It’s raining now, but thought you’d like to see the hydrangeas looking good in the sunlight not too long ago.

Soft tones of blue, purple and turquoise in the early fall hydrangea petals

Linking to Our World Tuesday, Through My Lens Monday, Macro Monday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Bliss Wednesday, Floral Friday, Friday Just Be, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Pink Saturday. Thank you for your visit, and do come back soon!

We were in Issaquah, WA, finishing up dinner after a day selling jewelry at Salmon Days, and the sky just opened. I have never seen a such hailstorm (with lightning! thunder!). The roar of the hail and rain, an inch of hail on the ground, and rivers of water and ice because the leaves and hail clogged all the drains. Expect the unexpected, I guess.

Hail and rain crashing down in surprise early fall hailstorm in Issaquah, WA

Linking to Through My Lens Monday, Our World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Weekend Reflections,  Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Pink Saturday. Thank you for your visit here first.

Visited the Gothic Revival Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, NY, on the Hudson River. Naturally, I was particularly interested in the rose garden. Just this once, I am including FOUR photos in this post.

The Lyndhurst Mansion, commonly called “The Castle”

Lyndhurst dining room, decorated for Halloween (a very big thing in Tarrytown, NY)

View of the gazebo in the rose garden at Lyndhurst

Roses blooming at Lyndhurst

Adding this post to Through My Lens Monday, Our World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Bliss Wednesday, Floral Friday, Friday Just Be, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Skywatch Friday,  Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Pink Saturday. Thank you for your visit, and do come back soon!

Camping and hiking in the Olympic National Forest, at Coho Campground.

Moss on trees and sword ferns in the forest.

Adding this post to Through My Lens Monday, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and Pink Saturday. Thank you for your visit, and do come back soon!

My new apricot Carding Mill rose, in the tiny drizzle of moisture we got last week.

Water droplets bead up on rose petals after a tiny bit of light rain

Connecting to Our World Tuesday, Through My Lens Monday, Macro Monday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, Floral Bliss Wednesday, Floral Friday, Friday Just Be, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Pink Saturday. Thanks for visiting here first!

Not sure of the name of this multi-petalled hydrangea flower, but it sure is pretty.

Fancy double hydrangea flowers, cream and pink

Linking to Our World Tuesday, Through My Lens Monday, Macro Monday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Bliss Wednesday, Floral Friday, Friday Just Be, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Pink Saturday. Thanks for visiting here first!

Here is the pattern of pinhole crescents projected on my house at the peak of this morning’s eclipse, courtesy of our large cedar tree. Where I live the sun was about 92% covered by the moon.

Tiny spaces between leaves and branches of a tree make a giant multi-pinhole camera for today’s eclipse

Joining Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Thursday Challenge (Rememberances),  Skywatch Friday, Friday Just Be, Weekend Reflections, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Pink Saturday. If only one photo is showing, try a new tag or category to see a few more. Thanks for visiting!

Aren’t these unusual hollyhocks pretty? Of course, the gardeners at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle know what they are doing.

Pink and red hollyhocks at dusk in the Conservatory, under the whitewashed glass

Joining up at Our World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Floral Bliss Wednesday, Floral Friday, Friday Just Be, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Pink Saturday. If only one photo is showing, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see a few more. Thanks for visiting!

Our very young peach tree gave us eight peaches! When’s the last time you saw peaches with fuzz on them? Commercial growers breed that out of them for market purposes, but the store ones sure don’t smell and taste like these.

Home grown peaches, from my Seattle garden

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My new buttery yellow ‘Julia Child’ rose is so happy where I planted her. New growth, buds, everything.

Delicate tones of yellow in softly fragrant rose ‘Julia Child’

Linking to Our World Tuesday, Through My Lens Monday, Macro Monday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Bliss Wednesday, Floral Friday, Friday Just Be, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Pink Saturday. Why not click on a tag in the tag cloud at right for something new? Thanks for visiting!