I was at Highline Community College the other day and found this amazing view of the Olympic Mountains and the waters of Puget Sound. The skies have been clear and beautiful this week here in Seattle and we so appreciate it.

View of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound at sunset

Participating at Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Scenic Weekends, Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Water World Wednesday, Nature’s Footsteps Waters Sunday, and Weekend Reflections. Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend.

The color of these primrose flowers is hard to photograph properly. It’s a wonderful blend of purple and magenta and red, with bright yellow centers to set it all off. And those healthy, crinkly leaves. I want some!

Purple, magenta and red primroses with their deeply textured leaves

Check out Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Ruby Tuesday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Monday Mellow Yellows and Macro Monday. Let’s try a new meme today: Floral Love. I appreciate your stopping by here so very much. Thanks!

These wonderful leaves were in a planter outside a commercial building in Seattle. What a difference some backlighting makes! The leaves might be a kind of dracena. Stay back!

Yellow and green spiky leaves in sunshine

Participating at Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday and Monday Mellow Yellows. Glad to have you browse around here and thanks for visiting. And check out the “7 Secrets to Better Flower Photos” at right, for free!

I took this awhile ago when I was at the Skagit Tulip Festival in Washington. Who can resist the message, whatever it is—Bloom where you are planted? Be who you are? Primary colors rule? What caption would YOU put on this image?

One red tulip blooms in a field of yellow flowers

Linking up at Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Scenic Weekends, Ruby Tuesday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday and Monday Mellow Yellows. I love this image and I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week. Thank you so very much for visiting. Why not browse around a bit, long as you are here?

My BFF and I went to the new Chihuly museum in the city center in Seattle. I wasn’t expecting to like it all that much, but it was wonderful. This photo is a tourist being blown away by the remarkable glass sculpture ceiling, filled with sea-creature-and-flower-like forms. I like the light shadows on the walls almost as much as the sculptures.

The glass ceiling of colorful blown glass forms at the Chihuly Museum in Seattle.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Ruby Tuesday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday and Monday Mellow Yellows. I love this image and I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week. Have a great day and come back soon.

The red tips of the bushes are just beginning to peek through the soil outside, but those red tips will become flower heaven, come June. Here are some perfect pink peonies for your pleasure. Breathe deep, now!

Ruffled, soft pink, romantic peonies from my garden in June

I’m entering this link at Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Macro Monday, Scenic Weekends, Monday Mellow Yellows, Outdoor Wednesday, and Pink Saturday. Thanks so much for visiting here. Be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos above if there’s only one photo to be seen.

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

Visit Monday Mellow Yellows, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Outdoor Wednesday, Macro Monday and Scenic Weekends. Thanks so much for stopping by.

At the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle that just ended, the theme was Hollywood, and I believe the name of this giant monolith of a display was Sunset Strip. Maybe because it is kind of the colors of the sunset? It was at least 4 or 5 feet tall. Here’s a piece of the center section.

A rainbow of flowers at the bouquet competition in the NW Flower & Garden Show

Visit Monday Mellow Yellows, Catching the Light Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Ruby Tuesday 2, and Pink Saturday. Thanks so much for stopping by here! If only one photo is visible here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to see the rest.

The big NW Flower & Garden Show opens next week in the Convention Center in Seattle. My daughter Lila and I have been working furiously to get ready. Come see us in booth 2806! Here’s the facebook page. We will have many, many sparkling glass tile jewelry pretties, plus stunning photo prints (see a few posts down), and of course, lots of my “Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory” books. If you go, be sure to order tickets online before Feb. 19 for a $4 discount.

Here is a photo of classic yellow daffodils I took at last year’s show. We love the early taste of Spring that this show gives us.

Golden daffodils at the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle

Today I have the honor of having a few more of the photos I took at the NWF&GS on Today’s Flowers. Thank you so much, Denise. I am in very good company.

Also participating in Monday Mellow Yellows, Catching the Light Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Macro Monday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, and NF Blo-Ma Tuesday. Stop by and visit for some lovely images.

I know it’s a bit of late notice, but I’ve just been so busy preparing for my SLIDESHOW of pretty pictures from my book coming right up on Weds., Feb. 6, 2013 in Des Moines, WA at 10:45am. Lunch is included with admission of $9. The Chinook District of the Washington Garden Clubs is having me speak and show images from my book “Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory.” The amazing and gifted senior gardener David Helegson will also be there to say what’s going on with the drama at the Conservatory, and answer horticultural questions, too. Here’s the link to the facebook page.

And something new! Besides having the book and some of the sparkly jewelry we make from it there, we’ll also have the brand new 8×10 matted prints of some favorite images from my book! This photo does NOT do them justice.

Matted photo prints from “Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory”

The fern, I think, is my own top fave. You?

Linking up to Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma, Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday, and Monday Mellow Yellows.