From my recent visit to the Skagit tulips. The trunks of the trees were at least 6 or 8 feet (2-3 meters) in diameter. They were OLD.

Red and pink tulips under sunshine and clouds in Mt. Vernon, WA

Connecting with Skywatch Friday, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Thursday Challenge (Tranquil), Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit and try a search for tulips in the search field, why don’t you?

Friends drove me to Seattle and their car had VERY clean car windows.

Monochrome view of Seattle’s Great Wheel, from the Viaduct

Visit Skywatch Friday, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, NF Catching the Light Monday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Thursday Challenge (Tranquil), and Saturday Show Off. Let’s try a new one, The Weekend in Black and White. Don’t forget to sign up for email notifications for new blog posts at upper right so you don’t miss any good ones.

As a brief break from tulips, I thought I’d show you a new tree (to me), a star magnolia. The pretty white flowers were very fragrant, and 2 or 3 inches wide (5-8 cm). It was growing in a sweet little arboretum in Everett, WA, the Evergreen Arboretum & Gardens.

Fragrant white Star Magnolia blooms in April in Everett, WA

They also had a lovely and fragrant viburnum tree of some kind. Looking on google images for the name of this plant, I find Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’, or Korean spice viburnum, which looks very similar, except that the plant I saw seemed to be a tree, or maybe it was just a very mature shrub. But I want one.

Fragrant viburnum blooms in April in Everett, WA

Check out I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Blue Monday, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, and Saturday Show Off. If only two images are here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the rest. Come back soon, you hear?

We had one sunny, warm day. One. But it was perfection, and here in Seattle, everyone surely appreciated it. I went outside and my tulips were in full bloom.

Orange tulips bloom against a blue sky

Joining up with I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Wordless Wednesday, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Blue Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, My Romantic Home, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, and Saturday Show Off. Please click on the curly letters of Sara’s Fave Photos above if there is only one photo here. Thank you so much for visiting, and please come back soon.

It was exactly at this time of year when I took this spring scene at a park in Connecticut. Isn’t it just the picture of spring?

Forsythia blooms and pink trees reflect in a Connecticut pond scene

Linking up with Scenic Weekends, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Water World Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Blue Monday, Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, Weekend Reflections, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, NF Catching the Light Monday, and Saturday Show Off. Please try a new tag or category, at the right sidebar, while you are here. thanks!

Sometimes beauty appears in surprising places.

Sun sets over an empty tennis court in very early spring

Participating in Scenic Weekends, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, NF Catching the Light Monday, and Saturday Show Off. Please try a new tag or category, especially if there is only one photo showing.

This one’s like a painting, is it not? Taken last year at the overlook quite near my house.

Bands of pink clouds over Puget Sound in Washington, at sunset

Linking up with Blue Monday, Wordless Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Water World Wednesday, NF Catching the Light Monday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Do try a new tag or category, at the right sidebar, while you are here.

As many of you know, I am in love with the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle, and even did a book about it not that long ago. I am so proud to say I’ve been invited to serve on its Board of Directors. The photo below was taken today in the Conservatory at the Annual Meeting of its support organization, the Friends of the Conservatory, where my new status was made official. I’m so excited! What a wonderful place, enjoyed by so many people.

Colorful spring flowers, inside and out, at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle

Joining Scenic Weekends, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, and Saturday Show Off. To see the other photos here, click on the Sara’s Fave Photos lettering above. Thanks for visiting.

Had to go to the archives for some tulips. They bloom around here (Western Washington) in April. Be sure to visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival at least once in your life, if you can. They really do look like this:

A rainbow of tulips stripe a field in the scenic Skagit Valley in April

Connecting with Scenic Weekends, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Thursday Challenge (Large), Pink Saturday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, and Saturday Show Off. While you are here, you might try a new tag or category, at the right sidebar.

The cloudy, rainy weather has finally ended, for a little while. Here is a look at the western sky over the campus of Highline Community College, in Des Moines, WA on Monday evening as the clear skies approached. See the rain still falling in the distance?

Rain ending, clear skies beginning, at sunset in Western Washington

Linking up to Wordless Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Seasonal Sundays, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Catching the Light Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, Ein Stück Himmel, and Saturday Show Off. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to see more images here. Thank you!