Surrounded by beauty | Skagit County Photographer

“Beauty sets the heart aright, and opens it to God.”

Frederica Mathewes Green

For those who don’t know, I live in the Pacific Northwest—Washington state, to be exact. I was born and raised here, so I’m used to the rain for which Washington is known.

An interesting phenomenon started to happen several years ago: people starting moving here en masse (at least it seemed like it). Why? Well, there are probably many reasons, but I think that our “dirty little secret” got out: Washington is bee-yoo-tee-full!

It’s true that we Washingtonians have to put up with a heck of a lot of cloudy days and rain, but it’s the price we pay to be surrounded by beauty. We’ve got it all: mountains, water, trees, and . . . my absolute favorite: blossoms (trees and flowers).

In March, the daffodils start to bloom, followed by our world-famous tulips in April. I’d love to invite you to visit the tulip fields during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, but that would mean more cars and even less room for me to park, so you’ll just have to enjoy these photos instead. <smile>

Springtime boasts trees bursting with pink and white blossoms, while the landscape is bejeweled with flowers that would rival Joseph’s coat of many colors: yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, green, white, and blended colors in between.

But talk is cheap. The proof is in the photos. Here is a sampling of the bountiful beauty gracing the landscape around me. Hope you enjoy.

Last shot of the day . . . time to go home.