I know we’ve barely started winter, but I saw a tiny bulb shoot today! So naturally I’m dreaming of spring. Here’s a pretty pair of May tulips for you, under a neighbor’s tree just leafing out. I can dream, can’t I?

Check out Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Macro Friday, Macro Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Floral Friday, Color Carnival and Mellow Yellow Monday for lots of fascinating photos around the blogosphere. Find lots more searchable photos here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos here or above.

After midnight on New Year’s Eve, I like to drink Champagne and eat crab dip with a fresh vegetable plate and ridged potato chips. It’s not the most common food for the first thing all year, but it’s what I’ve been doing for a long, long time. The crab dip is super easy.

Crab Dip 

One pkg. 8 ozs. Philadephia brand cream cheese, room temperature so it’s easier to blend
1/3 cup cream (or milk)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Dash garlic powder
Dash salt (optional)
One 6 oz. can crab meat

Put cream cheese and milk or cream in a bowl. Mix with a fork until smooth. Add rest of ingredients except crab. Mix until smooth. Add drained crab meat; mix well. There you go!

Potato chips are fabulous, but actually the veggies are all super good with some crab dip on them. Happy New Year!

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There’s a family not too far from me that really goes all out in holiday decor. The years that this address makes it into the newspaper holiday light guides the cars are double-parked outside, but this year no one called it in, so we were able to enjoy it in peace, you might say. See Santa waving? This is only a small part of the display. I love  over-the-top shows like this, don’t you?

A very merry Christmas and holiday celebrations of all kinds to you.

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A sunny day and I’m in love with the Pacific Northwest again. A combination of red leaves, sunshine and backlighting, and I’m in photo heaven. Like flowers, leaves in their brief and brilliant fall display just enchant me. That’s why taking a photo is so very satisfying, giving endless life to the most ephemeral things. Such a feeling of power and abundance!

Visit Ruby Tuesday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), and Scenic Sunday for lots of fabulous photoblog fun around the planet. But browse around here first, why don’t you, especially if you see only one photo below. Always click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog here, and thanks for visiting!

Well, sunset comes early now, that’s for sure, so we just have to enjoy it when we can. I missed a really spectacular sunset last week with just a glimpse as I drove along, so I was extra happy to see this sweet one that I could photograph, even if just delicate pink and not red. I’ll take it. And do you notice almost a rainbow reflection in the water? I can’t quite figure it out. I love the mysterious reflection and I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week.

Stop by Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Weekend Reflections, Skywatch Friday, Pink Saturday, and Watery Wednesday for lot of photos on a theme. As always, especially if only one photo below, you can click on Sara’s Fave Photos to view the complete blog here.

Happy note: Only 16 days ’til the solstice means just 32 days until days are lengthening and longer than today!

You have to love nice weather after a rain. Nothing makes a walk better than to come across a scene like this one, wandering around the neighborhood. This was over a week ago and by now those leaves are history, I am sure, but, like a flower in bloom, they were good while they lasted.

Visit Watery Wednesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Weekend Reflections for some fascinating photographic fun. If you have a moment to poke around here, I think you’ll enjoy it. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog. Thanks for visiting!

We had some big wind, and that means the pretty leaves are leaving. Sigh. They were so very lovely this year. Let’s give thanks for their show for us, shall we? An attitude of gratitude is the way to live life, all year round.

Take a peek at Ruby Tuesday, Scenic Sunday, Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Skywatch Friday and Blue Monday, if you can. Do browse here first, and hope you enjoy what you find. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

This was taken earlier this week in Seattle’s Volunteer Park at the Asian Art Museum, close by the Volunteer Park Conservatory, which loyal readers of this blog know that I love so much that I did a book on it. And by the way, since the holidays are upon us, the Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month by Month book is on special holiday pricing! It’s a perfect gift for gardeners or anyone who loves flowers, and it’s so relaxing and soothing that health care professionals adore it for their waiting rooms. Read a full description and see sample pages on the home page here. And get a few copies today!

Please visit Ruby Tuesday, Scenic Sunday, Wordless Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, and Outdoor Wednesday for some excellent photos around this beautiful planet of ours. Perhaps you’d like to visit a new tag or category here, first? Just click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the complete blog (so many choices!) here.

What can you say except wow? I think this neighbor’s Japanese laceleaf maple tree has green leaves in the summer, but I don’t really know for sure. Some late afternoon sun lighting up its glory now is just the ultimate in autumn leaves, for me. Hope you enjoy it.

This one is SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Also visit Ruby Tuesday, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday and Outdoor Wednesday for more photo frolics. If there’s only one photo below, it means there are tons more for you if you click on Sara’s Fave Photos here or above.

Oh, I love the Volunteer Park Conservatory. Is it any wonder I made a book about it? A recent visit to their unendingly beautiful and changing displays yielded this photo of orchids in a stray beam of sunlight. And just for fun, there’s a bonus photo below showing one of the unusual and creative plant combinations that delight me so. That one is SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), but I have tweaked the orchids slightly.

Visit Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Macro Friday, Macro Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday and Shadow Shot Sunday when you get a chance. And if you’ve arrived via a link, be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the entire blog.

I like the early parts of autumn, where the leaves are just starting to show their true colors and tease us with the color to come. The Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle has some lovely old buildings, including this one—so scenic I wish I lived here!

Browse around SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, and Ruby Tuesday, why don’t you? and be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos to view the complete blog if you see only one photo below.

Each year I buy a string of peppers at the farmers market. They are so beautiful, and I hang it up in the kitchen and the peppers dry out nicely. Then I first take the seeds out of one (I’m a pepper lightweight; not too spicy for me!) and put it in a soup or stew I’m making, then take it out later like a bay leaf. I only wish I could actually use up the whole string each year. Time to make some chili!

Make a little visit to Blue Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Macro Monday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Ruby Tuesday, and Outdoor Wednesday. Why not? While you’re here, browse around, clicking on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner to view the complete blog if you see only one photo below.