Sunday was Victorian Day, the special 100-year birthday party for one of my top fave places on the planet, the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle. The weather was perfect, and many, many people worked hard to make such a fun and creative event. The period costumes were fabulous! I love the pose of the woman and I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week.

Please check out Pink Saturday, My Romantic Home, Flower Art Friday, Flowers on Saturday, Skywatch Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Floral Friday, Scenic Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Thanks for visiting and browsing around here first.

The pretty teapot two posts below needs some context. The scene and day was so lovely, I thought I’d show you the deck and tables all set out. Let’s have a tea party!

Participating at Pink Saturday, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), and Ruby Tuesday 2. Thanks for stopping by.

One of the members of our local Garden Club does teas so very well. Her deck is just heaven on earth on a lovely summer day. Yesterday she put on one of her famous teas for us, and dressed the tables up so prettily with mini-bouquets in tiny teapots. I love this idea and must get some small teapots to do it, too.

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This is a new flower for me. I was admiring a huge shrub in a beautiful garden in Coupeville, WA, when the owner came out and chatted with us. To me, this lavatera looks like it is related to hollyhock. I wish I had the space to grow this, as it looked about 6 feet (2 meters) tall and wide, and she said it was four years old, and you cut it to the ground each winter. What a stunner!

See more neat photos at Pink Saturday, Macro Monday, Scenic Sunday, Color Carnival, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Thanks so much for visiting here.

Close to the water at Bowman Bay, part of Deception Pass State Park in the Pacific Northwest, were growing these pink flowers, which I’m pretty sure are in the thistle family. They were about waist high. In the background is the pier into the bay, a lovely stroll out towards even more beautiful views.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday and Macro Monday for other interesting images. So glad you could drop by here.

My friend with the pretty hostas can do flowers so well. Here’s a sunshiny shot of the flowers on her shaded deck. Yes, there were cookies and iced tea, too!

Interesting sites for you: Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera).

There were some really beautiful moments last week on the Fourth with the clear skies we had. Here’s a peek at how lovely the fireworks looked on a sky not fully dark. All around little Lake Burien (near Seattle) people lit red lights on the shore, and the one near us gave this tree an eerie light.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival, Ruby Tuesday 2, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for other interesting images. Thanks for visiting here!

This rose, which I believe is called Simplicity, is growing in a neighbor’s yard. It’s very healthy and seems to get no care at all. I’d like to have a rose garden with only tough, healthy roses like this, but how can you really tell in the nursery? Does “disease resistant” really mean anything? And don’t mention Knockout roses, because they still don’t have fragrance. Why bother with roses without fragrance?

This photo post is participating in Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Thank you for visiting here. Browse around to see what you can find. Click on the tag Pink, perhaps?

Isn’t this an exquisite planting? Those new, dark petunias, some kind of yellow striped grass, a dark heuchera (pronounced HOOK-er-a) and the sedum with pink edges look so great together. It’s in front of the door at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory. Go see it.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, and Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for more neat photos. Also, the dappled sunlight and subtle colors make me happy, so I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week.

The gods smiled upon us and the Fourth was sunny. Usually in Seattle we figure summer starts July 5th and ends before Labor Day, but this year life was good. Our friends with a home on little Lake Burien had their yearly fireworks party, and of course I needed to take photos, but not bother with anything like a tripod or special “scene” settings. Thinking first does help, as does bracing my arm on a chair back if possible, but besides that, I am happy just to aim at the loveliness and capture a bit of it with what I have with me.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, and Weekend Reflections, just for fun. Thanks for visiting here!