My gardener friend Sherry (she of the canning jars below) has some beautiful Collette pears on a tree in her garden. This pear is perhaps 3″ tall (8 cm) or so. A ways to go, still.

Collette pears ripening on the tree

Linking up to Skywatch Friday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Scenic Weekends, Our World Tuesday, NF Catching the Light Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Saturday Show Off. Please try a new tag or category, while you are here. Thanks!

I had to look it up, but these stargazer lily parts are stamens, which are the pollen-bearing organ of a flower, consisting of the filament and the anther. I know you had better not get that pollen on your clothes, either—stain city. But inhale that fabulous perfume!

Pink stargazer lily with white edges shows off its perfect, pollen-laden anthers, with daylilies in the background

Joining I Heart Macro Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Scenic Weekends, Our World Tuesday, Pink Saturday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. If there is only one photo here, please click on the curly letters of Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see a few more. Thanks!

My friend Sherry has a fabulous garden and cans her own food. I am envious!

Pickled stringbeans, canned carrots and other goodies from the garden, home canned in jars.

Linking up to Garden Party Thursday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, and Saturday Show Off. I appreciate your visit here and please come back again.

Coneflower, or echinacea, is a beautiful garden perennial and I wish I had some in my garden. This was taken at a local garden tour.

Orange coneflower or echinacea blooms in the July sunshine

Linking up to I Heart Macro Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, NF Catching the Light Monday,  Our World Tuesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Pink Saturday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here and please come back very soon.

This is a cat we used to have who has gone to kitty heaven. Rose was a very good guard kitty. She used to make sure everything outside was as it should be. She is missed.

Female orange marmalade cat gazes out of picture window from a tabletop

Connecting with Camera Critters, Pink Saturday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Weekend Reflections, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. If you have a moment, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above for more heartfelt pictures here.

Visited my favorite Seattle haunt, the Volunteer Park Conservatory last week. You can see that restoration work is progressing on the Seasonal House on the right. Full project is due to be done in December. Aren’t the outdoor plantings lovely?

Restoration of the Volunteer Park Conservatory is progressing nicely

Joining Skywatch Friday, Our World Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Garden Party Thursday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here first.

The weather was quite cool and damp at the Alki Art Fair this weekend, but Seattleites are a hardy bunch and many came out to stroll and shop. Even gray skies can be scenic!

Looking north to Seattle’s Space Needle, from Alki Beach, under dramatic gray skies

Joining Skywatch Friday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Water World Wednesday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit and please come back soon.

Brugmansia, or Angels Trumpet, is a magnificent tropical flower that we can grow in the Pacific Northwest if we take them inside in winter. This beauty is blooming at the Volunteer Park Conservatory, currently undergoing the final phase of a huge restoration.

Peachy pink brugmansia or Angels Trumpet blooms in Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory

Visit Monday Mellow Yellows, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, NF Catching the Light Monday,  Our World Tuesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Pink Saturday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here and please come back soon.

Drove to a scenic stretch of beach a few minutes from my house because it was shaping up as a great sunset. What do you think of it?

Puget Sound from Three Tree Point beach, south of Seattle, at sunset

Linking to Skywatch Friday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, NF Catching the Light Monday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Weekend Reflections, Water World Wednesday, and Saturday Show Off. Please try a new tag or category to see something new here. Water, perhaps?

Last year at this time my lilies were in full bloom.

Magenta, ruby and pink lilies on my patio against a blue sky

Posting to NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Garden Party Thursday, NF Catching the Light Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, Thursday Challenge (Flowers), My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here.