Coneflower, or echinacea, is a beautiful garden perennial and I wish I had some in my garden. This was taken at a local garden tour.

Orange coneflower or echinacea blooms in the July sunshine

Linking up to I Heart Macro Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, NF Catching the Light Monday,  Our World Tuesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Pink Saturday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here and please come back very soon.

Leeks are remarkable plants in the garden. The first photo is the bud enclosed in its casing, with several inches of a green spike on top, looking like an alien hairdo. Below that is the ripe casing falling away, and the buds of the flowers showing themselves. They are at about eye level for me, so a bunch of them make quite an otherworldly show.

Leek flower still in its casing in the garden

Leek flower (about 2″ or 5 cm) with unopened buds, emerging from its papery casing

Joining NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Thursday Challenge (Flowers), My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. I appreciate your visit here and hope to see you again soon.

From last year, over Lake Union in Seattle. Happy July 4th, Independence Day in USA!

Fireworks explode over Lake Union in Seattle at dusk on July 4.

Visit Skywatch Friday, Scenic Weekends, Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Weekend Reflections, Water World Wednesday, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for visiting here and please come back soon.

Today I picked the first real harvest of red raspberries, about a quart. The birds and squirrels don’t seem as interested in these berrries, at least so far. I am grateful.

Red raspberries, just picked in the garden

Linking up with Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. I appreciate your visit here very much, and be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see some others here.

Another beautiful sight at the South Seattle College Arboretum (see the post below), these huge, frilly, oriental poppies with pink, spotted petals were dazzling to me.

Frilly pink oriental poppies with black centers

Joining up at Pink Saturday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Garden Party Thursday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for visiting here first, and be sure to stop back soon.

Sorry for all the flower macros, but so much is blooming now! Here’s a flower I don’t recognize. It was 2 or so inches wide (4-7 cm.) blooming on a large hedge near Alki beach (near Seattle) in May, so it’s not Japanese anemone. Perhaps some kind of hibiscus? I love the delicacy of the folds in the petals. Update: It is a Rockrose (cistus laurifolius).

White single flower with orange and yellow center has creased petals

Joining to Reconnect With Nature Wednesday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Garden Party Thursday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you so much for your visit here first!

The little city of Burien, Washington, has a very sculptural clock. Here it is as it looked on Art Walk the other evening, in extremely fine weather. See the crescent moon in the sky, adding to the ambiance?

More sculpture than clock, Burien is lucky to have this special timepiece.

Joining up with Monday Mellow Yellows, Ruby Tuesday 2, Blue Monday, Skywatch Friday, Pink Saturday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, and Saturday Show Off. If one photo only shows here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos above for a few more. Thanks!

While I was in the Seattle Art Museum the other day I took this photo of an empty room I’d never seen. I hope that was OK. Pressed for time, I didn’t get to read anything about it. A recreation of a European room, perhaps from the Renaissance? What a lovely feeling it gave me.

Old room in the Seattle Art Museum

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Hope you’re not tired of all the red colors in recent posts. Fall seems to do that to me sometimes. Here’s a apple for you from an outdoor display.

Closeup of a shiny, red, fresh apple

Joining up at Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for visiting here and please come back soon.

Someone brought these cutie cupcakes to a great party on Saturday. And it looks like someone sampled the pretty red icing, too!

Adorable mini cupcakes, with sprinkles

Please visit Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Saturday Show Off and My Romantic Home. Thanks for your visit here and please return soon.