Sara’s Fave Photos

When I see good light and I have a few minutes, I can’t resist racing to the overlook of Puget Sound near my house to see the view. Yesterday there was a break in the clouds to the west and sure enough, it was beautiful.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies seen round the world. Weekend Reflections, Scenic Sunday and Outdoor Wednesday are worth a visit, too.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Yesterday morning there was a half hour of sunshine, and I got to go out and walk in it. Wonderful! Here is what it looked like from the overlook near my house (elev. 700 feet) as the mist was burning off.

For more skies around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

It was sunny for a little bit yesterday so I went out for a walk while it lasted. Here is our active volcano (could blow any time), Mt. Rainier, showing its winter snows. The theme for  Thursday Challenge is “Winter,” so take a look there at some other wintery ideas.

This is a good one for Scenic Sunday as well. And hello, Skywatch Friday folks!

Here’s a view of Puget Sound from Seahurst Park the other day showing a fairly typical sky of our region. The many cloud layers with the dark rainclouds on the way are more appealing to me than straight gray, which is what we have today.

This is another SOOC shot, or straight out of the camera.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies seen round the world.

I guess I wasn’t the only one entranced by the scenery a week or two ago near Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. The sunset over Puget Sound was pretty darn nice, don’t you think?

For more skies and sunsets, visit Skywatch Friday. And you might like to visit the folks at Scenic Sunday, too, even though we are early for that one.

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.

There’s a Winco grocery store in Renton, not too far away, that not only has great prices but has a parking lot with very sculptural trees and a big sky, too. This was taken last week. We are now entering the darkest week of the year (in the Northern hemisphere, of course), and soon the days will be on the upswing. Let’s hear it for the Solstice!

For more skies seen round the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

And thank you so much for those who clicked through to the Photoblog Awards and left a comment or a vote. I appreciate it so very much. And thank you to everyone for putting up with all that repeated blurb about it! We are done now.

This is from the archives, taken on a fine April day from the famous and beautiful Astoria bridge over the Columbia River.

So many photos, in just three years of digital. I think I’ll never run out of things to post. Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies around the world. Weekend Reflections always features a highly creative set of photos, and visit Scenic Sunday for more scenegasms.

I’ve tagged this Best Post of the Week. It’s a keeper.

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

I did crop this a tiny bit to remove some distracting cars from the lower edge, but otherwise it’s SOOC, or straight out of the camera. It’s from a couple of weeks ago when we went to Portland, Oregon, and I bet those red leaves are history already.

For more interesting skies around the world, visit Skywatch Friday. And visit Scenic Sunday as well, if you can. Well worth it.

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

Taking photos out of an airplane window is very challenging, and my trusty little point-and-shoot Canon camera does its best. I really want the quality of a big camera, but I don’t want the shlep (means haul around), to use a New York expression. Sometimes even borderline image quality still has some appeal, at least to me. I love this moody effect, and I hope you enjoy it, flaws and all.

For more skies seen round the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

Flying to Las Vegas recently, we flew over an amazing lake that I recognized from above. What’s surprising is that there is so much beautiful blue water surrounded by such an empty desert landscape. The airplane window didn’t help the sharpness any, but it’s still a great peek at the world from above.

For more skies seen around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

The forecast earlier today was for gusty wind and rain this evening. Just before the wind picked up, I went outside and took this of the storm clouds approaching. It was almost dark outside but I liked the look of the threatening sky.

For more skies around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

On my way to meet a client I got to see a rainbow this week. Oh, the joy of rainbows! For more skies around the planet, visit Skywatch Friday.

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

Here is how Seattle looked not that long ago as I approached it from the south. Happy Skywatch Friday!

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

A recent view of Seattle’s Puget Sound with a ferry coming into dock, very late in the day. The quality is not so great, but out of the car window at cruising speed, in low light, well, it’s amazing what these little cameras can do. For skies seen around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

Driving home from a meeting, still in the parking lot, I looked up and there was a photo, practically like Arizona, somehow. I’ve been totally loving the blue, blue skies we’ve had this year. In my six years in the Seattle area, this far and away the sunniest weather we’ve had. I feel so lucky.

Visit Skywatch Friday for other fabulous local skies. And don’t forget to look up!

Driving up the Viaduct I couldn’t resist clicking the camera out my open window. Happy Skywatch Friday!

Here’s a recent sky, one of those ones full of great shapes that force you to free-associate. I see a dragon. You?

For more skies of all kinds, all over the world, visit Skywatch Friday. Post your own!

Here in Seattle a sunny sky is a serious thrill. This is from a few days ago, travelling north on the Viaduct. I know it’s not right to hold up the camera and take a photo (or, ahem, more than one) but as you can see, traffic was nowhere near. And the windshield was pretty clean, so what else could I do?

The tall black building is the Columbia Tower, whose 75th floor has been the source of the view of a couple of photos in this blog. In front of it is an oldie, Smith Tower. To the right you can see part of Qwest Field. Just beyond the railing to your left, not visible, is Puget Sound and the ferries and giant cranes of the harbor, but that’s for another photo.

Happy Skywatch Friday, everyone!

This recent sunset was in the Burien Fred Meyer’s parking lot. I like the way the single streetlight almost looks like a star on a Christmas tree.

For more skies of every kind and color, visit Skywatch Friday. And post your own; it’s tons of fun.