Hope you are not tired of tulip close ups. It’s actually been sunny the last couple of days here in Seattle, so a morning walk was just the thing. Some tulips are still around, and this one was glorious. Now it can live forever on the internet at its peak of beauty.

Macro Flowers Saturday is back! Visit Maia there as she’s sure to have some lovelies. Also check out Macro Friday, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Skywatch Friday, Today’s Flowers, Blue Monday and Macro Monday. If only you see only one photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete display.

One of my favorite things about belonging to a local garden club is that every 3 months they all get together and bring flowers to show (“hort” as it’s known, or horticulture). I don’t care about the ribbons they award, but this particular venue has a skylight over the display tables and the effect on a sunny day can be dazzling. I think this kind of peony is called a single form, but I am no expert. I only wish I had grown it in my own garden, but at least I can take a photo—and share it with you!

Today, I have the honor of being Guest Friend on Today’s Flowers and you might hie on over there to see some magnolia photos I took last week in my backyard. Plus many other lovely blooms from around the world, with a new thumbnail linky!

Visit Macro Friday, Ruby Tuesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival, Shadow Shot Sunday, Thursday Challenge (Beautiful) and Macro Monday for more photo fascination. Do see what else is fun around here first! Click on the tag of “close-ups” perhaps?

Meadow rue is a great perennial plant in the flower garden. I believe that its flowers come in yellow and lavender at least; this one is a lavender. The leaves actually look very much like columbine, but this plant gets much taller, maybe 4 or 5 feet (1.5 meters). It’s getting ready to have puffy, hairy sort of flowers, kind of like ageratum. Doesn’t sound pretty, but it is. I’ll show a photo when it’s blooming, which should be in a week or two. I like tall flowering plants as they just feel so abundant, plus of course the flowers are closer to my eye level.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for more neat photos with a theme. If you see only one photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for more, and possibly more recent photos.

Finally a weekend day with sunshine! Yesterday I had such a happy half hour down there with the camera and the flowers blooming; these days it’s mostly too wet to even see them up close. Photo tip: Put your camera on its flower setting and get down there to get some background in that will be blurry. Simple but effective.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Scenic Sunday,  Today’s Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Macro Friday and Macro Monday for more intriguing photos. Browse around here first, why don’t you, by clicking on a new taq or category. Try the “close up” tag, at the lower right? Or the “My Garden” category might be fun.

This year I think it’s even too cold for the slugs. The lupines are coming up all unmolested, although maybe it’s my campaign with the clippers last year that’s having an effect. Last week the sun peeked through and sparkled in water caught in these lupine leaves.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, Macro Friday and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) if you have time. While you’re here, check out more photos in this blog by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

Puget Sound views can be glorious, and sunshine really helps. I heard that we have had rain on 36 of the last 40 days (and those four were probably cloudy), and continuing showers and rain in the forecast. But Friday had a bit of sun, and I was lucky enough to get out to the Des Moines, Washington fishing pier for this euphoric view.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, Scenic Sunday, Blue Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Watery Wednesday for more intriguing works. Remember, the banner above with Sara’s Fave Photos brings you to the full blog here.

The last sunny day we had around here, at least one I have photos from, was March 19. Three weeks! It a view looking north at the Cove beach at Normandy Park, WA, in the Pacific Northwest, in the “convergence zone.” Today they do predict sunny weather, but it’s solid clouds as I write this. Sigh. It’s true yesterday we did have a sunbreak, and I finally got to take a few photos of the bulbs flowering in the yard (which I will show shortly), but how can you enjoy them if it’s cold and cloudy all the time?

Enough complaining. That’s what photos are for, to transport us to another time and place. Check out Skywatch Friday for more skies of all kinds around the planet, Blue Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, and SOOC Sunday for more photos with a theme. Click on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner above to show the full blog here.

This is from this time last year. We are so not up to fields of blooming tulips yet with this cold and wet spring. Soon there will be real spring weather but until then, let us gaze upon the glory of tulips!

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more photos with red in them. Color Carnival, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, SOOC Sunday, and Today’s Flowers are great, too. I wish there was a meme for sunshine. Someone? Don’t forget to click on Sara’s Fave Photos if there’s only one photo showing here.

When the sun shines, you are supposed to make hay, or in my case, take photos. The other day was such blessed sunshine (has to last us for weeks, sometimes!) that I’m still sharing the photos I took that day. Isn’t this vast, sunny view of Puget Sound energizing and peaceful at the same time?

Visit Skywatch Friday for more beautiful skies around the world. Share one of your own if you like; it’s even more fun that way. Scenic Sunday and Blue Monday are very good, too. Check out Free Photos next door to see what’s new, and do click on Sara’s Fave Photos if you see only one image below.

Saturday at Normandy Park Cove beach (south of Seattle) we enjoyed the sun and mild temperatures, watching this young woman on a longboard and her dog paddle by. Don’t the reflections of the sun look like little stars?

Visit Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Blue Monday, SOOC Sunday, Weekend Reflections, Camera Critters AND Wordless Wednesday, if you have a moment to see some really neat photos out there. Check out Free Photos “next door” to see what’s new, and do click on Sara’s Fave Photos here if there is only one below.