Here’s an image I took last night at the home of some friends with a gorgeous tree. Happy Solstice to you! May your inner light guide your way, always.

Glass hummingbird ornament feeds from a glass flower, lit by a glass candle.

Linking to Weekend Challenge (Christmas), Monday Mellow Yellows, Ruby Tuesday 2, Mandarin Orange Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Pink Saturday, My Romantic Home, Blooming Friday and Saturday Show Off.  I do appreciate your visit here very much. Perhaps click on a new tag or category to the right, just for fun?

My sister Jo went to China recently by herself, partly with a tour, and she is a fabulous writer. You can read the story of her trip here (start from the links at the bottom) and you will be very entertained. Not your average travel missive.

She took some neat photos while she was there and I thought I’d show you this one from her boat trip up the Yangtze River.

(c) Jo Sanders 2013 Going up the Yangtze River in China

Visit Skywatch Friday, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Water World Wednesday, and Saturday Show Off. I appreciate your stopping here very, very much. Hope you enjoyed your visit.

I love Swiss chard and enjoy its beauty as well as its taste and healthfulness. One way to prepare it is to cut the stems out and steam them first, cut up, so they are a bit more tender, and then take the leaves, pile them up, and slice them into half-inch (1 cm) ribbons and put them in the steamer basket with the stem pieces. Cook ’til tender. Then either a cream sauce or an Italian one with garlic and olive oil, and you have a yummy treat for a cold night.

Fresh-washed green, yellow and red chard being sliced into ribbons

Joining Monday Mellow Yellows, Ruby Tuesday 2, Macro Monday,  Water World Wednesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, My Romantic Home, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, NF Abstract Wednesday and Saturday Show Off.  Glad you stopped by, and be sure to try a new tag or category while you are here. Fruits/Vegetables, perhaps?

In a restroom in a Mexican restaurant in Gig Harbor, Washington, I saw these sinks. This is something that you just don’t see every day.

A rainbow of colors in this pair of Mexican-style sinks

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows, Blue Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Mandarin Orange Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, and Saturday Show Off.  Thank you so much for visiting, and come back soon! Click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to see all the recent pictures here.

Let’s hope that the nasty hard freeze we had last week has not killed the dahlias tubers, still in the ground. Here’s one blossom from my favorite plant, from August.

Bouquet of dahlias and petunias

Connecting up with Floral Friday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, My Romantic Home, Blooming Friday and Saturday Show Off. Thank you so much for visiting, and please come back soon! To see all the photos, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above.

Here’s a photo, taken in July, of the overlook near my house at sunset looking out to Vashon Island, I believe. I don’t know the names of these cute, mini-funnel-shaped pink clouds. Anyone?

Pink clouds at sunset overlooking the Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest

Joining up at Skywatch Friday, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Blue Monday, Water World Wednesday, Weekend Reflections, Pink Saturday and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for visiting and be sure to try a new tag or category, as long as you’re here anyway.

These pretty (and edible!) nasturtium flowers were growing on my patio in July, now just a sweet memory.

Close look at peach nasturtium flowers in my garden in July

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Mandarin Orange Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, My Romantic Home, Blooming Friday and Saturday Show Off. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog if there is only one photo here. Thank you so much for visiting, and come back soon!

I guess I could call this color peach or coral, but doesn’t it look just like watermelon? Missing fresh flowers very much, I raided my archives for this image of a bouquet on my table from May. And don’t you miss the Dutch irises in the background, too?

Peony blossom the color of watermelon, in a bouquet

Linking to Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, My Romantic Home, Blooming Friday and Saturday Show Off. Try a new tag from the tag cloud at right, why don’t you? “Peonies” or “peony,” perhaps? Thanks for visiting, and please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog if there is only one photo here.

These birds were migrating in late August off the coast of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest. You can see the surfers in wetsuits in the water, too. It went on like this for the longest time. Uncountable number of birds.

Birds in migration off the coast of Seaside, Oregon in late August

Please visit NF Winged, Skywatch Friday, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Blue Monday, Water World Wednesday, Pink Saturday and Saturday Show Off. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog for more pretty pictures, and thank you so much for visiting.

Some people are so good at decorating. I am envious. Wish this stairway was at my house.

Holiday decor all festive for the season adorns a stair railing

Linking to Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for visiting, and please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog if there is only one photo here.