadows seen all over the world, visit Shadow Shot Sunday. Or try Scenic Sunday, or perhaps SOOC (straight out of the camera) Sunday.

You might try a search for “shadows” or clicking on that tag while you’re here. Returning to the latest post is a click away, on Sara’s Fave Photos. Thanks for visiting!

Godetia is a very under-appreciated annual flower in the home garden. It’s super easy to grow, a great cutting flower, and reseeds well but not too well. Its only drawback, for some, is its lack of scent. But we forgive it that minor shortcoming because we love its crinkly petals in shades of lush red and pink and that neat starburst of buds on top.

This bouquet is from the Pike Place Market, the home of the most amazing (only) locally grown flowers. I love the way they mix and match the most unusual combinations. Here we also see sweetpeas on the right, a bit of stripey alstroemeria tucked in the middle, and peppermint for greenery!

Visit Pink Saturday for more pink visions of all kinds, and Color Carnival for more brilliant color. And you might try clicking on a tag like “pink” or “red” to see something new. Easy to return to the main page here; just click on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

Here is a view of Puget Sound from Shoreline, a bit north of Seattle, on a recent heavenly and warm day. A perfect end to a perfect day.

Visit Skywatch Friday for skies seen round the world. I think today is an important anniversary there, too, so there may be something special afoot. This is also a post for Scenic Sunday.

You might try “sunset” in the search field, or try clicking on the “scenic” tag. You never know what you’ll find! Return to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos, above.

The sun is finally here. This cosmos flower is just basking in it! Another perfect day tomorrow is predicted, and then showers again. Actually, it’s amazing how quickly the flower beds dry out. Our water bill will be way higher in July than up til now, that’s for sure.

Visit Thursday Challenge and view the entries for the theme Weather. Mine is sunny!

You might want to check out a tag or category here first, easily returning to the main page here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

I like this photo very much and am putting it in the Best Post of the Week category.

It’s been blessedly warmish, maybe 70 (27 C), but sunny, and we love that here in Seattle. Had to go to the archives of the spring trip to Port Townsend to find a water shot I really liked. Isn’t this a great feeling? To me, anyway.

Visit Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday for more photos on their themes. Great memes, both of them. And try Scenic Sunday, too. You might try clicking on a new tag or category, or even a search (Pt. Townsend, perhaps?) can be fun. Return to the full blog at Sara’s Fave Photos.

I am very happy with this first real rose bouquet from my garden. The rosebushes were put in late last spring, so we couldn’t pick very much at all last summer, or at least not with any stem to speak of, to save the energy of the fledgling plants.

But after a year they are going pretty well, most of them—at least those that are not having real trouble with blackspot, mildew, and now I see critter holes near the roots of some of them. Sigh. My mom used to shrug and say, “The vicissitudes of gardening . . .” and what else can you say? That’s why we planted 18 rosebushes, so that I would be sure to be able to have a bouquet or two.

Happy Ruby Tuesday, all. See what the participants there have going on for the weekly celebration of rubiness. And you can always click on the Ruby Tuesday category in the sidebar to see some of my other photos showcasing the color red. Or try Color Carnival for more brilliant colors. Returning to the main blog is easy; just click on Sara’s Fave Photos.

Feverfew is one of those herbs that sometimes appear as a weed, brought by the birds. I am lucky I recognized it and put the small plant where it would thrive. Sometimes volunteer plants are a gift, no? Now it is covered with masses of small white flowers, great in bouquets, that even did fine in our recent heatwave. It’s asking a lot of a garden to go from cool and 60s to a couple of days of sunny and mid 90s. But all is well.

Visit Macro Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday for more of the same. Try browsing here and there first, and you can always get back to the main blog by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.