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.

More cool photos at Pink Saturday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Monday, Scenic Sunday, Color Carnival, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, and Ruby Tuesday 2. Thanks for visiting here, and come back soon!

On our short little getaway last week, a little visit to Coupeville on Whidbey Island, Washington, was just the thing. Victorian houses with pretty gardens, adorable shops, and scenic boats and sky, not to mention perfect temperatures, made for much happiness. Isn’t this sky just great?

Participating in Ruby Tuesday 2, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Weekend Reflections, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Thank you so much for taking a peek here.

Strolling along the shore at Bowman Bay in Deception Pass State Park in Washington, I encountered this gorgeous pair of wooden kayaks. The light, the scenery, the kayaks made this one of my top fave shots, ever. It’s completely straight out of the camera (see SOOC Sunday for more), too: just all there waiting for me to click the shutter. And only seconds later, the owner of the beauteous boats came and dragged them to the parking lot, and that was that. You gotta be quick. I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week, but this is a good week for scenic photos for me, so please click on Sara’s Fave Photos above and check out the other images, especially the ones immediately above and below this post.

This photo is entered in Ruby Tuesday 2, Scenic Sunday, Color Carnival, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Outdoor Wednesday. Thanks  so much for visiting!

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!

I saved the plastic container from the store-bought berries bought earlier and picked some real fresh fruit from our strawberry bed. Aren’t they just gorgeous? It’s funny, but sometimes the smallest ones are also the sweetest. Go figure.

Neat sites to visit, with links: Color Carnival, Ruby Tuesday 2, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), and Macro Monday. Check ’em out! And if you’ve arrived via a link and there is only the one photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see more photos here.

I just love that late-afternoon light. After MUCH rain and clouds, the sun peeked out the other evening and of course I was out there with my camera. These are mostly ‘Double Delight’ roses, my long-time favorite rose. Very available in nurseries, fabulous fragrance, strong grower. And this image is purely SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera).

This year I am attempting to grow roses without the usual systemic plant food laced with pesticides, hoping that this year I won’t feel the guilt of watching a robin poking for bugs in the soil and hoping the robin is OK. I am using alfalfa meal as a fertilizer this year and so far am very happy with the results.

Other interesting photo sites: Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Color Carnival, Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday,  Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Mellow Yellow Monday and Macro Monday. And do browse around here first. Maybe click a category on the right like “My Garden”? Thanks for visiting!

This may be my new favorite rosebush in the garden. Growing roses in the Pacific Northwest is tough with our damp climate. I have 18 different rosebushes in front of my house and after three years, ‘Proud Land’ seems to be the star. It’s huge, disease resistant, and just covered with dark red, fragrant flowers. Very satisfying. I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week.

For more cool photos, you might pay a visit to Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Color Carnival, and Ruby Tuesday 2. If you’ve arrived via a link and there is only one photo  below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the complete collection here. Thank you so much for stopping by!

OK, enough with the peonies, for a little while at least. Feast your eyes on these fuchsias. What an explosion of form and color. I took these at the VPC not too long ago, and if you have a chance, you should definitely check out their displays. So many kinds, and all so graceful. Little ballerinas, perhaps?

Check out Macro Monday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Pink Saturday, Floral Friday, Color Carnival, and Ruby Tuesday 2. If you like these photos, sign up for email notifications (Subscribe) at the upper right so you won’t miss a post. Thanks!

When I went to the East coast in March, I was lucky enough to take some scenic drives, especially in Connecticut. You can’t go wrong with boats stacked on the beach, waiting for the good weather to come again. Especially with colors like these! Come to think of it, this would make a neat jigsaw puzzle, wouldn’t it?

You might check out Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Ruby Tuesday 2, Color Carnival, Mellow Yellow Monday and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Lots out there worth a browse. But poke around here first, why don’t you, and maybe click on a new tag or category, just for fun.

A happy garden perennial that blooms so brightly, geum (GEE-um) is a nice tall flower (2-3 feet, or a meter) with sprays of brilliant red that dance above a rosette of very toothed leaves. No fragrance, but very long blooming, especially when deadheaded. Hope you have this crowd-pleaser in your garden. An easy one to grow!

Check out Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Macro Monday, and Color Carnival and don’t forget to click on the Sara’s Fave Photos Blog banner above to see the whole blog here.