At the dinner party on the terrace last week (see post below) here are the fragrant roses I brought our hostess that I grew in my garden. That great late afternoon light does it every time.

Yellow Peace roses on a terrace by Puget Sound near Seattle

Joining Homemaking Party Wednesday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Unique Weekend Photo Challenge (yellow), Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Water World Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Fishtail Cottage Thursday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Garden Tuesday, Thursday Floral Love, Saturday Show Off and My Romantic Home. Thanks so much for visiting! Please come back soon.

My tomatoes look and taste great this year. Last year many of them split, which was so disappointing. What I learned was that happened because I had underwatered, so the tomatoes had thick, tough skins which burst when the plant got a good dousing when it rained. This year I was better about the watering and it made a big difference. Also I used better fertilizer, added alfalfa meal at planting, AND went out with a dry paintbrush when it was flowering to try to get better fruit set. Something worked!

Cherry tomatoes in different stages of ripeness

Linking to Homemaking Party Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Garden Tuesday, Saturday Show Off, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Fishtail Cottage Thursday, Outdoor Wednesday, and My Romantic Home. So glad you stopped by here and hope you come back soon. Try my tips for better photos free download at right if you like the pictures here.

At the Grant County Fair in central Washington we saw this damsel fly perched on a vendor booth. It was about 2 inches or 5cm across. I don’t usually like photos of insects but I’ll make an exception for this one.

Delicate damsel fly perches and rests in Moses Lake, Washington

Joining up at Nature Notes Wednesday, NF Winged Thursday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Camera Critters, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Outdoor Wednesday, and if anyone knows of a photo meme about flight or flying, I’d like to know about it. Thanks!

We went to Moses Lake WA for the first time, and I got to go to the Farmers Market and buy some fresh peaches. Is there anything prettier? I like this post very much and am calling it my Best Post of the Week.

Fresh peaches on display at a farmers market

Check out Monday Mellow Yellows, Ruby Tuesday 2, Saturday Show Off, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Fishtail Cottage Thursday, Outdoor Wednesday, and My Romantic Home. Have a wonderful day and thanks for your visit here.

Taken recently at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory. The amazing irony of a cactus in bloom! The flowers are very small, perhaps a centimeter or so, or less than half an inch.

Magenta pink flowers on a barrel cactus

More themed photos at Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Thursday Floral Love, Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday and Straight out of the Camera Sunday. Have a great day and thanks so much for stopping by.

This variegated hosta leaf is just so voluptuous in its curves and folds, don’t you think? Love the seersucker effect. Taken recently at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory.

Wrinkled, variegated large hosta leaf collects a bit of water

Visit Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Thursday Floral Love, Water World Wednesday, and Straight out of the Camera Sunday.

I’m going to be on vacay for a bit so I’ll schedule posts of a few photos from a recent visit to my favorite flower haunt, Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory and link to the various photo memes I love so much when I return.

This agapanthus or Lily of the Nile is almost more beautiful in bud than in flower.

Dark blue Lily of the Nile in the growing beds outside Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle

Linking (eventually) to Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Thursday Floral Love, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends and Straight out of the Camera Sunday. Thanks for visiting and please come back soon.

At a friend’s birthday party in the park yesterday, I brought flowers and there was a purple tablecloth. I like this photo because such a tiny slice is in focus, and that isn’t even much of the big rose and its petals, but mostly the sepal of the bud. Do you like it? Be honest, now.

Double Delight rose blossom with rosebud

Linking to Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Ruby Tuesday 2, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Thursday Floral Love, My Romantic Home, Garden Tuesday, Fishtail Cottage Thursday, Outdoor Wednesday, Saturday Show Off, Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and Straight out of the Camera Sunday. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos at the top to see all the photos if only one image is shown.

Sometimes petunias in the garden get leggy, and the only thing to do is cut off the long stems, feed the plant, and hope you get a second flush of blooms. I brought in the cut stems and figured I might as well put them in a vase. I was surprised to find how fragrant they were.

A petunia bouquet shows color, form and texture

You might check out Pink Saturday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Thursday Floral Love, My Romantic Home, Garden Tuesday, Fishtail Cottage Thursday, Outdoor Wednesday and Saturday Show Off. If there is only this one petunia photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos at the top to see several others. Thanks!

From last year at this time, some begonias in front of my house:

Rieger begonia flower basket on a foggy August Seattle day

Visit Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Thursday Floral Love, My Romantic Home, Garden Tuesday, Fishtail Cottage Thursday and Outdoor Wednesday. Let’s try a new one, Saturday Show Off. Don’t forget that you can download free tips for taking better photos without fancy equipment or confusing settings, in the sidebar at right.