That brief trip to Northern California last month is still yielding some neat images. Who doesn’t like reflections on a still lake in the sunshine? Spring Lake is in Santa Rosa, California, about an hour north of San Francisco. Seems like it was roughly the same hiking distance around as Green Lake in Seattle, about an hour or so. I love being outdoors near water!

Take a look at Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Blue Monday and Weekend Reflections for more interesting images on a theme. And if you like scenic landscape photos, there are a number of new ones taken in Arizona on Free Photos that you might check out.

I can’t believe I got last year’s amaryllis to actually rebloom. A miracle! Garden tip: For one thing, they tend to be so top heavy that I’ve learned to plant the bulb in a clay pot, not the plastic one provided in the “kit” sold around here. Toppling over is so not good for those huge blossoms. So after the bloom a year ago I kept the plant on my sunny, south-facing windowsill, kept watering with the dilute plant food I use for all my houseplants, enjoyed the sculptural strappy leaves all year, watched as they died back gradually, and was amazed when I saw a flower stem emerge!

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more photos with red, and Outdoor Wednesday. You might try a tag of RED here (lower right) first, just for fun.

Took this last year around this time, over the roof of my house. I totally love clouds like this, and I hope you do, too. So exciting, somehow.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies around the world. You can post a sky photo and join in if you like. Blue Monday, Scenic Sunday, and SOOC (straight out of the camera) are worth a visit, too. Before you run off, take a look at the newest photos “next door” at Free Photos, and maybe a tag like Cloudscape here (at the right). And one more thing: click on Sara’s Fave Photos if you see only one photo below.

Last month I went to Northern California Wine Country, and I am still enjoying the photos I took there and hope you are, too. This was taken at the square in little-but-so-artsy Healdsburg, about an hour and a half north of San Francisco. I love the way some branches are bare, some leaves are green, some still seem to be in autumn mode, and the palm trees wave over all. But it’s all about the blue sky, isn’t it?

Visit Skywatch Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, SOOC (straight out of the camera) and Blue Monday for more photos on a theme. And check out Free Photos next door for more scenic and flower photos to browse, too.

Even bare branches can look good when there’s water, sunshine, and reflections involved. This January view of the lake in Spring Lake Park in Santa Rosa, California, was something that will look quite different in just a few months.

Visit Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Weekend Reflections, Blue Monday and SOOC (straight out of the camera) for some more interesting photos. And you might try a tag like “reflections” or hop over to Free Photos for even more scenic and flower photos. All free for personal use!

I’ve decided I like the almost lace-like texture of the black branches very much and am naming this post my Best Post of the Week. If you see only the one photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the rest of them.

Here’s a view of Santa Rosa from the hills of Windsor, California. I may have mentioned that dusk is my favorite time of day, especially with peaceful winter views like this one. The tangles in the oak tree branches to the right are mistletoe.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more great skies around the world, and Scenic Sunday for more scenery. Post one of your own, if you like; participating is great fun.

While you’re here, do click around here and there to see what you might find. I promise many pretty pictures for you!

Spring Lake, in Santa Rosa, California, just a week or so ago was so scenic! Even in the depth of winter, Northern California Wine Country just doesn’t get too dreary. The duck likes it, anyway!

Visit Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday for more neat photos, and Scenic Sunday, SOOC (straight out of the camera) and Weekend Reflections have great stuff too. I invite you to view a tag like Water or Scenic (to the right) while you are here. Thank you for visiting, and it would be so appreciated if you left a comment and shared how you felt about what you see here.

Yesterday was a rare sunny day, so even though it was cold I went out for a walk, and was happy that the view of Puget Sound and the sky from the Normandy Park, Washington overlook, quite near my house, was even more beautiful than usual. This late day light is my favorite time of day.

Skywatch Friday has more incredible skies from photographers all around the world (this week the guest “photo” is an awesome time-laspe sky video, complete with shooting stars!), and Scenic Sunday has more great scenery. Do take a look.

This photo really floats my boat. I particularly love the shape of the trees curving around the sky. I am calling this my Best Post of the Week.

If there is only one photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for more. And visit Free Photos for even more!

What a blessing is a sunny day in Northern California. Spring Lake Park is in Santa Rosa, with many wineries close by, but even without the vineyards the landscape is beautiful. Last week there was weather for a little hike around the lake. Weren’t we lucky?

Visit Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Reflections, SOOC and Scenic Sunday for more neat photos with a theme. And while you are here, do click on a new category, here or next door at Free Photos, to see something new.

I took a photo of this same scene many years ago, taken against a dramatic sky in March, as I remember, but here it is again, taken last week in January. It was great to find the exact spot and I was happy that the sun peeked out for a bit of shadow on the barn wall for me. This huge old live oak tree, certainly over 100 years old, is in Sebastopol, California, out on Sanford Avenue. This photo is one of my very top faves, so I’m putting it in my Best Posts of the Week category.

Visit Scenic Sunday and Shadow Sunday for more intriguing photos, and SOOC for more with no tweaking, or straight out of the camera. And browse around here and at Free Photos for some pretty pictures if you have a moment.