This year the seed-started cosmos plants have done very well. The cool wet spring helped them to get established, especially since the slugs don’t seem to like them. Some of the plants had a real problem, like the petunias, but the cosmos all stood undevoured. Now they are beginning to take off. Don’t forget that they are good in bouquets, too!

Visit Macro Monday for more wonderful close ups of all kinds. Color Carnival has more bright colors. Mellow Yellow Monday thinks everything is better with a splash of yellow. Isn’t it? The Shadow is kind of neat, too. And this one is SOOC, or straight out of the camera.

Try a new link or category while you are here. Why not? The latest post is always at Sara’s Fave Photos.

Here’s another view of that lovely water feature on the garden tour from the weekend. Hope you like it.

Visit Watery Wednesday for more water photos of all kinds and Outdoor Wednesday for photos of, well, the outdoors. And you might try clicking on the “water” tag while browsing around here. Return to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

The other day there was some rain (what a surprise) and then the sun came out. This was taken at my friend’s garden, with orange alstroemeria in the background. Can you see the tiny flowers upside down in the raindrops?

Visit Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday for more wet and fresh air shots. And Weekend Reflections has really cool reflection photos.

If you like, you can click on a tag or category and see some previous photos. Returning to the latest post is easy: click on Sara’s Fave Photos.

The weather has been so cold and rainy in Seattle (except for that ONE magnifcent day a week ago) that I must go to the archives for a decent shadow shot. But I’m glad I remembered I had this one. I had just a second to get the photo before a car came by and the sun went behind a cloud. You’ve got to be so quick with shadows in this neck of the woods, for in just a moment it may be gone, like so many things.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for more perfect penumbras. And I call this an entry for Scenic Sunday as well. But do wander a bit here and there into new tags and categories if you have a moment. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos anytime you’d like to get back to the full blog.

Just taken today in the downpour we had this afternoon, this photo of a lovely container planting outside the Volunteer Park Conservatory had some late hellebores happy in all the wet.

I’m trying out a new photo meme today: Distracted By Shiny Things. I think I have one or two things that qualify. Heck, even yesterday’s post of the ocean was pretty shiny!

Don’t forget that you can always return to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above. And keep an eye out for changes and expansion coming to this blog.

I’m posting two recent photos of my garden of the back border. The top one with the rhodies was taken earlier in the month, and the lower one was taken in mid-month (the geum is the red round flowers). They have a very different feel, don’t they? Which do you prefer?

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more visions of red seen everywhere. And click on Sara’s Fave Photos above if you ever want to find your way back to the latest post.

I like this post a LOT, especially the bottom photo, so I am tagging this Best Post of the Week.

A shady creek on a sunny day yields some lovely ripples and reflections.

Visit Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday after you’re done here. And remember, you can always return to the most current photo here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above. Browse around!

This shot of Lilies of the Valley (Convallaria) is actually from last year, taken in the Bronx Botanical Garden in New York, but the ones outside my house are just about blooming now, so I thought you’d like to see these sweet and fragrant little springtime bells. Don’t they cast such cute shadows?

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for more interesting shadows and Today’s Flower for blooms of all kinds. Visit SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera photos.

To return to the most recent post, click on Sara’s Fave Photos. Or try some of the categories or tags for other interesting browsing.

I was at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle last week, and I thought I’d show you a photo of the marvellous planting of spring flowers outside. Those purple hyacinths just thrill me. Definitely drop by if you are in the area. And it’s free!

Check out Color Carnival for more brilliant colors.

To return to the full blog with my latest post on top, click on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

There’s a wonderful column, a tower, really, in Astoria, Oregon at the mouth of the Columbia River. You can climb it and the view is just as you expect, magnificent. This was taken at this time of year but a couple of years ago.

Go to Watery Wednesday for more fascinating photos of water, and Outdoor Wednesday for, well, you figure it out. Remember, you can always click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to return to the full blog with my latest post on top.