Well it’s snowing hard outside, so winter is truly here, calendar notwithstanding. But here’s one more look at the glorious colors of autumn, taken just a week or two ago. Aren’t those red stems great? I like them so much I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week.

Visit Macro Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday if you’d like more close ups and more cheerful splashes of yellow, and Blue Monday for more blue shades. Ruby Tuesday has more exciting reds. Color Carnival is always a fun browse, too. Taking a look at other straight-out-of-the-camera shots is fun. And if there is only one photo here, be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the rest of ’em.

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.

At a garden club flower show last week, amazingly enough there were quite a few specimens in the “hort” (horticulture) section. It had been raining the evening and morning before the show, so I did not traipse around my garden for blooms to show, however I certainly enjoyed what others brought. This branchlet of fuchsia blooms probably did not win a blue ribbon, because I understand that blooms must be at their peak of perfection, not in bud. But I think it’s lovely, anyway.

Visit Macro Friday for other close ups of all kinds, Color Carnival for other brilliantly colored images, and Macro Flowers Saturday always has floral heaven on display.

Do click on Sara’s Fave Photos if there is only the one photo showing here.

From a couple of weeks ago, a bouquet of dahlias and late zinnias at the Pike Place Market. My plan is to go every month throughout the year to see what flowers they have, as they may only sell local flowers that they grow themselves. I know that soon it will be the dried arrangements, but for now there are still fresh blooms.

Visit Ruby Tuesday to see more photos with great reds, and Color Carnival for more brilliant colors.

If there is only one post here, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the main blog. Thanks!

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.

I know I’ve posted a few photos of autumn leaves recently, but how can I resist when I see an image like this one? The local (mostly gray) weather makes me run for my camera whenever the sun shines and I can get outside. I took this one yesterday on a little walk near my house. I have never appreciated sunshine like I do now that I live in Seattle, that’s for sure.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Scenic Sunday, Blue Monday and Color Carnival for more super photos with a theme.

If you’ve arrived via a permalink and you see only one photo here, you might click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the full blog experience. And do click on a new tag or category, or even a search for something less obvious. You never know what you might find.

This is a very strong favorite of mine. I’m calling it my best post of the week.

Nothing as delightful as a bit of water splashing into a pond, is there? This scenic view was taken a few weeks ago at the Highline Botanical Garden, south of Seattle. The gardeners in this area, the Pacific Northwest, are very skilled at combining leaves and textures for a subtle but lovely effect. It’s an Asian influence, I understand.

Visit Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday for more of the same, and try SOOC (straight out of the camera) and Scenic Sunday as well. Weekend Reflections has some fascinating visual reflections for your enjoyment.

Be sure to try something new here; maybe search for “Highline” to see other shots taken in that lovely garden area. If you see only one post here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the full blog.

These strings of hot chili peppers on display outside the Pike Place Market are just the coolest thing. Their colorful brilliance and abundance thrills me. This time I had to buy a string, ready for soups and stews this winter.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more perfect reds, Color Carnival for bright colors, Outdoor Wednesday for outdoor things, and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. And do visit Best Post of the Week, for other people’s fave posts.

While you’re here, be sure to visit a new tag or category, or search for something off the wall. You can return to the full blog (if only one post shows here) by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

Believe it or not, I took this today, October 22, at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, which sells only what the local growers actually grow on their farms. How sweet to see these pink zinnias’ cheerful faces, into autumn as we surely are.

Visit Pink Saturday for more perfect pinkness and Color Carnival for many brilliant colors. Macro Flowers Saturday has more flower close ups, and Today’s Flower has flowers from around the world. Macro Monday has more close ups of all kinds. Let’s try a new meme: Flowers on Saturday!

If you’d like to be sure you’re on the latest post, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos here.

Here’s another photo from that walk in the Wallingford, WA neighborhood I took a few days ago. A little sunshine, some pretty leaves, my trusty S90 Canon in my pocket, and a few minutes to stroll equals happiness in my book.

Visit Thursday Challenge for more photos with the theme of Gold. This is also a good one for Scenic Sunday, Color Carnival and SOOC or straight-out-of-the-camera photos. Cropping is OK for that meme, but I mostly don’t. That’s what viewfinders are for.

Be sure to check out some other tags or categories here. How about “autumn”? If you’ve arrived by a link, the latest photos are always at Sara’s Fave Photos.