This unseasonably hot weather is hard on peas but for now, they are just soaking up the sun. So sweet and crunchy!

Translucent flat peas climbing to the sky

Visit Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Scenic Weekends, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Outdoor Wednesday, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday, Garden Tuesday and Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home. Thanks for stopping by here, and be sure to browse around as long as you’re already here.

Just went out to the garden and saw that the hydrangeas are beginning to show color. Such flower excitement! This one was a gift from friends who needed the space for something else. This year it has recovered from the move and is blooming beautifully for us in a shady spot.

Glowing Embers hydrangea begins to show color in late afternoon light

You might visit Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday, Garden Tuesday and Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home. And for some easy tips on how to take better flower photos without any fancy equipment, see my free “7 Secrets” download at the right. Thanks!

It’s raining hard right now (the garden is grateful) but this afternoon before it began I got some photos of the flowers on my patio. I have never had such a display. Finally, luck, a little experience, and decent weather have come together in a symphony of color. Wish you could come over and enjoy this with me.

Colorful flowers bloom in pots and around a Seattle patio in late June

Linking up at Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Garden Tuesday, Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home and Today’s Flowers. Have a great day and come back soon, hear?

This is a banner year for roses, I can tell. One of my top fave roses is Double Delight with its strong, sweet and spicy fragrance. This elegant rose bud in the late-day light poses with some Proud Land red roses blooming their heads off behind.

Double Delight rose bud begins to open

Please visit Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday, Thursday Challenge (Outdoors), Garden Tuesday and a new one, Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home. Don’t forget that you can download some great tips for better flower photos with no fancy equipment in the sidebar at the right.

Oh, the peonies. I picked a huge bunch of them, just for me.

Pink peony opening in a bouquet

Participating in Pink Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday and Garden Tuesday. Trying a new meme, Pink Home, this week. I appreciate your visit here and hope you return soon.

This year the roses in front of my house are doing very well indeed. I fertilized them at the right time and it made all the difference. The sweet alyssum border reseeded itself very vigorously and just adds to the general fragrance. Wish you could come to my house and I’d pick some for you.

Roses blooming in a Seattle front yard garden

Please visit Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, and Garden Tuesday. Thank you for your visit here and please come again soon.

A young friend is graduating high school and I am so happy with how my roses are coming along that I went and cut these for her as a gift. There are lots and lots more out there for more bouquets very soon. Cut your roses and enjoy them!

Many colors in a rose bouquet, with a Double Delight in the middle; yellow with magenta edges

Linking to Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday and Garden Tuesday. It’s great you stopped by here and I hope you enjoyed your visit.

This pretty snapdragon flower stem is from the garden in our last house. That location had one really great feature of getting late afternoon sunlight, almost from the horizon. What a flower photography bonus! If you’ve read my “7 Secrets” of better photos (free download at the right) you’ll know I’m a big fan of sideways light. Anyway, it’s reminding me to plant some snap seeds this year.

Frilly snapdragon flowers

Linking up to Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma, Ruby Tuesday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Photog Friday, Catching the Light, Scenic Weekends and Macro Monday. To view a few more photos here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above. Thanks so much for visiting, and come back soon.

Here’s a little peek back into summer for you. These red glads (gladioli?) were taken in my backyard at the beginning of August. Oh, it will get here again, I am sure.

Dark red gladiolus

Participating in My Romantic Home, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma, Ruby Tuesday 2, Photog Friday and Macro Monday. If you’d like to see about ten more photos here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above. Thanks!

As this year comes to a close, this photo of two kayakers on Bowman Bay, right off of Deception Pass in western Washington State, really “floats my boat.” It symbolizes the feeling I have of moving out into life, alone but with a companion, on water which is dangerous but gives so much pleasure. The blue sky and water, the calm day, the companionable silence, and the feeling of freedom, make this a picture of my wishes for you in 2013. May you have these blessings and more.

In the ancient system of I Ching, water is the symbol in two of the eight basic parts of the hexagram. One is the symbol for Danger, and one is the symbol for Lake, or Pleasure. I love that.

Two kayaks on scenic Bowman Bay, WA

Participating this week at Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Water World Wednesday, Nature’s Footsteps Waters, Ruby Tuesday 2, and Mellow Yellow Monday. Thanks for visiting, and come back soon! If there’s only the one photo here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above for the rest of the pretty pictures. Thanks!