Today was the last day that Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory was open to visitors so that the long-awaited restoration project can be completed. Look for the grand re-opening in early December.

A beautiful last day for the orchids. Conservatory is re-opening in December 2014

Joining Skywatch Friday, Our World Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Garden Party Thursday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Pink Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Weekend Reflections, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here first.

A recent visit to Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory had pretty blue salvia, a lovely annual, planted in the beds in front.

Purple-blue salvia spike flowers, with a touch of white

Linking to I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Monday Mellow Yellows, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. While you are here, try a new tag or category at the right. Thanks for visiting here and please come back very soon.

Not everyone knows that if you don’t pick an artichoke when it’s closed up nice and tight, it will open to a beautiful bluish-purple flower.

Artichoke plant blossoms

So great to have you visit; thanks so much!

At the Arts-A-Glow Lantern Festival in Burien yesterday, someone had rigged up glowing rainbow lights to his platform shoes.

Rainbow LED lights decorate a pair of shoes

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Our World Tuesday, Scenic Weekends, NF Catching the Light Monday, and Saturday Show Off. I appreciate your visit here, and please come back soon.

String beans are such a great garden vegetable. I love them raw and also steamed, just with maybe a little butter and lemon juice. The purple ones turn green when you steam them (!!) and taste the same, but the yellow ones (wax beans) stay yellow and taste quite similar. They all taste great to me!

Green, purple and yellow stringbeans just picked, with a stringbean plant leaf

Linking to I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Our World Tuesday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. While you are here, try a new tag or category at the right, why don’t you? Vegetables/Fruits, perhaps?

I let some leeks in my garden flower. Why some are white and some are purple, I do not know, as all the leeks seem to be the same earlier, at harvest time. Don’t you love the round balls? Bees sure do.

Leek flowers in the garden, in lavender and white

Linking up to Garden Party Thursday, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Our World Tuesday, NF Catching the Light Monday,  My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here!

Visited my favorite Seattle haunt, the Volunteer Park Conservatory last week. You can see that restoration work is progressing on the Seasonal House on the right. Full project is due to be done in December. Aren’t the outdoor plantings lovely?

Restoration of the Volunteer Park Conservatory is progressing nicely

Joining Skywatch Friday, Our World Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Garden Party Thursday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here first.

I love this kind of hydrangea and they sure reward a close look. Those teensy white centers!

Tiny white flowers in the center of the blue hydrangea petals with some purple veining

Participating in NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Thursday Challenge (Flowers), and Saturday Show Off. Thank you so much for visiting and please come back soon.

You might know that I’ve been making jewelry from the pages of my book (we had one with a scuffed cover and my daughter saw the idea on Pinterest!) and I thought I’d post a few pairs of earrings made this week. These are all of the throatwort flower. For more about the jewelry and upcoming shows click on tabs at top. Thanks!

Images of purple throatwort behind glass make very pretty earrings

Linking up with NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for your visit here and please come back soon.

Dusty kitty is one of those cats who will love you, no matter who you are, kind of like a friendly dog. But she’s hard to get to pose nicely. Here she is on our patio on a warm July afternoon.

Smoke colored cat on a patio, with petunias

Connecting with Camera Critters, Pink Saturday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Garden Party Thursday, Scenic Weekends, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. If you have a moment, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see more scenic pictures here.