These red fritillaria, or checkered tulips, decorating my garden this week just float my boat. Both this kind and the other more purple-and-cream color a few posts below are doing so well in my garden. I love things that just come up and bloom, all by themselves. Those are grape hyacinths in the background, also easy and fun, and so welcome in springtime.

Dark red checkered tulips, or fritillaria, in the garden

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The sun was out! Our five-graft plum tree in the back is popping into bloom! This is its second year so we might get a plum or two. I love the idea of five different plums on one dwarf tree. Jars of jam, here I come!

Young plum tree opens white blossoms in the sunshine

Participating this week in My Romantic Home, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Thursday Challenge (Spring), and Macro Monday. Thank you so much for stopping by here, and hope it’s Spring where you live. 

This image of blooming yellow witch hazel is from exactly one year ago. Not too many blue skies (or even flowers) around yet this year, but that’s what photo archives are for. It’s from a close by neighbor’s yard, and I really want some for my yard. It smells heavenly.

Yellow witch hazel tree blooming in late February in Normandy Park, WA

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When it gets really sunny in the winter it gets cold. I just stay in and be warm, and enjoy the shadows on the curtains that the low sun makes. You can see the hatiora, or drunkard’s dream, in the photo below. How cheerful on a winter’s day: sunlight and bright yellow flowers.

Plants cast their shadows on my kitchen curtains, on a cold, sunny morning

Hatiora, or drunkard’s dream, flowers in January in a sunny Seattle window

Joining up at My Romantic Home, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Photog Friday and Macro Monday. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see about ten more photos here. Thanks for visiting, see you soon again!

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!

Here’s a view at Seattle’s Woodland Park Rose Garden, from a June solstice a few years ago. It’s been raining here, or completely overcast, since the second week in October and I, for one, want to look at sunshine and flowers. Hope you do, too.

Joining up this week in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, and Ruby Tuesday 2. To see all the latest images, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above. Thanks for stopping by, and hope to see you again soon!

The season is advancing and the leaves are leaving, but a few still hang on. These yellow maple leaves against the puffy white clouds are autumn itself, to me.

Participating in My Romantic Home, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Outdoor Wednesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Skywatch Friday, and A Piece of Heaven. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above if there is only one photo below. Thanks! Come back soon!

It’s a long way to May, but I’m missing the pretty weather already. This photo is similar to one I posted before, but thought you wouldn’t mind another look into a Sonoma County, California vineyard, with both orange California poppies and the more European-looking red ones, in among the grapevines. This was taken by Lila Greenfield in May, and thank you, Lila!

Linking up with Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Outdoor Wednesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and Ruby Tuesday 2. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see all the recent posts. Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon!

After all that rain we had, the display of autumn leaves are mostly done here in Seattle, but these golden yellow Japanese maple leaves half in the shadows are still giving us a show. And don’t you love that tiny red stem?

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It’s too wet right now to go outside and find something blooming that looks nice enough to show you here. Only my fave photos get posted! Thought you’d like to see these pretty blue/purple flowers, a very sturdy grower and great cut flower. This perennial bachelor buttons or Centaurea montana (also called Mountain Bluet) was growing in my garden in May. I think they might be in the thistle family, and related to artichoke plants.

Participating in: My Romantic Home, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. If you only see one photo below, you might click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above or a tag at right to see many other pretty flowers. Thanks for stopping by!