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.

Santa Rosa in Northern California gets almost no freezing weather and so the geraniums live from year to year. This sunlit leaf was photographed on a cold January day.

I am entering the Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Photo Contest for macros taken with point and shoot cameras. I can’t wait to see the other entries using the special camera on a jar technique suggested. Also Macro Friday has lots of neat close ups.

Do browse around here, perhaps the tag “close up”? or at Free Photos next door. New photos coming soon!

What a blessing is a sunny day in Northern California. Spring Lake Park is in Santa Rosa, with many wineries close by, but even without the vineyards the landscape is beautiful. Last week there was weather for a little hike around the lake. Weren’t we lucky?

Visit Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Reflections, SOOC and Scenic Sunday for more neat photos with a theme. And while you are here, do click on a new category, here or next door at Free Photos, to see something new.

On New Year’s Eve we like to have a crab and cream cheese dip, and to make sure there are enough calories, only with ridged potato chips. Only once a year, but still. So in recent years, I”ve been adding a vegetable plate, also very good to stick in crab dip. This year we got to use the crab we actually caught ourselves in September, which was super wonderful. I hope your New Year’s Eve was as delicious.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more intriguing images with red. And look around this blog or Free Photos while you’re here, why don’t you?

On my visit to the Pike Place Market in Seattle on Friday, there was some actual brilliant sunlight streaming in the windows lighting up the unique and beautiful holiday bouquets. Since the flower vendors can sell only those plants and flowers they grow themselves, the most unusual arrangements you will ever see are found there. And cheap!

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for more interesting shadows, Color Carnival for more bright colors. And if there’s only the one bouquet photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for more.

Dear readers, the new site is almost ready. I’m so excited! Very soon now, all will be revealed.

At the potluck brunch this morning for which I prepared the fruit plate mentioned in my last post, our hostess had decorated so beautifully for the holiday. The house had decor including several arrangements with perfect red roses that she had made herself. As a long-time garden club member, no wonder she did such a beautiful job. I loved the idea of red roses for Christmas.

Visit Macro Flowers Saturday, Today’s Flowers, and Color Carnival for more interesting photos with a theme.

And as usual, if there’s only one photo showing below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos, here or above, for the complete blog with the latest posts.

The U.S. Pacific Northwest has an interesting climate. Even though it’s quite far north, the ocean currents and the large amount of straits, bays, inlets, rivers and other water features gives us quite temperate weather, although mostly cloudy. The temperatures vary here less than any other place I have ever lived. We are lucky that certain broadleaf evergreens like the holly tree flourish here.

This large tree in my neighborhood, perhaps 5 or even 10 yards/meters tall, has wonderful berries, but I noticed that they begin fairly high up. I am pretty sure that is due to people helping themselves to these very attractive holiday decorations. I was tempted.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more splashes of red, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. If the berries is the only photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for more.

Here’s some early Christmas decoration for you. I’m not sure if these are holly berries or what, but they sure are pretty, aren’t they? They were at the Pike Place Market in Seattle not too long ago.

Visit Ruby Tuesday and Color Carnival for more colorful photos. SOOC has more straight-out-of-the camera shots, too. Outdoor Wednesday is showing Xmas decor, indoors and out. And if you see only this one photo here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog with lots more photos you might like.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a leaf with colors like this. Some kind of maple, for sure. I took this in the open shade, on a sunny day right after a lot of rain, so the wet road is actually reflecting the blue sky above it. Believe it or not, the color is totally accurate, or SOOC (straight out of the camera).

Do visit Ruby Tuesday for more photos with red as a key component, Mellow Yellow Monday for yellows, and Macro Monday for more close ups. Color Carnival has more bright colors.

As always, if there’s just one photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the whole blog.

You can tell by the mossy tree-post and the new-grass emerald green lawn that we’ve had lots of rain this year. This month alone we had about 5 inches (13 cm), which is double for a normal October. It has made for a magnificent fall leaf season, at least when the sun’s out to appreciate it. And doesn’t the macro setting on a camera yield the best effects? Even a point and shoot can do it.

Mellow Yellow Monday has more yellow in photos (it’s cool how different the participants all are) and Macro Monday has close ups, also quite a variety. Scenic Sunday shows the scenery, natch!

If you’d like to see the full blog here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos. And you might as well try a new category or tag (like “yellow”) to see what comes up.