Seattle had a big ice storm, as you may have heard. I really wanted to get outside and take photos yesterday, but the weather was just too bad. Today it all began to melt, but I got out there before it was all gone and captured some great images. This pieris shrub is also called andromeda. I didn’t even realize it had already set buds until I was outside looking closely. It doesn’t seem to be the worse for wear.

Take a look at Macro Friday, Macro Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, and Ruby Tuesday 2, for more fascinating photos. Do browse around here first by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

These trees are in my backyard in Seattle, Washington, and this was taken in this first snowstorm of the season. The one on the left is a magnolia, and the one on the right is a pink dogwood. They will certainly look different in a few months!

This photo is or will be linked to these memes: Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Skywatch Friday. If you have arrived via a link and there is only one photo below, if you click on Sara’s Fave Photos you will see the rest of them.

We had our first snow this winter two days ago. I love that brief time when the snow has fallen but no wind has come along to disturb the frosting on trees and shrubs. I went outside to our patio, standing under the eaves so my camera wouldn’t get the silll-falling snow on it, when I heard that familiar Anna hummingbird whirrr. There she was, and what a scenic, snowy backdrop she had as she rested on her red feeder! I like this for the snow frosting everything like icing as much as the beautiful little bird, so I am calling this my Best Post of the Week.

Since several of you asked, they do stay in this lattitude nowadays because people like us provide feeders. It is not usually freezing here, and if it does freeze, we take the feeder in overnight so it’s liquid in the day.

Snow counts as water for Watery Wednesday, doesn’t it? Also, visit Outdoor Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Camera Critters and Ruby Tuesday 2. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog collection here. Or try a tag like “Scenic” in the right sidebar down a bit, or a search for “Snow” in the upper right field, perhaps, to see something new.

One of Seattle’s nice old brick buildings in the Greenwood neighborhood, with the winter tree shapes casting shadows on the building and reflections on the glass. I was driving by, stopped at a red light, and blessedly had time to get the window down and snap the photo. Sometimes you’ve got to be quick! I like the way the sky in the window is almost more important than the real sky, and I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week.

Skywatch Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Weekend Reflections, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) new meme A Piece of Heaven, and Blue Monday are all fun places to visit. Remember, you can always click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to return to the full blog with my latest post on top.

There’s a family not too far from me that really goes all out in holiday decor. The years that this address makes it into the newspaper holiday light guides the cars are double-parked outside, but this year no one called it in, so we were able to enjoy it in peace, you might say. See Santa waving? This is only a small part of the display. I love  over-the-top shows like this, don’t you?

A very merry Christmas and holiday celebrations of all kinds to you.

Visit Thursday Challenge (Light), Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Color Carnival, Ruby Tuesday, Pink Saturday, and Mellow Yellow Monday for a romp through the world of photoblogs. Click around here first, if you have a minute. The banner Sara’s Fave Photos will get you the complete blog.

The other night at the lighting ceremony at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory, there was magical harp music. In that mysterious and romantic environment, it only sounded more beautiful, if that is possible, than harp music usually does. Wish I had a video of it, but I’m a still camera kind of gal, at least so far.

I like the special mood of this photo and I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week.

Take a peek at Thursday Challenge (Light), Color Carnival, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Ruby Tuesday, Pink Saturday, Mellow Yellow Monday, all tons of fun photoblog memes. Before you go, be sure to try a new tag or category here at Sara’s Fave Photos, just for a lark.

Next to my backyard is a horse pasture with two boarded horses. This one, Ranger, is owned by a teenage girl who loves him very much. See the blanket she put on him! This is from a week ago, just before even more snow fell. I love how it looks when the sky is darker than the snowy ground.

Visit Watery Wednesday for other water shots, and Outdoor Wednesday for more scenes outside. Scenic Sunday and Skywatch Friday are very worth visiting as well. How about joining Wordless Wednesday with one of your own photos?

Check out Free Photos to see what’s new, and do click on Sara’s Fave Photos here if there is only one below.

I know it’s not really a pink shooting star. I know it’s only the condensation trail of some sort of plane lit up by the setting sun, but doesn’t it look like it? This was taken near the Seattle waterfront in early January, and the digital camera info tells me it was taken at 4:46pm. And that was on a clear afternoon. The days are definitely getting longer these days!

Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies from around the planet, Pink Saturday for more pinkness of all kinds, Blue Monday for things blue, Scenic Sunday, and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. Join in yourself if you like; it’s way more fun that way.

I do like this post very much, as it’s quite unusual for me, so I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week. Hope you agree.

If you’ve arrived here and see only one photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the rest. You might like one or two.

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.

Taken in Windsor, California last month, this photo shows the moss and lichen on the bare winter branches of the oak trees. Amazing what a little sunshine will do.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, SOOC, Thursday Challenge (trees) and Scenic Sunday for other photos you might enjoy. And definitely check out something like the Nature category if you have a moment.

I love this photo and I’m putting it in the Best Post of the Week category, but it was a hard choice between this and the radishes above! Just click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the whole blog with those cute radishes a few photos above this one.