Sara’s Fave Photos

There might be a special name for this kind of marking on flower petals, but I don’t know it. If you do, please clue me in. [later: Striated! Thank you!] They aren’t really stripes; more of spots and stripes mixed together. Anyway, I just love the way it looks. I took this in Seattle’s Volunteer Park dahlia garden that I just discovered this week, maintained by the Puget Sound Dahlia Association. Enjoy!

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more ravishing photo redness and SOOC for more straight-out-of-camera shots.

If you got here by clicking on a link, it might not be the latest post—Sara’s Fave Photos above will take you there. Be sure to try a tag or search for “dahlia” and see what you get!

I discovered a gem of a dahila garden in Seattle, in Volunteer Park. If you are leaving the Conservatory at the north end, it is in the big field in front of you to your left. There appear to be maybe a couple of hundred different dahlias blooming, all staked and named and perfectly groomed. I was in heaven. The sign says it is maintained by the Puget Sound Dahlia Association and I say Thank You to them.

Here’s a pretty pink one for Pink Saturday. Also for Macro Flowers Saturday. And visit Color Carnival, too!

While you are here, try clicking on the Dahlia tag for more lovely blooms. And if you’ve arrived by the permalink, you can always get to the latest post and the full blog by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos, above. Thanks for visiting!

Continuing a theme, here is the Sol Duc (pronounced Sole Duck) River in the background swishing over the rocks. The Sol Duc is within the Olympic National Park in Washington State, in the Pacific Northwest.

There’s an unknown wildflower in front. Anyone recognize it? [later: Clairz says it's fireweed! Yay, Clairz!]

Check out Scenic Sunday and SOOC (straight-out-of-the-camera shots). Before you do, browse around here a bit. What appeals today?

You can always return to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos, above.

I think this orchid is a kind of phalaenopsis, or butterfly-shaped one, but I can’t be sure, because when I am photographing flowers all thought of identification flies out of my head. I just see how beautiful they are and yearn to capture them perfectly. This beauty lives at the Volunteer Park Conservatory.

To all my international visitors, I hope the addition of Google Translate makes your time here more enjoyable. People from around the planet visit this blog and I am so grateful and happy that tools like Google Translate exist. Welcome to all!

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more ravishing redness, Color Carnival for more brilliant colors, and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots.

If you like, search this blog for Volunteer Park Conservatory and see what other gems I’ve captured from there. And return to the latest post, always, by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

The Olympic Peninsula in the Pacific Northwest has some magnificent scenery. On our way to check out Sol Duc (pronounced Sole Duck) hot springs (we weren’t impressed; just big outdoor regular swimming pools and $12 per person to swim; maybe they might have more appeal in cold weather) we stopped at a roadside rest near the river. Now this was worth a visit! I tried to upload a video but wasn’t able to compress it enough. Any recommendations on how to do that? They are MOV files. I did download a program called MPEG Streamclip but have no idea of what settings to use. Any help appreciated.

Anyway, here are a couple of stills. You’ll just have to imagine the loud burbling and plashing noise and the silence all around it.

Visit Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday for more interesting photos on the theme. These are both SOOC, and make the grade for Scenic Sunday also.

While you are here, check out a tag like “scenic.” Arriving via permalink, the latest posts are always at Sara’s Fave Photos above.

Here’s a new flower, to me at least. When I was at the Volunteer Park Conservatory event last week, the head gardener, talented David Helgeson, showed me this unusual flower called Throatwort (trachelium caeruleum). I think it’s beautiful. That’s a maidenhair fern on the left, and coleus on the right. By the way, I totally love using google images for plant identification and info.

Visit Flowers For Today for more flowers from around the world, and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. As long as you are here, though, you might as well try a tag like “purple” or perhaps “bouquet.” If you’ve reached this post via the permalink, the latest post and full blog is always at Sara’s Fave Photos, above.

Woodland Park Rose Garden in Seattle is a delightful place. I’ve got to go back there for another visit soon. So many roses, such charming vistas. A delightful way to spend a couple of hours, and it’s free!

Visit Watery Wednesday for more water photos of all kinds, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera shots) and Weekend Reflections for the most intriguing reflections. Try clicking on one of those tags here for more of the same, if you have time. Return to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

This photo holds up very well for me. I’ve tagged it Best Post of the Week.

The roses look good now. The challenges of the awful black spot and mildew that the endless wet weather created are mostly gone. I try to keep the fallen leaves and petals off the ground, so that means deadheading when the blooms start to get loose, before the petals fall. What a wonderful excuse to wander among the roses, clippers and bucket in hand, happily peering into the heart of each rose and gathering the spent ones. A pleasure, not a chore, to me.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more ruby redness. And click on a new tag or category while you are here, you hear? The latest post can always be found at Sara’s Fave Photos, above.

This year the seed-started cosmos plants have done very well. The cool wet spring helped them to get established, especially since the slugs don’t seem to like them. Some of the plants had a real problem, like the petunias, but the cosmos all stood undevoured. Now they are beginning to take off. Don’t forget that they are good in bouquets, too!

Visit Macro Monday for more wonderful close ups of all kinds. Color Carnival has more bright colors. Mellow Yellow Monday thinks everything is better with a splash of yellow. Isn’t it? The Shadow is kind of neat, too. And this one is SOOC, or straight out of the camera.

Try a new link or category while you are here. Why not? The latest post is always at Sara’s Fave Photos.

I was browsing through my archives trying to create a slideshow of flowers for the garden club I belong to and found this image. Neat, isn’t it? But I have no idea what it’s called. Anyone?

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Color Carnival and Today’s Flowers for great sites in blogland. Browse around here while you’re already here, perhaps something like “sunset” or “rose.” And if you’ve landed here via the permalink, an easy way to the latest post is by Sara’s Fave Photos, above.

Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle has more than just flowers and ferns. Inside that amazing Victorian glass structure there is the most delightful water feature, a little slice of heaven. Is there any prettier sound than the sound of gently plashing water?

Visit Watery Wednesday for more kinds of wetness. It’s quite a tour. Also Weekend Reflections and SOOC (straight-out-of-the-camera shots) are well worth the visit.

You might try exploring a new tag like “water” while you are here. To return to the latest post, just click on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

Three years ago I went to The Event in the Desert, AKA Burning Man, in Black Rock, Nevada. It was hot, believe me, and dry heat or no it was way too hot for me. But I was there, so I was determined to have as much fun as I could. The peak of it was one big fire fest, late at night, many thousands of people watching. This column of flame was well over a hundred feet tall, maybe two hundred. It was far away for safety and it was HOT.

The theme this week for Thursday Challenge is Hot. Visit SOOC Sunday for other straight-out-of-the-camera shots. And you can always browse around here and find your way back to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

Today I went on the Federal Way (Washington) Garden Tour. It benefits the Federal Way Symphony and I got to see six of the nine gardens. Whew! Here’s a delightful water feature from an amazing hidden jungle in the Hendricks garden.

For more fascinating shadows seen all over the world, visit Shadow Shot Sunday. Or try Scenic Sunday, or perhaps SOOC (straight out of the camera) Sunday.

You might try a search for “shadows” or clicking on that tag while you’re here. Returning to the latest post is a click away, on Sara’s Fave Photos. Thanks for visiting!

Today’s visit to the flower vendors in Seattle’s Pike Place Market was fabulous, as usual. They have lilies (and sweetpeas) in magnificent quanties, combined in surprising and unique bouquet combinations as always. This one with a lily and a happy jumble of other garden flowers beats out any supermarket bunch any day.

Visit Macro Flowers Saturday for more flower close ups, and Color Carnival for more brilliant color. This one is straight out of the camera, or SOOC, too. And try a new tag or category here while you’re here, returning to the full blog at Sara’s Fave Photos as always.

In California, it is illegal to pick the orange poppies growing by the side of the road, as they are the beloved state flower. I heard you can’t even pick them in your garden, but that can’t be true. Here in Seattle, they grow very well also, maybe too well sometimes. They actually are great in bouquets. Clipping the long seedpods will extend the bloom quite a bit and help prevent way too many plants from appearing everywhere.

So, which view do you prefer? Leave a comment and let me know.

Visit Color Carnival for more brilliant color and Shadow Shot Sunday for more intriguing shadows. Both shots were straight out of the camera, or SOOC. And I like this post so much I’ve called it my Best Post of the Week.