Wouldn’t you like to pick up your mail by walking on this driveway every day? I surely do love sunny days and the shadows that result. The pink shrub at the entrance is a real scene-stealer. This sentinel is pieris or andromeda, very popular here in the Pacific Northwest. I read that our soils are acidic and that’s why plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas (and pieris) tend to do so well. Who knew?
A recent visit to Seattle’s hidden gem, Volunteer Park Conservatory (which by the way is trying to raise serious money to finish a much-needed renovation—learn more at Critical Moment on their site), in pretty afternoon light, showcasing the magnificent outdoor tulips. I love the color combo. Their gardeners are just world class.
Finally a weekend day with sunshine! Yesterday I had such a happy half hour down there with the camera and the flowers blooming; these days it’s mostly too wet to even see them up close. Photo tip: Put your camera on its flower setting and get down there to get some background in that will be blurry. Simple but effective.
The Pacific Northwest has green down pat. If it’s metal, it rusts, and if it’s not, it’s mossy. Roads, roofs, entire tree trunks (NOT just the north side!), rocks, everything. Especially in March. This completely unadjusted photo is of a street near my house last week. Can you say Green? I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week, too.
Oh, and tomorrow is my THREE YEAR blogoversary! Wheee! And I owe so much to Perry Internet Consulting, with the fabulous Marsha Perry at the helm. Couldn’t have done it without you, Marsha.
This weekend is finally sunny! Yay! The garden is basking. These daffodil buds in my front yard are trying so hard to become flowers. Happy Spring, everyone!
I can’t believe I got last year’s amaryllis to actually rebloom. A miracle! Garden tip: For one thing, they tend to be so top heavy that I’ve learned to plant the bulb in a clay pot, not the plastic one provided in the “kit” sold around here. Toppling over is so not good for those huge blossoms. So after the bloom a year ago I kept the plant on my sunny, south-facing windowsill, kept watering with the dilute plant food I use for all my houseplants, enjoyed the sculptural strappy leaves all year, watched as they died back gradually, and was amazed when I saw a flower stem emerge!
Visit Ruby Tuesday for more photos with red, and Outdoor Wednesday. You might try a tag of RED here (lower right) first, just for fun.
Gray and rainy out today (nothing new there) so a dip into the archives yields this pretty blue urn, setting off the hydrangeas so nicely. And of course the shadow is what caught my eye first, being the shadow junkie that I am. Thanks for that, Tracy!
Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for more intriguing shadows, Today’s Flower for flowers around the planet, Scenic Sunday, and Blue Monday for photos with blue in them. And you might try a tag of Blue or Shadows here (lower right) for some fun, first.
I took a photo of this same scene many years ago, taken against a dramatic sky in March, as I remember, but here it is again, taken last week in January. It was great to find the exact spot and I was happy that the sun peeked out for a bit of shadow on the barn wall for me. This huge old live oak tree, certainly over 100 years old, is in Sebastopol, California, out on Sanford Avenue. This photo is one of my very top faves, so I’m putting it in my Best Posts of the Week category.
Visit Scenic Sunday and Shadow Sunday for more intriguing photos, and SOOC for more with no tweaking, or straight out of the camera. And browse around here and at Free Photos for some pretty pictures if you have a moment.
This is my backyard, taken last week in the first snow of the season. I felt that I needed to post another shadow shot today. I love the roses below, but the shadows just weren’t crisp enough. These blue shadows are good for Blue Monday, and this is another for Scenic Sunday, too. Also, this is a good post for the Sunday Creative, on the theme of Frozen.
As always, if there’s just one photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog experience.
Yesterday when the snow was just getting going, it collected so beautifully on the trees in the backyard. That is one old cedar tree, and I’m sure it has seen worse storms than this one. And check out the bonus little video of the snow falling in the front yard!
Visit Watery Wednesday for more versions of water in all its forms. Outdoor Wednesday has more views of the world outdoors. This one is straight out of the camera, or SOOC. Scenic Sunday has more scenery, naturally!
If there’s only one photo here, it means you’ve arrived by a link. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the entire blog.
I know everyone likes the sunshiny skies, but since this IS Seattle, once in awhile I have to show what it truly looks like. These clouds over Volunteer Park do have a little tone variation, and you can tell I’ve lived here for a bit, because I do appreciate that the clouds aren’t just one tone of gray! Seattle doesn’t actually get any more rain than New York City, say, only about 36 inches a year on average, but it sure is cloudy, a lot. Did I mention dark and cloudy?
Anyway, be sure to visit Skywatch Friday for more skies all around the world. Outdoor Wednesday has more outdoor photos of all kind, and Scenic Sunday has more great scenery. If there’s just one photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the full blog.
The weather in Seattle was so cool for most of the summer that the cosmos didn’t get going until the end of September, and they are supposed to be summer annuals! The good part is that those flowers, so late in starting, are now blooming like crazy, so my backyard border (shown from my bedroom window) is filled with huge bushes of cosmos, taller than I am. The roses are few but company coming called for a bouquet.
Visit Ruby Tuesday for more ruby redness gracing all kinds of photos. Color Carnival has more bright colors. Scenic Sunday as always shows us scenery around the world. Windows and Doors has lots of ‘em, creatively seen. And SOOC has more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. A new meme, Monthly Garden Bouquet, features photos of blooms from your garden.
If you’ve arrived via a link, the latest photos here are at Sara’s Fave Photos.
