Here in Seattle we have a special kind of weather called a sunbreak. It’s so cloudy so often, that when the sun peeks through briefly, we rejoice and grab our cameras. At least I do. Here’s the view from my bedroom window, catching the very last leaves of the dogwood tree.

For more shadows scenes, visit Shadow Shot Sunday. And this photo, like most of the ones in this blog, is SOOC, or straight out of the camera. Also check out Scenic Sunday for little slices of heaven, sometimes in a backyard, like this one.

PLEASE IGNORE IF READ BEFORE: Readers arrive on different days, so I’m repeating about the 2009 Photoblog Awards. If you like my photos, please vote for me and/or leave a comment in the link  below. You have to register (name and password only) and then click on the word Vote in the upper left. Thanks very much!

Photoblog Awards 2009

This was in a garden I visited last month. It’s been typical fall (gray) weather in Seattle for the last week or two and this kind of brilliant sunshine seems far, far away. For more shadows seen with awakened eye, visit Shadow Shot Sunday. And for more scenic shots, visit Scenic Sunday.

I’ve entered the 2009 Photoblog Awards. If you like my photos, please vote for me and/or leave a comment in the link  below. You have to register (name and password only) and then click on the word Vote in the upper left. Thanks very much!

http://vote.photoblogawards.com/photoblog.php?name=saras-fave-photos

Here is a bouquet I picked last week. The sun came out strong and before I took them to a cooler location, of COURSE I took this photo.

For more shadows of all types and descriptions, visit Shadow Shot Sunday.

Taken from the shady part of my yard, looking to the sunnier area, you can see there’s no problem with having flowers in shade, thanks to fuschias, wax begonias and red impatiens. I love that they need almost no care after planting except watering. The coleus (those spiky things) grown easily from seed did very well also. The sunflower is a volunteer from feeding the birds.

For more flowers around the world, visit Today’s Flowers, and for more scenic shots, visit Scenic Sunday.

Well, the tomatoes aren’t too big, but in Seattle any ripe tomato is a wonder some years. The little yellow ones were from a volunteer plant in a flowerbed, unlike the started plants I bought and planted in black containers back in May, and sure enough, the volunteer is far bigger and happier in every way. It’s a puzzlement, because the plants in the ground last year refused to ripen, even cherry tomatoes. Sigh.

There’s also broccoli rabe in the basket. I planted seeds pretty early, and they were so spindly, went to seed right away, but THOSE seeds grew and now I have these huge, healthy plants, yielding like crazy. I like it steamed with olive oil, soy sauce and lots of garlic.

Happy Ruby Tuesday!

This small park in Renton WA on the Cedar River is so small or unimportant it doesn’t show on our AAA map. But it’s lovely and perfect on a warm day. We went to be someplace cool and quiet, and rested on the grass and looked at the leaves. It was wonderful.

In terms of Think Green Thursday, even though parks are not wilderness, they remind us of how powerful and meaningful the simple outdoors experience can be.

There was a Fourth of July vintage autos exhibition at the Normandy Park Cove, and on a recent walk this specimen was in the neighborhood as evidence. I took a photo of the rear trunk plate because I’d never heard of a Kaiser car. Hope you like it.

I admire the restraint in planting one color of flower like this. I can’t seem to help wanting one of each color. The best I can do is plant groups of similar plants in different colors, which is just not as impressive as one huge color splash like this one. A neighbor’s garden on a walk the other day was so perfectly pink I had to share it. Happy Pink Saturday to all!

These are also called digitalis, and I love them. They bloom in shade or, up here in Seattle, in sun also; they reseed, and they are so showy! These are from seedlings I brought from the other house. They bloom the second year, like most perennials started from seed, but if you know in advance, that’s fine, as their leaves make a lovely rosette pattern all by themselves. Actually the foliage looks a bit more gray-green than in this photo, but I just liked the photo the way the camera saw it.

For more photos from around the world, visit Today’s Flower in Brazil.

We planted so many bulbs last fall, some tried and true, other new ones to take some chances. This is one of the ones I’d never heard of. And it’s fragrant, like most white flowers, a bonus! So amazingly graceful. And for other close ups, visit Macro Monday and take a look around.