Sara’s Fave Photos

We saw the sun for a few minutes this morning, but now all is gray again. In honor of the brief view of the happiness-giving orb, here are two studies in yellow, complete with shadows. Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for more interesting shadows. Go to Color Carnival for more brilliant color, and of course, Mellow Yellow Monday for you know what. Check out Today’s Flowers, too.

The lemons are SOOC, or straight out of the camera. As for the daffs, I couldn’t resist Auto Tone in Photoshop when I saw the neat purple-ish background it produced.

Remember: Now you can always get back to the latest entry here by clicking on the “Sara’s Fave Photos” title in the header, no matter where you’ve wandered in the blog. I invite you to click around, and hope you enjoy your visit.

On a recent visit to Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory, I was impressed at the orchids, but really fell in love with the simple begonias. This kind of thing makes me want my own greenhouse.

Visit Pink Saturday for more visions in pink.

I really like this one, so I’m tagging it Best Post of the Week. Hope you agree.

Today I saw rainbows in three locations as I drove around and did errands. You’ve gotta be quick with rainbows; they just won’t wait for you. So while I was driving down this alley in downtown Burien, I stopped the car, leaned my head out the window, and took the shot. I actually like it, even though this type of urban shot isn’t my usual thing. Gotta love rainbows.

Visit Thursday Challenge for more Sky photos, and/or visit Skywatch Friday for even more skies around the world!

This overlook of Puget Sound near my house has been a photo op blessing whenever the clouds part a bit. I like the look of the late day light. You can just see the ripples on the water surface.

Visit Watery Wednesday for more visions of water in all its forms. And for visual reflections, some subtle and some not, visit Weekend Reflections. Don’t forget to visit Scenic Sunday for more scenery of all kinds.

This photo was taken at the NW Flower & Garden show, so it’s forced and blooming under indoor lighting, but still, isn’t it glorious? I think this kind with the frilly edges is a parrot type, but I could be wrong about that.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more ravishing redness. And Color Carnival is where the other bright colors hang out.

We’ve had sunny weather for a week. I planted pea seeds (and nicked and soaked the sweet pea seeds to plant tomorrow) and took the usual stroll to see what has come up. Crocus!

For more flowers in general, you’ll always enjoy Flowers For Today, and do visit Blooming Friday when you get the chance. What about more macros at Macro Monday?

New navigation: Now you can always get back to the latest entry here by clicking on the “Sara’s Fave Photos” title in the header, no matter where you’ve wandered in the blog. I invite you to click on the categories or tags on the left, or whatever strikes your fancy today. Hope you enjoy your visit.

At the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle a week or two ago, there was a fabulous orchid display. I believe this is a kind of lady’s slipper, but I am not very knowledgeable about orchids. Enjoy its subtle pink coloration, and visit Pink Saturday for more photos with pink in them.

It’s cleared up and the sky was showing the change the other evening. This one is SOOC, or straight out of the camera. For more skies around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

Navigation Note: Now you can always get back to the latest entry here by clicking on the “Sara’s Fave Photos” title in the header, no matter where you’ve wandered in the blog. I invite you to look at the memes or tags on the left, or whatever appeals to you today. Hope you enjoy your visit.

While it has been quite rainy recently, wetness does not necessarily a photograph make. I thought I’d show this one of a delightfully noisy creek in the Quinault Rain Forest, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, taken last summer.

Visit Watery Wednesday for more cybermoisture. For fans of scenery, visit Scenic Sunday. And try SOOC, for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots.

I was at the Volunteer Park Conservatory, right near the Asian Art Museum, having a fine old time with my little Canon and the help of a monopod to help brace the shots. I actually hate shlepping and setting up tripods. I want to take too many shots from too many angles for them to work for me, except in special situations, of course.

I am trying to get the Conservatory to feature a wall calendar for 2011 with photos of their incredible plants and flowers, a calendar created by yours truly. When you visit a place like that, are you tempted by a photo calendar? (Assuming it’s wonderful.) What do you think of that idea?

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more photos featuring the color red, and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots.

I was at the Pike Place Market and just adored the huge buckets of daffs as well as all the amazing dried flowers and tulips right now.

On this photo, I’ve blurred the background to make that center one pop a bit. Do you like the effect, or do you prefer the more realistic look? I’m very interested in your reaction.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday and Macro Monday for other takes on those themes. And how about Blooming Friday, a bit early?

Happy Valentine’s Day to you! No matter how commercial, I love the holiday that’s all about love. And flowers!

To see more flowere all around the world, visit Today’s Flowers. And try Color Carnival for more cheerful, bright colors!

Navigation Note: Now you can always get back to the latest entry here by clicking on the “Sara’s Fave Photos” title at the top, no matter where you’ve wandered in the blog. I invite you to look at the archives of Flowers, Cloudscapes, or Water tags on the lower left, or whatever appeals to you today. Hope you enjoy your visit. Thank you, Marsha Perry of Perry Internet Consulting!

This quick bit of sunshine we saw last week was the last time I did see the sun, so I’m happy to post the brief reminder here. It’s been gray and rainy, typical for this time of year, but it does get a bit gloomy sometimes. Especially when I want to go out in the garden and get things done. Sigh.

This is a SOOC, or straight-out-of-the-camera shot, like most of mine. Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for more interesting shadows. See more windows (and doors) in Window Views. Visit Blue Monday for more things of all kinds in blue.

Navigation Note: Now you can always get back to the latest entry here by clicking on the “Sara’s Fave Photos” title at the top, no matter where you’ve wandered in the blog. I invite you to look at the archives of Flowers, Cloudscapes, or Water tags on the lower left, or whatever appeals to you today. Hope you enjoy your visit. Thank you, Marsha Perry of Perry Internet Consulting!

These pink tulips at the Pike Place Market yesterday were just scrumptious to me, all dreamy looking in their cellophane dresses. And so close to Valentine’s Day, men one after the other were forking over money for armfuls.

Visit Pink Saturday for more visions of pink.

Navigating Note: Now you can always get back to the latest entry here by clicking on the “Sara’s Fave Photos” title at the top, no matter where you’ve wandered in the blog. I invite you to look at the archives of Roses, Scenic, or Puget Sound tags on the lower left, or whatever appeals to you today. Hope you enjoy your visit. Thank you, Marsha Perry of Perry Internet Consulting!

This shot from the archives, taken on a sunny April day, just feels so good after the pretty relentless gray and wet we are having here, with more of the same predicted. We didn’t even get the promised sunbreaks this afternoon.

Des Moines is pronounced Duh Moynz by the locals, yes with the final Z sound, and I understand that it actually means The Monks, although why I do not know.

Hope you enjoy the view of blue sky and puffy clouds as much as I do. Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies around the world. Check out Scenic Sunday for more lovely scenery, too. Fans of blue, visit Blue Monday.

Thursday’s Challenge is “ROMANTIC” (Flowers, Chocolates, Hearts, Lace, Red, Pink, Sunset, Holding Hands,…) and so of course I have to post flowers. This bouquet also photographed at the NW Flower & Garden show in Seattle last week. It says Be Mine to me!

This also works for Color Carnival (the local gray skies make me crave color!) and is a straight-out-of-the-camera shot, or SOOC.

There was a break in the clouds late in the afternoon on Sunday so I rushed out to the overlook near my house to see what the water looked like. Scenic!

Visit Scenic Sunday and Watery Wednesday for more intriguing photos. Try Weekend Reflections, too.

This one holds up, after returning a few days later, so I’ve chosen it as Best Post of the Week.

This urn at the NW Flower & Garden show was almost as tall as I am, and the forsythia stems must have reached almost ten feet. Now that was one impressive bouquet! They keep the lights quite low to keep the plants lasting well, I am told, and the dim lighting was a bit of a photo challenge, but still so pretty.

For more interesting visions of red, visit Ruby Tuesday. And check out Color Carnival for more photos like this. And see SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots.

I don’t want to overload this blog with too many photos, so here are just a couple of fave shots I took on Friday. I do love this new camera. Fun!

For more macros/close ups, please check out Macro Monday, and for more views of yellow, go to Mellow Yellow Monday. And visit Color Carnival for more brilliant color!

Stopped by the NW Flower & Garden show yesterday. Wonderful, of course! Here’s a blushing pink rose, a bit late but here for Pink Saturday. And visit Today’s Flower for more floral magnificence!

As long as I’m looking at the Burning Man photos, here’s a doozy for Skywatch Friday. May your life have many double rainbows!

Visit Scenic Sunday when you can for more scenic wonders.

The Thursday Challenge is “SOMETHING DIFFERENT” (Unusual, Strange, Rare, Different, One of a Kind, Weird . . .). I didn’t think I had anything worthwhile, but then I remembered my sojourn at Burning Man in ‘07 in the Black Rock, NV desert, the enormous week-long alternative arts festival. Now there’s a surreal event. Here’s only one photo. I hope you like it.

Here’s another archive shot taken at the Des Moines (Washington) Marina in August a couple of years ago. I love the way the water shows the tender pink sky.

For more interesting water photos, visit Watery Wednesday. And if you like reflections, check out Weekend Reflections. And you might enjoy Scenic Sunday also.

This post really holds up for me, so I’ve tagged it best post of the week. Hope you agree.