At Soos Creek Garden in Auburn WA, the rhodies and azaleas are at their peak.

Close up of white rhododendron flowers, with a blush of pink

Linking to Our World Tuesday, I Heart Macro, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Photo Friday, Floral Friday, Today’s Flowers, Pink Saturday, Sunday Seasons, and Saturday Show Off. Remember, if only one photo shows on the page, click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see a few more.

Seattle has had rain, and lots of it. We’re normally pretty damp, but this is WET.

Rain-drenched red rhododendron flower

Linking up to Water World Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Garden Party Thursday, Our World Tuesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here, and please come back soon.

One of my neighbors has a rhodie that is the first to bloom in the area. Mid-February and showing flowers! How thoughtful of them to provide such cheeriness to people walking by.

For other floral finds, visit Macro Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Color Carnival, Macro Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, and Pink Saturday if you have a minute. And if there is only one photo below, do click on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner above for more.

Red rhodedendrons are pretty hard to photograph. The sunshine seems to really help me, even though it’s against most photographic advice. I expose for/focus on the bright areas and love how the background falls into shadow. Very mysterious, no?

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more ruby red photos and Today’s Flowers on Sunday. Color Carnival has bright colors, Macro Monday, more close ups, Shadow Shot Sunday, well, you figure it out. Do click on the banner above, Sara’s Fave Photos, to see the entire blog if there’s only one image below. Thanks for visiting!

I’m pretty pleased with this bouquet because the flowers are from my garden, and with the current wintery, so-called Spring we are having, I need all the bright and cheery I can get. Also, the rhododendrom blossoms have been forced. I learned you can do this one year when I had to cut back a big old rhodie before it bloomed, and there were all these branches lying on the ground. The flower buds were showing just a touch of color, and I thought, why not? I put them in water and was amazed to see them open fully and perfectly.

Visit Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Mellow Yellow Monday, Today’s Flowers, Flowers on Saturday, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday, Macro Monday, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for more fascinating photos. As always, click on the banner above, Sara’s Fave Photos, for the full blog here.

On that walk a couple of days ago, I actually found a rhododendron that is in bloom! Wow, that’s early. I thought I’d share the pretty flowers with you for Pink Saturday.

These rhodies are from my old house in Des Moines, Washington. It was noisy, right in the SeaTac flight path, but we sure had some great flowers. The magnolia tree I’ve posted a couple of times was growing there. In front were some huge rhodies and some orange azaleas, too. I miss them, but I sure don’t miss that noise.

Winter hasn’t even begun officially and I’m already thinking of spring.

For more pleasing pinkness, visit Pink Saturday. And this one, like most of my entries, is SOOC or straight out of the camera. I rarely even crop them after I take them. Flowers are nice that way, staying still for you while you compose a pretty frame.

It was not as cold as it had been, before this latest rain cycle, so the other day I got out for a walk. There were some rhododendrons actually blooming. Spring is always so amazing. The thrill of the first one! Of course, as my sister says, “Somebody has to go first,” so I guess I shouldn’t always feel so surprised. Everyone else still sleeping, and this brave soul just blooming its little heart out.

For more flowers around the world, click HERE. You can post your own, too. Do it!