Happy New Year to all. I wish you, my loyal readers, all the happiness and love your heart can hold, in 2012 and always. And I wish you the joy of creativity! When an artist contemplates his or her work, it is one of the moments of true happiness that we have in this life. The world of the internet has brought people together in ways we never could have imagined. I am thankful every day for this blog (and my computer) which connects me to so many. Thank you for viewing my photos, and especially thank you to those who have taken the time to leave thoughtful, interesting comments. Much appreciated!

Amazingly, this is my 1,000th post! What a lovely coincidence.

If you have a moment, check out Skywatch Friday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Watery Wednesday and Pink Saturday. Because I just want to keep looking at this image, I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week. Do click on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner for the entire blog.

My daughter Lila is travelling in S.E. Asia for a few months (lucky!!) and has been sending updates and photos to friends and family, courtesy of the internet, of course. The days of a postcard arriving months later are over, or at least are supplemented by more timely stories and images. This view of a river and the sky was taken in a small Cambodian village where she got to stay with a local family overnight.

Visit Skywatch Friday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Weekend Reflections, Watery Wednesday and Pink Saturday. And if you’d like to see the rest of the collection here, you can search by your interest in the upper right search field, or just click on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner for the entire blog.

There’s a family not too far from me that really goes all out in holiday decor. The years that this address makes it into the newspaper holiday light guides the cars are double-parked outside, but this year no one called it in, so we were able to enjoy it in peace, you might say. See Santa waving? This is only a small part of the display. I love  over-the-top shows like this, don’t you?

A very merry Christmas and holiday celebrations of all kinds to you.

Visit Thursday Challenge (Light), Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Color Carnival, Ruby Tuesday, Pink Saturday, and Mellow Yellow Monday for a romp through the world of photoblogs. Click around here first, if you have a minute. The banner Sara’s Fave Photos will get you the complete blog.

Here’s one of Seattle’s hidden gems, the Volunteer Park Conservatory, all decked out in its bright new LED lights. They were installed not only for the winter holidays but also to kick off its 2012 Centennial celebration. I read that there are only three remaining Victorian glass conservatories in the U.S.A.— this one, the smaller one in Tacoma, WA, and the one in San Francisco. What an architectural and historical treasure we have here!

Visit Thursday Challenge (Light), Skywatch Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Scenic Sunday, for fascinating photo frolics. Click around the blog here first, if you have a minute. The banner Sara’s Fave Photos will get you the complete collection.

Driving across the 520 bridge towards Seattle the other day, I was wowed by this sunset setting up. I so wished I could pull over and wait for the pink clouds that I knew were to follow. This slice of sunlight is pretty cool, though, even though the photo quality is low. A fitting post for the Solstice, almost here. The sun will return!

Visit Pink Saturday, Mellow Yellow Monday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Thursday Challenge (Light), Skywatch Friday, Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday and Weekend Reflections for tons of photo fun. Guaranteed! And be sure to click around here and there onSara’s Fave Photos first, hear?

When a sunset gets going in the pink mode, it can really get going, but you have to be quick to get it at the peak. This view to the southwest in my backyard was perfect for yesterday’s display of the year, sunset-wise. The photos taken seconds right before and right after this one were great, but this one was oh-my-goodness—to me, at least. I sure love the digital camera thing that lets you take so many, because in the film days, I might have taken only one or two and not gotten this show. And I surely wouldn’t be sharing it with the entire world!

Check out Pink Saturday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday and Skywatch Friday for more fine finds in blogland. Before you do, please visit a new tag or category here, if you have a minute, and find the complete blog by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos. Thanks!

The other day at the Normandy Park Cove, near Seattle, I looked outside and there was that pretty effect when the clouds in the distance look almost like cut paper. Then it went back to just plain old dull gray. We take what we can get when it comes to scenic in this part of the world. Did you know that the Seattle area gets only about 36″ or a little over a meter of rain a year, which is about what New York City or Santa Rosa, California gets? BUT it has far, far more cloudy days. Don’t tell me how many; I don’t want to know. So we get to be conoisseurs of gray skies!

Visit Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Skywatch Friday and Watery Wednesday if you have a minute or two. If only one photo below, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos to view the complete blog here.

Happy note: Only 8 days ’til the solstice means just 16 days until days are lengthening and longer than today!

A sunny day and I’m in love with the Pacific Northwest again. A combination of red leaves, sunshine and backlighting, and I’m in photo heaven. Like flowers, leaves in their brief and brilliant fall display just enchant me. That’s why taking a photo is so very satisfying, giving endless life to the most ephemeral things. Such a feeling of power and abundance!

Visit Ruby Tuesday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), and Scenic Sunday for lots of fabulous photoblog fun around the planet. But browse around here first, why don’t you, especially if you see only one photo below. Always click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog here, and thanks for visiting!

Since it’s so gray and cold out now as we approach the winter Solstice, let’s take a look at its opposite, a scene from my garden in June. Isn’t the pink, fluffy meadow rue sweet? Looking at the photo data I see that it was taken at 6pm. It’s a long time dark at that time now, of course. But isn’t it nice to know that the sun will return, in all its garden glory?

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, and Weekend Flowers for more photo entertainment. Fun and free! Of course, feel free to browse around here first, perhaps checking out a new tag or category. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog.

Well, sunset comes early now, that’s for sure, so we just have to enjoy it when we can. I missed a really spectacular sunset last week with just a glimpse as I drove along, so I was extra happy to see this sweet one that I could photograph, even if just delicate pink and not red. I’ll take it. And do you notice almost a rainbow reflection in the water? I can’t quite figure it out. I love the mysterious reflection and I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week.

Stop by Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Weekend Reflections, Skywatch Friday, Pink Saturday, and Watery Wednesday for lot of photos on a theme. As always, especially if only one photo below, you can click on Sara’s Fave Photos to view the complete blog here.

Happy note: Only 16 days ’til the solstice means just 32 days until days are lengthening and longer than today!