Randomly Observed Things in the World

In addition to the explosion of flowers that spring brings, we also get plenty of lichens and mosses. I really like the yellow lichens.

Mostly Tulips

Being stuck for the time being at home means that you mostly get a steady diet of the neighborhood flowers. Today, you get more tulips while they last.

Morning Run

Unless it is raining too hard, I go for a run every morning. On this particular morning it was foggy so I paused a few times to get a photo to share with you.

By the River

The river seems to be quite stirred up these days. Lots of froth and debris on the water's surface.

On the Way to the River

By walking the streets and not simply driving everywhere, I see things that I would otherwise miss. Such as this painted wooden statue of a ... what?... a soldier? a woodland elf? I don;t know exactly, nor can I guess why it is here. But, here it is.

Flowers are Peaking in our Garden

The tulips in our garden are finally reaching their peak. Anna put in some very colorful varieties.

It is Clearly Spring Time

The bare trees are greening (no, not just from the new growth of moss along the limbs) and the flowering trees are doing their best to keep up with the bulbs in extravagance.

A Few More Tulips

The elegance of tulips is not to be denied. The smooth organic shapes of the petals and the arresting colors are really wonderful.

Local Tulips

Tulips are hard to photograph. There is a view from the outside with all the colors and surface beauty. And there is the sexy bits on the inside that have their own symmetry and attraction. 

Flowers are Beginning to Decorate our Neighborhood

Tulip season is at its peak and these, as well as many other sorts of flowers and plants, are coming on strong.

The Usual Suspects

Riddle: What do you call a truck decorated to look like a bunny rabbit? Answer: You can't call them anything since bunnies can't use a cell phone. Besides, even if they could manage to us a touch screen, who would pay for the minutes?

What to expect in a Snohomish Easter Parade

Of course, it is natural to expect that someone will ride their orange motorcycle as an entry in the parade. We are in Snohomish, after all. I'm sure this fellow is a nice guy but he sure doesn't look like he is radiating the Holy Spirit.

Out for the Easter Parade

Decked out in our finest Easter bonnets, we headed downtown to take in the festivities of the Snohomish Easter Parade.

Camano Island State Park

Is it "found art" if I found it even though someone else made it? Probably not, but it is an oddly satisfying structure nonetheless.

Christianson's Nursery

While we were in the neighborhood of Mount Vernon, we decided to stop in at Christianson's Nursery to see what might be blooming early.

A More Global View of the Tulips and Daffodils

While the color and translucence of the tulip petals is a limited seasonal burst of natures expression, the way the farmers grow them is even more impressing.

More Tulips

Some of the tulips are elegant and stately. Like Audrey Hepburn in one of her movies.

Tulips and a Daffodil

Funny how we often assign a color to an object when very little, if any, of it is actually that named color. For example, the white tulip above is many shades of yellow, a pinch of green, and perhaps a few other subtle colors tossed in on top of the little bit of while we see.

Tulips in Colors Galore

I often wonder, when I see so many colors of tulips, if this ability to be bred to nearly any color is not what the attraction to tulips is really all about. they don't last long. There is a limited range of soils and climates they can thrive in. You really need to be in the right place at the right time to enjoy them.

But when you are in that right place at the right time, there is a world of color to enjoy.

Even the white ones have a multitude of colors in them to delight the eye. This one below, with the red tulips and the green leaves in the background, is showing the shades of white to good effect.

 

Skagit Valley Tulips

No set of flower photos from the PNW would be complete with a few images of tulips. Today we start a series to really make this complete. It is tulip time in the Skagit Valley to our north and the Tulip Festival is in progress.

Flowers and Fun

Many flowers are only recognized as flowers from the way they grow, not from their nice petals or colors. This one looks as if the grass just went a little crazy and started trying to be more than merely grass.

Flowers Large and Small

There are flowers big and small, tall or floppy, subtly colored and bold. This one fits into the large, floppy, and subtle category.

A More Varied Selection of Items

A photowalk is always just after or just before a rain shower here (usually both). This makes it easy to almost always get plants with a bit of water remaining on them.

Tulip Tree Blossoms

I finally found a tulip tree with blossoms near enough to the ground that I could make some photos for you.

Flowers Galore

It is hard to get tired of such wonderful flowers. While I complain a lot about the rain, the water drops it leaves on the flowers does make them more interesting.

A Few Trees

Not every flower looks like a flower. This tree puts out frilly sorts of seed containers that are certainly decorative and lovely, but not very flower-like.

A Palette of Colors

We associate many colors with the autumn season, but spring also has it share of non-floral colors. It seems that all the colors are always there, the plant just chooses what to show off depending on the season.

Old Friends Showing Off

What would spring be without daffodils? I suppose like spring in a place like norther Alaska or Ecuador where they don't grow. But we are fortunate to have then here and we can enjoy the many varieties with the mix of colors to brighten our days.

Tulips and Trees

This color of tulip is one that I especially like. The reds and purples are fine colors, but the delicacy of this yellow is really something else.

'Tis the Season for FLowers

The breaks between rainstorms is getting longer as we move into springtime. Flowers are beginning to appear everywhere, even on our doorstep. Today begins a series of posts bringing you some of the flowers we have in our neighborhood.