I love lichen (pronounced LIKE-en) and was happy to see this pretty piece of it on a wooden fencepost on a walk in the neighborhood.

Silver-green lichen grows on a fencepost in winter

Linking with Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, My Romantic Home, Wordless Wednesday and Saturday Show Off.  Thanks for visiting here, and don’t forget to click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the latest several pretty pictures.

An exciting skyscape for you on this first morning of 2014. May this be the very best year of your life so far! Thank you to all the loyal and appreciative readers of this blog. Your unfailingly positive and insightful comments have been one of the true blessings in my life. Yay, blogging!

Dawn breaks over Mt. Rainier in Washington State

Joining Skywatch Friday, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Thursday Challenge (Clouds), Wordless Wednesday and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for visiting here, and don’t forget to click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the latest several pretty pictures.

Looking through some old photos, I found this one of me and a bouquet from my garden in California, from 1984, almost 30 years ago! I guess my interest in gardening, flowers and photography isn’t going away any time soon.

Roses and white flowers in a bouquet, with the photographer reflected in the background

Please visit My Romantic Home, Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, Blue Monday, Floral Friday, Today’s Flowers, Ruby Tuesday 2, Thursday Challenge (Bright Colors), Straight out of the Camera Sunday,  Mandarin Orange Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Weekend Reflections and Saturday Show Off. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the latest photos here. Thanks!

Lynn Sykes, one of the many talented readers of this blog, emailed me recently and asked if she had my permission to paint one of my rose images, Peace rose in the rain. Of course I said yes, and with pleasure. Imagine how thrilled I was to receive an image of her painting! Lynn lives in Langley, BC, Canada, just outside of Vancouver, and has only been painting for about a year. Lynn, you have a wonderful talent, and please keep this blog informed about your art career. Thank you for sharing this with us!

© Lynn Sykes 2013, oil on canvas, 10″ x 8″

I’ve entered Lynn’s beautiful painting in Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, My Romantic Home, Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, Floral Friday, Today’s Flowers, Water World Wednesday, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for your visit here and please come back soon.

These are a kind of cotoneaster, pronounced “co-tone-ee-AST-er,” believe it or not. I mispronounced it awfully when I first saw the word. There are many kinds, from ground covers to big shrubs, and trees for all I know. Birds and squirrels love the winter berries, and they are so photogenic! The berries are about a quarter of an inch, or less than 1 cm.

Red cotoneaster berries on a winter hedge

Joining up at Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, My Romantic Home, Thursday Challenge (Bright Colors) and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for your visit and please come back soon! Remember to click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the latest photos here.

I am embarrassed to admit that in the ten years I have lived in the Seattle area, yesterday was my first visit to the Bellevue Arts Museum. Beautiful place! They permitted photography on the first floor, and I was totally entranced with this life-size cast glass sculpture. I am including a full image of it, plus the information posted on the museum wall about it.

Detail of the cast glass sculpture Odoriko by Karen LaMonte, in the Bellevue Arts Museum

Life size glass sculpture of a kimono

The top two images are Straight out of the Camera Sunday and I’m also linking this to Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Wordless Wednesday and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

Walking with friends in Seattle’s Volunteer Park yesterday:

Winter sun begins to set over roadway in Volunteer Park in Seattle

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Skywatch Friday, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for visiting here, and be sure to click on a new tag or category while you’re here if you have a minute.

Raindrops on a coral bark Japanese maple in my yard

Drops of rain cling to the red twigs of a coral bark Japanese maple in December

Participating in Skywatch Friday, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Water World Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Your visit here is very much appreciated. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

We now have five goldfish. I can’t believe how entertaining they are. They have their little personalities! Hope you like to watch the little guys swim around.

Joining up at Water World Wednesday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Camera Critters and My Romantic Home, Thanks so much for your visit here.

It was foggy all day yesterday. Here is what the view from my backyard looked like:

Tall fir tree and a green laurel hedge in the fog, with apple tree branches showing

Linking to Skywatch Friday, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Water World Wednesday (fog!), Straight out of the Camera Sunday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoyed your visit.