Just a pretty, scenic shot of the dockside of Lake Union, off Westlake Avenue in Seattle the other day. Our August weather has been gorgeous! Not one drop of rain, sunny almost all day, every day. Yay!

Thia week I’m participating in A Piece of Heaven, Weekend Reflections, Ruby Tuesday 2, Skywatch Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Scenic Sunday, and Mellow Yellow Monday. Thanks for visiting and please, come back soon.

The flowers for sale at Pike Place Market in Seattle, all locally grown, are the most beautiful I have ever seen, anywhere. The only problem I have is that the photos I take are so intense that I have a real problem choosing one to show. A good problem to have.

Here are some zinnias and glads (gladiolus? gladioli?) for your enjoyment.

Joining up at Ruby Tuesday 2, Flower Art Friday, Flowers on Saturday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Floral Friday, and Mellow Yellow Monday. If there is only one photo below, please click on the Sara’s Fave Photos Blog letters above to see the others.

This old fort on Whidbey Island in Washington used to watch for Japanese invasion in World War II. You can still see the bunkers and where the big guns were, just in case. Now it’s used for parasailing and the occasional tourist. Wonderful space that made me happy.

Participating in Skywatch Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Scenic Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Thanks for visiting and come back soon.

Not this year’s rose, but taken at this time of year, one of my top fave roses, the Double Delight. Strong, spicy, intense fragrance and usually a very strong, vigorous bush. I’ve got to get out there and fertilize!

Participating in Mellow Yellow Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, My Romantic Home, Flower Art Friday,  Skywatch Friday, Flowers on Saturday, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Floral Friday, Scenic Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. If there’s only the one photo below, please click on the header, Sara’s Fave Photos Blog, to view the other recent posts. You might find one you really like.

This photo gives me such a feeling of peace. I love the quiet at the water’s edge. Bowman Bay is part of Deception Pass State Park, in western Washington. That is Puget Sound you are looking at. May all your days end this peacefully.

Participating in Unique Exposures, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Weekend Reflections, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Thank you so much for visiting here. Come back soon! And please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above if there is only one photo below.

Hydrangeas are some of my top fave flowers. Not only do they bloom in quite deep shade, as well as in the sun in this latitude, but they are super easy to propagate. When cutting back in the spring (they bloom on old wood, so don’t go too far), take some woody stems you’ve pruned and stick them into the ground pretty well, under the mother plant so they get shaded and do not dry out. Keep them watered and maybe in July, check on them and I bet that more than one will be sprouting new leaves, showing you it has rooted. Dig it up, pot it up, and voila, a new hydrangea plant!

One other thing about hydrangeas: as shown by their name, they need water! Do not let them dry out, and wilting is hard on a plant. But at least it will forgive you and recover, if not too very dry.

I am participating in Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), and Floral Friday. If you have arrived here via a link and there is only this one photo below, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the complete production.

On our short little getaway last week, a little visit to Coupeville on Whidbey Island, Washington, was just the thing. Victorian houses with pretty gardens, adorable shops, and scenic boats and sky, not to mention perfect temperatures, made for much happiness. Isn’t this sky just great?

Participating in Ruby Tuesday 2, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Weekend Reflections, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Thank you so much for taking a peek here.

While we were camping at Deception Pass, our friends with a boat invited us to it for a drink. They keep the pretty cabin cruiser docked at the Cap Sante marina in Anacortes, WA, only a few minutes away from where we were. The magic of cellphones! Walking out to their slip, I was just blown away by the beauty of the sun, the water, and the scene. This one, too, is just straight out of the camera. Love those sunny days.

Take a look at Scenic Sunday, Color Carnival, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Weekend Reflections, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for other neat photos. Thanks so much for stopping by here, and please do leave a comment if you have something you’d like to say.

Strolling along the shore at Bowman Bay in Deception Pass State Park in Washington, I encountered this gorgeous pair of wooden kayaks. The light, the scenery, the kayaks made this one of my top fave shots, ever. It’s completely straight out of the camera (see SOOC Sunday for more), too: just all there waiting for me to click the shutter. And only seconds later, the owner of the beauteous boats came and dragged them to the parking lot, and that was that. You gotta be quick. I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week, but this is a good week for scenic photos for me, so please click on Sara’s Fave Photos above and check out the other images, especially the ones immediately above and below this post.

This photo is entered in Ruby Tuesday 2, Scenic Sunday, Color Carnival, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Outdoor Wednesday. Thanks  so much for visiting!

There were some really beautiful moments last week on the Fourth with the clear skies we had. Here’s a peek at how lovely the fireworks looked on a sky not fully dark. All around little Lake Burien (near Seattle) people lit red lights on the shore, and the one near us gave this tree an eerie light.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival, Ruby Tuesday 2, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for other interesting images. Thanks for visiting here!