And now summer - it was glorious this year - sunshine day after day - warm temperatures - long peaceful days. NW Washington has the perfect summer weather, lots of sunny days, mild temperatures - not chilly and not hot - quite moderate warm days, very long evenings (it doesn't get dark until around 10:30 and the sunrise is around 4:30), and this year we saw two mosquitoes. Perfect summers!
Summer starts for me when the Elderberries Bloom. They grow a single plants (shrubs), in clumps of two or three and in huge forests of them covering acres of land. This Elderberry bush was in front of the Sisters mountains - a beautiful way to start summer.
An area farm always has about one acre planted with Giant Allium - I think they sell to floral shops. We stop by every summer just to see them waving in the breeze.
Poppies everywhere
The farms and ponds are beautiful in the summer. Everything stays nice and green in the summer because we have enough rain showers interspersed with our sunny days.
And at the beach the shorebirds flit about
Cattle in the fields of Wild Mustard
Our favorite cottage on the shore in Bay View, WA - such lovely hollyhocks.
Summer is a great time for rides to the islands on the Washington State Ferries. Washington has the largest ferry system in the world, both in numbers of ferries and area covered by the ferries. There are ferries that hold 6 cars and some walk on passengers and ferries that carry hundreds of cars and passengers.
Sweet peas line the roadsides - in shades of white to lavender to bright pink - and they smell so good. I'm trying to get some to start in our yard - once they are established they grow like crazy - who doesn't like that?
The grass is tall and lush in the summer
And poppies - more than you can count. These were outside a fenced yard on Guemes Island - one of our ferry trips took us there last summer.
Boats crossing extreme tides in the San Juan Islands - another ferry trip for us.
Wild roses in banks along the roads - even in the freeway medians. Sweet scent on a warm summer day.
Gardeners love to grow hydrangeas here. Last summer I took photos of every bush of hydrangeas I came across. One lady was gardening in her yard while I took photos and she thanked me for enjoying her flowers.
Whatcom Falls is a favorite summer destination. It is a city park right in the middle of town, and only about a mile or two from our house. There are picnic grounds, hiking trails, fish hatchery, a small pond used as a fish nursery, ducks on the pond, benches to sit and enjoy the scenery or watch the kids in the playgrounds. One of the hiking trails starts just a few blocks from our house. It is a magnificently huge park.
The city of Bellingham provides a lot of park spaces. For each new house built a certain number of acres of land must be preserved somewhere in the city as green spaces and parks.
Summer is magnificent here!!
26 comments:
Magnificent mosaics!
Thank you so much for sharing them.
Have a nice new week!
Wow, what gorgeous mosaics of beautiful nature. Just a feast for the eyes.
All of the rain you get soaks into the ground and gives you the most beautiful flowers in the summer months! Lovely photos! And wonderful mosaics! Hugs, Diane
What a beautiful year's retrospective made in flower mosaics! It made me year fro summer. Happy New year!
What a gorgeous post, every image is beautiful. The flowers are just lovely..they have me wishing for summer already.. Have a happy week ahead!
Give me the horses, poppies and hydrangeas and bring me the warmth of the sunshine and I shall be home...loving Summer all over again...beautiful selections that you have shared, each and every one of them~
JoAnn, such lovely memories for this cold weather. You take such gorgeous pictures and what a wonderful project for Mosaic Mondays. I could sit and look at your picture albums for days on end. I have very fond memories of riding on the ferry and to be sitting smack dab in a field of wild mustard would be heaven to me. Love that smell when the day is warm.. All so pretty. Thanks for bringing a little warmth here..Happy Weekend..Judy
JoAnn, this is a gorgeous post of summer's beauty from your state. As much as I enjoyed the flowers and animals, I also appreciate the time it would have taken you to create the marvellous mosaics you've shared.
Thank you for linking to Mosaic Monday.
Your area of the country has to be one of the prettiest in the nation, JoAnn, if one measures by your beautiful photos!
This was the best summer I remember since moving north. One thing I miss from Southern California are the orange California poppies and purple lupine. The lupine up here is very different. - Margy
Lovely to relive summer through your beautiful collages! Now I know where to link up to if I'm experiencing winter blues!
Oh, you're so right! Summer is s-o-o-o nice up here, and last summer was as good as it gets! It's so nice to see these scenes on a wet winter night.
Oh, you're so right! Summer is s-o-o-o nice up here, and last summer was as good as it gets! It's so nice to see these scenes on a wet winter night.
Really gorgeous mosaics. The pink poppies are stunning. Do you use Picasa or another program to make them?
Summer in the PNW is so wonderful - moderate temperatures, very few mosquitoes and gorgeous gardens. You've featured so much of wonderful summer.
Gorgeous and captivating photos.
Glad I didn't have to pick a favorite. If you get lonely for mosquitoes, I can send you a few hundred.
Thanks for the reminder of why I love the Northwest.
JoAnn these mosaics are works of art...simply stunning making me wish for summer again as the snow and frigid cold are pummeling us. Happy New Year!
A wonderful way to remember the beauty throughout the year.
Simply beautiful! I love the way you grouped colors together. The pictures of the horse make me think that must be what heaven is like!
Gorgeous pictures!
So beautiful, poppies and sweet peas growing wild roadside.......how very wonderful. I hope to someday visit Bellingham as I have a friend and pen pal who lives there. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos. Blessings friend
Summer must certainly be honoredd with your lovely mosaics. I don't know which one I like the best. I am partial to horses, always, I love the poppy mosacis. You live in a beautiful state, one that I have not visited.
I'm back from little break, and Happy New Year to you! Your Mosaics are stunning to say the very least! Very beautiful, and artfully done!! LOVE the horses.
Hi , I'm Your newest follower, I found You through Simply Shelly and one of Our friends lives in Bellingham. I live in S. CA. Please drop by and visit My blog any time-Denise
Wonderful summer memories! I love all of these, but especially the poppies and the horses. Have a great week!
I was awakened this morning (around 2:30 AM) by the sound of the snowplows cleaning out the driveways on my street. Brrrr.... Once or twice a week I stop by to see what you have been up to and you can imagine my delight at seeing this beautiful tribute to Summer in the Great North West on this snowy and bitter cold morning in Ohio. This post is a feast for the eyes, the fields of poppies and glorious hydrangeas showing off their finest summer colors while wild roses and sweet peas are lining the sides of the roads, Really - this must be heaven. Oh so beautiful. And then there are the mountains and the waterfalls, and the horses and the waterfowl - it is all so beautiful. JoAnn, You truly have warmed my heart from the inside out. Have a Wonderful day (I know I will be daydreaming about fields of flowers all day).... Candy
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