This is a very special cactus to me. A couple of little tiny pieces, the size of the tip of my pinky finger, were taken from a 6-inch plant of my mother’s in Florida after she passed away in 2003, and each eventually rooted and became a plant itself. The great thing about this particular cactus is that the spines are curved so that you can touch it, lightly, and not get stuck. Each plant now has “fingers” the size of my thumb, and this morning I was shocked to see it blooming! And do you see all the little buds on it?

I love this cactus and its surprising flowers and am calling this my Best Post of the Week.

Visit Today’s Flowers, Macro Flowers Saturday, SOOC Sunday and Cactus Monday for more fun blog sites. Check out Free Photos next door to see what’s new, and do click on Sara’s Fave Photos here if there is only one below.

A couple of weeks ago there was a lovely sunset behind my house complete with a crescent moon. Hope you enjoy it.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more fascinating photos of skies around the world, Blue Monday for more things blue, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, and SOOC. If only one photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete assortment.

Haven’t been to Pike Place Market in awhile. If you want to experience the flower vendors and their incredible flowers to the nth degree, the best day is probably Friday, as they pick on Thursday and on Friday ramp up for the weekend crush of a crowd. All year long, rain or shine. The greatest free show in Seattle, and the bouquets amazingly cheap.

These dahlias were photographed in September. Right now it seems as if flower season will never get here, but of course it will.

Thursday Challenge‘s theme this week is “Many.” I’m submitting this for an entry. It’s a good one for Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers and SOOC also. While you’re here, try a new tag like “dahlia” or “bouquet.” Be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos to view the complete blog if you see only one photo below.

This lovely scene was one of the displays at the NW Flower & Garden Show last week. Well done, I thought. This year’s show was filled with great stuff, especially for a flower and scenic photo enthusiast like me. And I thought that the lighting was a bit better in most of the displays, also. I hate flash and this light looks almost like outdoors to me. My camera (little Canon S90) was able to shoot this at 1/25, which is why the water looks so soft and almost steamy. Kind of odd, but pretty, too. And not bad for hand held!

Visit Watery Wednesday for more water photography. It’s kind of a cheat, but it’s sort of outdoors, or a good approximation of outdoors, so I’m entering this in the Outdoor Wednesday and Scenic Sunday memes, also. SOOC Sunday has more straight out of the camera photos, and Wordless Wednesday has all kinds of interesting images.

Check out Free Photos to see what’s new, and do click on Sara’s Fave Photos here if there is only one below.

Oh, the flowers of late summer! I’ve noticed that the items in my archive that are half a year away always seem to be the most compelling. Do we always want what we don’t have? I do love dahlias and especially miss them since my own were such no-shows last summer. Maybe this year I’ll get some going so I can have bouquets like this again.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more interesting photos containing red. Color Carnival has brilliant color, Mellow Yellow Monday has yellows, and SOOC has more straight out of the camera stuff. And don’t forget to check out the latest uploads on Free Photos next door. Remember, if only one photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog.

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I hope I got the name right here. Please let me know if this is incorrect.

Anyway, isn’t it pretty? These are air plants, epiphytes, which live attached to bark and things in the tropical wild. I found this one in my archives from May of last year, taken at the Volunteer Park Conservatory.

Visit Macro Friday, Pink Saturday, SOOC Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Macro Flowers Saturday, Color Carnival, Macro Monday, Mellow Yellow Monday and Cactus Monday. Whew! All great sites with super photography entries you will enjoy.

If only one photo is below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog. Thanks!

From the memory of a sunny day, here’s a succulent (but not a cactus, I don’t think) basking in some July sunshine. I was looking through my archives, working on my new book of photos (hint: it has something to do with the Volunteer Park Conservatory) and saw this photo in my archive. Perfect for Macro Friday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Cactus Monday and Macro Monday as well!

Be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos if you see only one photo below.

This was taken at the Volunteer Park Conservatory. In my garden, there are only leaves, but there are a few buds coming. And today I sneaked out in the half hour of sun and planted some pea seeds!

Do check out Macro Friday and Macro Flowers Saturday. It’s also an entry for Today’s Flowers. If there’s only this one photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the rest.

Next to my backyard is a horse pasture with two boarded horses. This one, Ranger, is owned by a teenage girl who loves him very much. See the blanket she put on him! This is from a week ago, just before even more snow fell. I love how it looks when the sky is darker than the snowy ground.

Visit Watery Wednesday for other water shots, and Outdoor Wednesday for more scenes outside. Scenic Sunday and Skywatch Friday are very worth visiting as well. How about joining Wordless Wednesday with one of your own photos?

Check out Free Photos to see what’s new, and do click on Sara’s Fave Photos here if there is only one below.

Hope that some of you local readers got to see the NW Flower & Garden Show this weekend. Here are some scrumptious daffodils for you to yearn after. Sure is still cold and wintry outside, although today I did see some buds showing on the bulb shoots. Amazing after that snow and all we just had. This is going to be a late spring in Seattle.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday and Macro Monday for yellows and close ups! And remember, when there’s just one photo showing here, click on the Sara’s Fave Photos (that curly lettering on top will do fine) and see the rest.