There were some really beautiful moments last week on the Fourth with the clear skies we had. Here’s a peek at how lovely the fireworks looked on a sky not fully dark. All around little Lake Burien (near Seattle) people lit red lights on the shore, and the one near us gave this tree an eerie light.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival, Ruby Tuesday 2, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for other interesting images. Thanks for visiting here!

Sometimes I just have no idea what a flower is, especially trees. Anyone have an idea? But isn’t it pretty, with the light coming through the petals like that?

Various flower memes worth visiting include Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, plus there’s  Pink Saturday, Macro Monday, Skywatch Friday and Outdoor Wednesday, just for fun.

If you’re in Seattle, be sure to hit the Volunteer Park Conservatory plant sale tomorrow, Saturday. It’s the best, and I’ll be there, signing books, too.

I took this photo in Connecticut when I was there not too long ago. I am sure it is not a cherry tree, but I don’t know what kind of tree it is. Anyone know? Perhaps an ornamental pear, or something like that? These fine old trees really are amazing in the northeastern U.S. landscape, with everything so totally gray in the winter and then these bursts of blossoms. Yay, Spring!

Visit Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Thursday Challenge (Spring), Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday and Pink Saturday (a tiny bit of pink!) to have a fine photo fun time. Be sure to click on the curly letters of Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to be sure you are seeing the latest photos here, especially if you’ve arrived via a link to this post.

This spring scene of a tree near a pond was taken on my recent trip to Connecticut. Don’t you just love the pattern of shadows? The reflection of the spring flowers on the water surface isn’t too shabby, either. What a lovely day that was. I am so glad I always have my camera with me! Speaking of which, don’t forget to download the “7 Secrets to Better Flower Photos” at the right. You don’t need more than a pocket camera to take really nice pictures, is how I feel about it.

You might enjoy Mellow Yellow Monday, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, A Piece of Heaven, Skywatch Friday  Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Reflections, and Wordless Wednesday. Please follow this blog on the new widget to the right if you enjoy the photos. Thanks for visiting!

This cherry tree near Seattle’s soon-to-be-demolished Viaduct, not too far from Pike Place Market, always blooms the earliest of any that I see. Its urban setting might be a bit dark and certainly noisy, but the somewhat protected space encourages such a cheerful early display. We love it. It will be interesting to see how it fares in the coming years.

I am on a trip to New York and am posting by preschedule. Please follow this blog on the new widget to the right if you enjoy the photos. Thanks for visiting!

Visit Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday and Pink Saturday. Also check out Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera).

They say if you stand still long enough in the Pacific Northwest, moss will grow on your nose. I don’t know about that, but the stuff on trees and in lawns is pretty spectacular. Green, green, green! Naturally, the rainiest months (September through June) are the mossiest. I’m calling it my my Best Post of the Week.

You might want to browse some of the meme entries in Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday (not much visible water here, but so moist!) and Wordless Wednesday. You are always welcome to check out a new tag or category right here. If you have arrived via a link, click on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner above for the complete blog.

It’s finally raining, although softly, so I went outside for the pretty raindrop display on the coral bark Japanese maple tree. We have gotten almost no rain for the past two months and usually get 5 or 6 inches in both November and December. The garden (and I’m sure the ski resorts) really need the water. Not to mention it’s put a crimp in my scenic shots for Watery Wednesday!

Other fine photoblog memes are Macro Friday, Macro Monday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Ruby Tuesday and Weekend Reflections. See my neighbor’s house in that middle raindrop? I think that is so cool. And you can find lots more photos here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos any time you like.

This was taken earlier this week in Seattle’s Volunteer Park at the Asian Art Museum, close by the Volunteer Park Conservatory, which loyal readers of this blog know that I love so much that I did a book on it. And by the way, since the holidays are upon us, the Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month by Month book is on special holiday pricing! It’s a perfect gift for gardeners or anyone who loves flowers, and it’s so relaxing and soothing that health care professionals adore it for their waiting rooms. Read a full description and see sample pages on the home page here. And get a few copies today!

Please visit Ruby Tuesday, Scenic Sunday, Wordless Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, and Outdoor Wednesday for some excellent photos around this beautiful planet of ours. Perhaps you’d like to visit a new tag or category here, first? Just click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the complete blog (so many choices!) here.

What can you say except wow? I think this neighbor’s Japanese laceleaf maple tree has green leaves in the summer, but I don’t really know for sure. Some late afternoon sun lighting up its glory now is just the ultimate in autumn leaves, for me. Hope you enjoy it.

This one is SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Also visit Ruby Tuesday, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday and Outdoor Wednesday for more photo frolics. If there’s only one photo below, it means there are tons more for you if you click on Sara’s Fave Photos here or above.

We have two columnar apple trees, about six feet (two meters) tall and two feet wide at most. They bear full-size apples! With apples, you must have another tree for pollination, so you need two trees, or a neighbor with an apple tree. The trees never get much bigger, so you can have them in pots. We used to have them in big pots on our deck, but when we moved to this house we put them in the ground, and they are happy. This year my hand-pollination efforts, and the plastic sandwich bags against pests, paid off well, and we have a bumper crop. Time for apple sauce!

Take a look at Macro Friday, Macro Monday, Ruby Tuesday, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Shadow Shot Sunday if you have a minute or two. Browse around here with a new category or tag (“My Garden”?) and click on the banner above, Sara’s Fave Photos, to see all the posts here.