Sara’s Fave Photos

Here’s some spring pinkness for you. The upside of a traffic delay! I rolled down the window and took a couple of perfect spring photos.

Visit Pink Saturday for more pink of all kinds.

In honor my my second blogoversary, I’m adding some extra pinkness for you today below that photo, both taken recently. Thank you all for your visits and comments, past, present and future.

Visit Today’s Flowers for more beautiful florals.

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.

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.

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!

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!

On that walk a couple of days ago, I actually found a rhododendron that is in bloom! Wow, that’s early. I thought I’d share the pretty flowers with you for Pink Saturday.

Oh, another flower meme! How can I not? This one is in Norway, and it’s called Blooming Friday. Lovely photos. Here’s one to start thing off, something actually blooming here in the Pacific Northwest in January in a rare burst of sunshine. It’s called Heather and I think its real name is Erica. Maybe.

It’s straight out of the camera, or SOOC, bright enough for Color Carnival, and PINK as well!

Yes, it’s from the archives, but very soon flowers like this will actually be blooming. The weather here in Seattle has been in the 50s, which is a good bit above normal, and some plants are taking it seriously, I saw on my walk today. Personally, I think we’re in for some cold weather yet.

For more blissful pinkness, visit Pink Saturday.

I was at the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle, and some intrepid flower growers were there in their usual spot in the North Arcade, showing their heaven-on-earth wares. This one grower had tulips, forced in a greenhouse heated with propane; so expensive to grow, so welcome to see and purchase. The others, mostly Hmong immigrants, had the usual spectacular, unique and incredibly cheap bouquets of dried flowers, but that’s for another day.

For more blissful pink, visit Pink Saturday. For more brilliant colors, try Color Carnival. And for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots, visit SOOC.

This is from my trip to New York City in May, although actually, this photo was taken in Greenwich, Connecticut. Even though the weather was very Seattle-ish, with lots of clouds and sprinkles, the beauty of the Pink Trees never ends for me. I never know if they are cherry trees or what, but I love them.

For more blissful pinkness, visit Pink Saturday.

This huge nest of a bald eagle is in Kent, Washington, near the Green River. The occupants were elsewhere at the moment, but it’s still an amazing sight, to me.

For more skies around the world, visit Skywatch Friday. For more blissful Pinkness, try Pink Saturday.

And have a happy, healthy and lucky New Year!

Santa came a bit early and I got a Canon Powershot S90! Here’s a very appropriate photo of the dawn, taken yesterday morning in my backyard, as my first post with the new camera. The only benefit of the days starting so late is I get to see the actual dawn sometimes. Have you guessed I am not naturally an early riser?

It’s going to take me awhile to get comfortable with the manual control features (which were part of the reason I got it) of the new toy. And it’s very small, no bigger than the 3-yr. old Canon point-and-shoot it replaced. Another plus is it does REALLY great in low light indoor situations without a flash, which I prefer in most cases. But so much to learn! I prefer things simple but I am pledged to master this.

Can’t wait to see what it does in the garden with flowers. For that I must wait.

For more skies of happiness and inspiration around the world, visit Skywatch Friday. And have a great holiday.

These rhodies are from my old house in Des Moines, Washington. It was noisy, right in the SeaTac flight path, but we sure had some great flowers. The magnolia tree I’ve posted a couple of times was growing there. In front were some huge rhodies and some orange azaleas, too. I miss them, but I sure don’t miss that noise.

Winter hasn’t even begun officially and I’m already thinking of spring.

For more pleasing pinkness, visit Pink Saturday. And this one, like most of my entries, is SOOC or straight out of the camera. I rarely even crop them after I take them. Flowers are nice that way, staying still for you while you compose a pretty frame.

As we approach the Winter solstice, I found this photo taken on a Summer solstice at the Woodland Park Rose Garden in Seattle, right near the zoo. It has been clear but very cold out, and this vision of the warm days of summer does seem almost impossible, but so sweet.

For more blissful pinkness, visit Pink Saturday. And this one (sunshine makes it so easy) is SOOC, or straight out of the camera.

These pink pretties, not from my garden unfortunately, bloomed in September. The great thing about them, besides their beauty, is that they can take dry shade, and survive some freezing weather also. They are short but do spread out, and do well even under the shade of a big cedar tree. I’ve bought a little plant to try them at my house in just that location.

For more pinkness, visit Pink Saturday.

PLEASE IGNORE IF READ BEFORE about the 2009 Photoblog Awards. If you like my photos, please vote for this photoblog before Dec. 15 and leave a comment in the link  below. You have to register (name and password only) and then click on the word Vote in the upper left. Thanks very much! Photoblog Awards 2009

Not much blooming outside right now, so here’s a dip into the archives for something pink and delightful to brighten any gray skies for you. Visit Pink Saturday for more blissful pinkness.

PLEASE IGNORE IF READ BEFORE about the 2009 Photoblog Awards. If you like my photos, please vote for this photoblog before Dec. 15 and leave a comment in the link  below. You have to register (name and password only) and then click on the word Vote in the upper left. Thanks very much! Photoblog Awards 2009

It’s been gray, gray, gray and raining, even more than usual here in Seattle. It’s rained 5 or 6 inches in the last few weeks, with not even a sunbreak very often. This photo of a rose was taken in someone else’s garden in September, not that long ago, but it seems so far away. For more blissful pinkness, visit Pink Saturday.

PLEASE IGNORE IF READ BEFORE: I’m repeating this info about the 2009 Photoblog Awards. If you like my photos, please vote for this photoblog and leave a comment in the link  below. You have to register (name and password only) and then click on the word Vote in the upper left. Thanks very much! Photoblog Awards 2009

Nothing pink blooming right now, or if there is, it’s too wet to go out there and find it. Here’s a photo of some pretty pink flowers I found in someone’s garden back in June. I have some in my own garden but not such a pretty shade of pink. Happy Pink Saturday!

I’ll be away for a few days and will do my best to return visits (when you leave a comment) when I get back. I dearly love to read what you have to say; please be honest.

There are a few dahlias left, not  many, and as we move to winter, they are so appreciated. I like the bamboo reflected in the window here, in back of my house. Doesn’t the new paint color look good? It was a dark brown before.

For more pink visions, visit Pink Saturday. And check out Weekend Reflections, too. Try Window Wednesday, too, even though it’s not the right day.

PLEASE IGNORE IF READ BEFORE: Readers arrive on different days, so I’m repeating about the 2009 Photoblog Awards. If you like my photos, please vote for me and/or leave a comment in the link  below. You have to register (name and password only) and then click on the word Vote in the upper left. Thanks very much!

Photoblog Awards 2009

This pink rose from my garden was in a bouquet in my living room, last week while it was still sunny. I love that you can see the light through the center, just a little bit. Happy Pink Saturday, everyone! And a reminder, this and pretty much all the photos on this blog are SOOC, or Straight Out Of the Camera. Just in case you wondered.

I’ve entered the 2009 Photoblog Awards. If you like my photos, please vote for me (by leaving a comment? by clicking on the word Vote at upper left?) here:

http://vote.photoblogawards.com/photoblog.php?name=saras-fave-photos

The rain has really come, and the garden needs it, but I’m still not ready to show rain-soaked photos. This one is from just a few days ago. The weather has been so unusually sunny that this cosmos plant is a self-sown seed volunteer from seedlings I put out this spring! Enjoy your weekend, and visit the other Pink Saturday participants.

I’m still in that rose mood. The sun’s been shining, and there are still some flowers on the rosebushes, although this particular photo was taken a few weeks ago. If only that transporting scent could be conveyed to you, dear readers. Perhaps computing power will achieve that some day, but until then, the photo will just have to suggest it.

For more perfect pinkness, visit Pink Saturday.

FREE PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE: http://creativetechs.com/training/category/10-week-digital-photography-course/ Another plug for the best deal on the web, a free photography course. It’s in the middle of the ten weeks, but on Wednesday they are going to cover Part 2 of Aesthetics, and Part 1 was fabulous. It’s free to watch the online seminar, but if you want to rewatch it or watch later, you have to pay a bit. Totally worth it, and so many free resources on their site. Definitely check it out. Superior to anything I’ve seen out there.

These grew on roadsides where I lived in Northern California, although there they seemed to be a bit paler pink. They are also called Naked Ladies, not just from their blushing tones, but because they grow a rosette of strappy leaves in the winter which die back, and then in late summer the blade-topped stalks push up through the dry dirt all by themselves; naked, as it were. They are wonderfully fragrant and related to the amaryllis. If you grow them, plant in a sunny, very well drained area, and then leave them alone.

For more pink wonderfulness, visit Pink Saturday.

I’ve chosen this post as Best Post of the Week. For more truly interesting self-selected BPOTW, check them out.

And for more brilliant colors of all hues, visit Color Carnival.

This is one of the simple, old fashioned roses, still so perfect in its way. Visit Pink Saturday for more visions of pinkness.

And Shadow Shot Sunday has great shadows, too!

So many dahlias in these last brilliant days of summer. Here’s a pink one for your delectation, just for Pink Saturday.