Puyallup Farmer's Market

Peonies are abundant right now, so beautiful!

Market Banners & Fish Sculptures at one end of the Puyallup Market

The farmer's markets are back around here & yesterday we spent a lovely day at the Puyallup Farmer's Market, the first one I've been to this year & one of the biggest in the area...

Street Musician

Filled with music: A local farmer, selling flowers & regaling us with this interesting, traditional musical instrument an erhu. There are two strings, the bow actually rests between & behind the strings...

The ever elusive sasquatch...

Pretty jewelry & the stuff to make your own (love those aquamarine crystals)...

Fun handmade goods: Trios of wood cut woodpeckers...

Funny Aprons: I'm not an apron person, but maybe an "Ape-Ron..." Who couldn't use more sock monkeys in their life?

Local Baked Goods: Yum!

Local Produce: It is a farmer's market, after all & what's fresher than locally grown produce?

Fuschias: A Northwest Garden Staple

Plants (& flying creatures)...

Beautiful bouquets & the components for making your own

Even the lovely plants in the park: Rhododendrons, another Northwest gardening staple

Are the Farmer's Markets popping up in your area? What kind of local goodness are you seeing there?

*All photos the property of Shelley McElhiney, all rights reserved. Please share only with credit. Please contact for any other usage.

Writer's Club: Images & stories in words & pictures

This time I've chosen one of our older prompts, to post a photo & talk about why you shot that particular image.

This was shot that I took on the same day as Wayzgoose, but of course, it is not of the event. This is down the street from King's Books & I shot it before I ever reached the event. I chose to shoot this for a number of reasons, some conscious & others not. Consciously, I wanted to shoot the flowers from a different perspective & I liked the beautiful white & soft pink blossoms against the blue sky, with the clouds wafting away in the background, bright light contrasted with the looming hint of rain. Not so planned was the contrast of urban environment & nature. In fact, I tried to crop any signs of city out of the shot, but I think that if I had actually done this, it would have been a far more mundane shot. I like that the flowers are in a more contained space, that the sky looms overhead & the city is trying to crowd in. This image has grown on me & I like all the comparisons & contrasts it contains. It tells a story all its own. I bet you have many photos that tell their own stories, each one does.