She Kept A Parrot
A Journal For Charlie
I Never Had A Red Amaryllis
I never had a red Amaryllis.
This Amaryllis is Red.
She-Devil Red
The center is dark, without structure, diffuse and opaque.
Old Faithful thrashed and complained when she tried to focus.
We struggled in the bright light.
She trying to trigger the flash.
Me holding it down with my finger.
And swearing…
We struggled in the shade.
She violently focusing in and out.
Me holding the focus ring to stop her.
Rats!
RED, I tell you, she’s red!
I howled.
Hey, I’m doin‘ the best I can here!
O.F croaked.
(Old Faithful is a whiner.)
Me:
What are you doing? You’ve lost your mind!
This thing’s half-red!
Old Faithful:
Hey, first you drop me on my head and give me arthritis of the ring!
There’s so much dust in my eye, I can barely peek out!
Somebody smudges my glasses!
On top of that, you give me this fickle RED model
and point me smack into the sun with no flash!
What the heck do you expect?
Okay, here you go, you old Hippie Wench.
Roll that and smoke it!
🙂
UPDATE
Old Faithful is enjoying a sabbatical of indeterminate duration.
She-Devil Red is on holiday in Shady Pergola.
😉
79 Comments on “I Never Had A Red Amaryllis”
Comments
She Kept A Parrot 
Stunningly beautiful! Well captured 🙂
LikeLike
What a beauty! You and OF managed just fine George 🙂
LikeLike
She is a true beauty.
LikeLike
Thank you, Colline. I don’t normally have red flowers. I really never liked them. But, She-Devil Red grew on me. Chuckle… Thanks for stopping by to visit! 🙂
LikeLike
Lovely photos bringing memories, because we have had one.
LikeLike
I’m glad you enjoyed She-Devil Red! This is the first time I’ve had red ones. I have several very old white ones in the garden. The red ones have thicker petals that are more sculpted and smell like peppermint. I just visited Fell Lapland and saw the most gorgeous photographs! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by to visit!
LikeLike
This is hysterically clever! And those first four photos are gorgeous – the first bud especially, and the second with the screen on it – really interesting. (I used to get a white Amaryllis every year but they’re harder to find lately – I’m sure I could order one but I don’t bother. And really, this Ms. Scarlet is quite striking!) Bravo!
LikeLike
Thank you, Lynn! She-Devil Red was something else! She was supposed to be white and pink. We have several of the white ones. I have two of these that my daughter brought home from Sam’s Club during the holidays. I will transplant them into the ground in the spring. They turned out to be very interesting. The petals smell like peppermint! Thanks for stopping by to visit.
LikeLike
Your Amaryllis is such a Diva what with all that pouty read and flamboyant attitude but what a fabulous fun session! Your poor camera, they do protest at times don’t they!
LikeLike
Thanks, Patti! Yes, I did have quite the epic struggle with She-Devil Red that day! The real whiner is O.F. (my Nikkor 18-200mm, walk-around lens). Sometimes, I laugh at her too! Glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks for dropping by to chat!
LikeLike
Beautiful words, beautiful sights! Looking forward to your future posts ;D
❤ Carsla
Founder & CEO of Connect-the-Cloths
http://www.connect-the-cloths.com
A stylist, foodie, & writer's blog in development.
LikeLike
Thank you for the visit, Carsla! Good luck with the new blog! 🙂
LikeLike
I appreciate it George!
LikeLike
Wonderful shots, George! You’ve really brought out the quiet (alien) drama of the plants.
LikeLike
Thanks, Richard. I had something of an epic struggle with that Devil-Red! I see that you are back even if it is just for the C.K. collaboration. That one was fun.
LikeLike
Wonderful photos! I especially enjoyed the running commentary as you describe the experience of photographing the amaryllis. The way you depicted it as an epic battle between you and your camera was hilarious. I really got the feeling that you know the “personality” of your camera. And maybe it knows your as well. Excellent Post! I look forward to exploring your site further.
LikeLike
Hi, Blinks! Thanks for dropping by. I talk to everything and have pet names for absolutely every inanimate object around me. A fun game left over from childhood that has served to keep me from taking myself too seriously. Yes, I know Old Faithful well. She’s a Nikkor 18-200mm lens that I really did knock off a six-foot-high shelf onto the slate floor. I switch once in a while, but I don’t trust any of the others to do my bidding, so I switched back to O.F. after about a day with an 18-55mm that didn’t give me the shallow DOF that I demanded. Chuckle… I am impressed with your macro photography! Wow. I never got into that although I bought a 100mm lens. I could never focus the thing! I enjoyed looking at your photographs. I’ll be back! 🙂
LikeLike
I see on your About page that you were using a ximul camera at one time–oh wait, the photo was taken in the mirror, it must be a lumix. Anyway, do you ever use the Lumix? I have used a Lumix LX7 for about a year now. It has a nice LCD screen for a point and shoot camera, but I have difficulties getting the close up shots (which seems to be most of what I do). The lens has to be almost touching the subject. Then blocking the light and an almost nonexistent depth of field become problems. I guess I shouldn’t blame the camera when most of the problem belongs to the user. Glad to have found your site! You and Old Faithful keep up the good work.
LikeLike
Lemony uses her old LX5 for all of her macro work. She has a G series now, I think. But still uses the LX5 for macros. I don’t use the LX5 much unless it’s indoors and unless I don’t want a shallow DOF. It does have a really good auto white balance. It’s a great little camera with nice Leica glass. The image quality is superb, and the whole camera costs less than a good lens for my Nikon. I shot a series on the building downtown with it when I first got it and was impressed with the color and clarity it produced. I’m just used to the Nikon with the 18-200mm lens that I use for everything. See “Downtown”. I would process the images differently now, but I thought the image quality was okay. I didn’t know you had to get quite so close to the subject for macros with the Lumix. I never read the how-to! Chuckle….
LikeLike
You are a poet! Of words AND pictures 🙂 This might be because I’m a bit obsessed with it (poetry) at the moment. I just have this wonderful image of you wrestling with OF and Miss Amaryllis looking snootily on. Lovely.
LikeLike
Ha-ha, Susan! Yes, you must be way into poetry if this sounds like poetry to you. Chuckle… I have names for everything around me. I’ve done that since childhood to the total consternation of my mother! My daughter caught on as a baby and still does it too at forty-five! I guess life is more fun if you don’t take it too seriously, or yourself too seriously either. Thank you for saying that about my little story, Susan. I appreciate it. Lemony introduced me to your blog a long time ago. She said that I really must visit because your photographs are superb and you are such a nice person. She was right. 🙂 The cow portraits are indeed like paintings! Just beautiful.
LikeLike
As if your images weren’t astounding on their own, you marry them to prose that is equally artful. What amazing talent you have!
LikeLike
Thank you, Linda! I really do appreciate your kind words. I do have fun with the camera and Old Faithful (lens). 🙂 The Polar Vortex is hacking away at every tropical plant and tree in the garden now. I’ve turned to photographing ice and dead stuff! Chuckle… Spring will come around sooner or later and I’ll start over. I appreciate your always stopping in to visit, Linda!
LikeLike
Delightful post, George! I love your humour, you have such an intimate, interactive way with things, and you write so well. And the pictures are glorious. I hope you’re fine – and that the most recent batch of snow has not got as far south as you. Adrian
LikeLike
Thanks, Adrian. I’m happy that you liked my little escapade with the lens. Yes, the damn Polar Vortex witch strangled nearly everything in my garden. She’s on her way back down here to South Texas tonight! Ugh! I guess you can’t have a tropical garden unless you live in a tropical climate. Chuckle… I’ll simply start over. 🙂 Since I’m determined to have palms of all kinds regardless of the climate!
LikeLike
Stunning shots. Red flowers are a challenge to get right. You succeeded! and then some. Thanks for stopping by my blog today, I appreciate your liking it.
LikeLike
Thank you, Ruth. I see your post photos in my reader and always check out what you’re doing. Thanks for stopping by.
LikeLike
A wonderful shot…as always!
LikeLike
Thank you, Pawel! 🙂
LikeLike
Loved the humor! I have a seen a red Amaryllis before. (gorgeous)
LikeLike
Well, I thought it was funny afterwards. While I was fighting with O.F., it didn’t seem too humorous! Actually, I’d seen the red ones growing in front lawns here. They naturalize if you plant the bulbs. I just never had a red one. Thanks, WL!
LikeLike
These are gorgeous shots, George. And that really is some RED. I can see why your camera struggled with it. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Robin! It really is some kind of red! But, much easier to photograph once I moved it into a softer light. O.F. and I did have a real tussle there for a bit! Thank you for stopping in to chat! 🙂
LikeLike
ha! it’s taken almost a day to reach the comment part of this post. slow connections were surely invented by the devil! the fringe benefit is that i was able to enjoy the photos many times, and every single one is ‘drop=dead gorgeous’ =====well done, amiga!]
LikeLike
Almost nothing frustrates me like a slow Internet connection! You got my sympathies there. I think they were invented by the Devil! I really do appreciate you looking at my photos, Lisa. You are such a fine artist, and your painting is so creative and wonderful. You live at the Riverhouse, don’t you? When I see it, I think I could live happily there forever. You were wise to choose that part of the world. Thank you for waiting so patiently for my post to load. 🙂
LikeLike
those images will burn in my memory for a long time. they’re outstanding! top of the class, amiga!
yes, the riverhouse was a gift from the owners of the shrimp farm! it had no power or water, and one quarter of the first floor had a dirt floor and a bamboo ladder to crawl to the living space! the other part downstairs was a bodega for the farm. i’ve rented the bodega for my studio, and of course you’ve been watching the facelift that happens little by little! z
LikeLike
Now that is some She-Devil Red, if I ever saw it. Damn! This is no shy shepherdess (thinking of Virgil’s Amaryllis) ;-). I love the composition of the first shot, and the tight focus on the anther, well, and in the last one, too, and in the groovy 60s shot. The diffusion of the light in the second shot is really pretty. And, of course, I like the shadows in the third. You gave OF quite a workout! I hope she recuperates during her sabbatical. This is such a fun post, George. It’s good that you can laugh through the frustration, and great for us, because we get to laugh with you and see the wonderful results of your efforts! 🙂
LikeLike
Ha-ha! She’s red all right! Thanks, Lemony. I’m glad you liked it! I appreciate all the feedback on the images. I might as well laugh. All the tears in the world won’t fix what that damn Polar Vortex broke!
LikeLike
WOW! They are all so beautiful and so artistic. Also I enjoyed reading this post. Thank you dear George, love, nia
LikeLike
Thank you, Nia! I like the “artistic” part of your comment. I appreciate that coming from an artist like you! Thanks for stopping in to chat! 🙂
LikeLike
Lovely pictures. I have an amaryllis waiting to bloom right now. I think it will be red and I hope I don’t have as much trouble taking a picture as you did although I suspect I will. Red flowers seem to be particularly reluctant to have their photo taken. At least I’m just using my iPhone though so there aren’t too many things to fiddle with.
LikeLike
Hi, Marie! I never have red flowers. I never much liked them, so I’m unfamiliar with photographing them. I enjoyed the playing with the Amaryllis photos after I moved it out of the direct backlight of the sun. I hope you have less trouble than I did! Chuckle… Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
LikeLike
I had a little practice run with red flowers yesterday when I spotted some camellias in the park. Not sure why they are blooming in January but it’s been an odd kind of winter.
LikeLike
Wow! What a flower! Ravishing pictures. The liquid sheen in the sixties one is a real bonus.
LikeLike
HI, Narelle! Thank you very much! I had fun with She-Devil Red despite the hassle with the sun. I love your gravatar. Such a pretty and sunshiny and mischievous face! 🙂 I smile every time I see you peeking out at me! Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a great compliment!
LikeLike
Your comment made my day, George. I also think it might take a mischief lover to spot another one 🙂 xx
LikeLike
I love your commentary, but what did you expect when you take on the she-devil bloom? How long before OF sees the light of day once more….
LikeLike
Hi, Jackie! She-Devil Red was supposed to be pink! My daughter brought two of them over during the holidays thinking they were white with pink centers and veins. I do like it though even if it is a wild thing to photograph! O.F. is resting in her lens bag. I am considering a reprieve though since we are attached at the hip! Chuckle…
LikeLike
What great captures… I have only seen the red ones and reading the comments I see there are other colours… that amazes me… but your photography is brilliant ….
by the way hows our parrot doing.???
LikeLike
Thank you, Rob! You always make me feel great about my photographs! 🙂 Yes, there are really beautiful white/pink ones. I don’t know what other colors. Order a bulb and grow it in a pot. They do really well as potted plants and require almost no care. The foliage is pretty when they aren’t blooming too. I’ll trade flowers for African animals and your incredible bird photographs! Deal??? Chuckle…
LikeLike
We have two red ones in pots in front of our house, but can’t say I’ve ever seen the other colours… sorry no deal… I’ll keep to the hard task of photoing animals here in the wild… it’s a hard task but some one has to do it… now I’m chuckling…
LikeLike
Somehow I didn’t think you’d go for the deal!
My heart’s probably way too weak to take in all of that incredible wildlife, Rob. 🙂
Give us a shot of the red amaryllis when they bloom.
LikeLike
Whew, I’m exhausted…I can only imagine how you must have felt! The results were worth the struggle. Give O.F. a rest now, until next time…
LikeLike
Ha-ha! It was a stretch to persuade O.F. to give up an image! I did have fun with that Amaryllis though. Thanks, Elisa!
LikeLike
I love these..I have only had red ones!..I especially like the ones that have the screen reflections 🙂
LikeLike
And I’ve only had white ones with pink throats and veins. They are lovely. You really must get one of those. My mother had the white and pink ones for years before she died, and we still have them in Kelli’s yard. I kept them potted for fifteen years, I guess, before we planted them. They do really well in pots and reproduce more bulbs every year. Thanks, Gail! 🙂
LikeLike
i will look for one and let you know if it grows.
LikeLike
I don’t know an Amaryllis from a Sarsaparilla but I do admit to having seen these particular flowers before… I just didn’t know what they were called. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a red one. These are such interesting angles. Which camera is Old Faithful? The Lumix or the Nikon? The 300 or the D5100? Regardless, the photos are beautiful. LOL… I can just hear you speaking all the words you wrote!
BTW… I am now getting email notifications for She Kept a Parrot!!! 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Ray. It’s the D5100 that I use mostly all the time now. The Old Faithful is the Nikkor 18-200mm lens that I dropped and you drilled the filter off of. I switched to the 18-55mm lens for the last photo. I don’t really need the longer telephoto, but I like the shallow DOF that I get with it. I really chuckled about the “sixties” colors that I got on that one with the yellow top petals. I’m happy that you got the notices since I love it when I see you here! 🙂
LikeLike
That gave me a good laugh … I can soooo, sooo relate to each and every aspect of the battle-of-wits which transpired between you and Old Faithful. Sorry to be a techno-snob but … you should be able to turn the flash OFF … and you should be able to work Old Faithful around to focus lock such that when you recompose to your liking she/he will cool his/her jets (if you know what I mean) … and, finally, without flash you should be able to adjust exposure by playing with the exposure value (EV +/-). Sorry for being so obnoxious but I fear for Old Faithful’s life if you and he/she should mix it up again! Finally … nice shots of the flower! D
LikeLike
Ha-ha! You would try to help. I’m hopeless, I tell you. I will look at the lock feature though. Some time ago, I considered upgrading from my D300 to a D600, but Ken Rockwell told me that I wouldn’t use the features and that the D5100 would produce equal image quality. He knows me? I think he must! I bought the D5100 and like it since I can set it by the icons on the dial… Chuckle… I used to set the ISO on the D300. I was forever setting it really high and forgetting. I was making some pictures of an old vegetable vendor on the highway and forgot that I’d set it too high. That’s when I realized that I am too absent-minded to lock or set anything! I’d forget how to undo what I’d read in the manual on how-to! I will look at the EV +/- too though. That would be handy. Mostly, I simply wait until the light is to my liking before I venture out. Thanks, D!
LikeLike
So purdy…The flower too. 🙂
You captured her beautifully!
{Hugs}
LikeLike
Ha-ha! Thanks, RoSy. I had a time of it too! 🙂 I’m so absent minded that I forget how to set the camera so Old Faithful lens can work. It’s easier to move the plant to the pergola or wait for the light to change… Chuckle…
LikeLike
Such a productive tussle with technology! Love your brazen red amaryllis, George. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Meredith. I did have quite the time of it until I got my wits about me and moved the thing inside the pergola away from the harsh sunlight. Duh… Chuckle…
LikeLike
Yeah, it’s a lovely shot of a deep red amaryllis George – but don’t you think the others are much more interesting shots?
LikeLike
Well, yes, I do. I was surprised to find the one with the “sixties” colors on the card. I only increased the saturation. I didn’t do any filter thing with it. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. O.F. tricked me big time. I always like the strange stuff, but I’m reluctant to post it. Glad to hear that you like these! Thanks a bunch!:
LikeLike
She’s a stunner! I can remember having a similar problem with a red red magnolia. Glad I’m in such good company, George. Love the way you tell it 🙂
LikeLike
Hi, Jo! I couldn’t believe that I was having such trouble. Of course, I blamed it all on O.F.! I haven’t had many really red plants, so I’m unfamiliar with photographing them. The red just seems to obliterate any structure in the blossom. I was having a real hassle with it. Then, I gave up and moved it to the softer light of the pergola. What amused me was the “Sixties” color I got with the sun shining through the petals. Thanks for stopping in to chat, Jo. 🙂
LikeLike
Wonderful pics, George, and such a fun post. I could just imagine you there having such a tussle with dear OF. 😆
LikeLike
Thanks, Sylvia! I’m glad you enjoyed my amaryllis story. Yep, we had a time of it until I gave up and moved the plant to the pergola. 🙂 Thank you for stopping in to chat.
LikeLike
These are amazing photographs! You once gave me an amaryllis which lived a long time and bloomed and bloomed!! It was not she-devil red, however!
LikeLike
Thanks, Linda. That amaryllis was one from Granny’s original plants. We still have them in Kelli’s yard. They’re pink and white. This red one is some kind of hard to photograph! 🙂
LikeLike
Great shots, and the “dialogue” was laugh-out-loud funny!
LikeLike
Thanks, Carissa! I thought it was funny when I got the sixties color, so I decided to share my story. I bet everybody who ever picked up a camera has talked to a lens in something less than a polite fashion! 😉
LikeLike
They’re all good shots. And I enjoyed the story too. But my favorite is the fourth picture, George. Really fine.
LikeLike
Thanks, Shimon. I had fun with this one. The sun gave me a surprising “sixties” shot of the amaryllis.
I’m glad you enjoyed the tale. When I moved her into the pergola, my luck improved dramatically! 😉
LikeLike
oh me god soooo nice
LikeLike
Thank you, Shazia! It was frustrating fun to photograph the Amaryllis that my daughter gave me during the holidays. I appreciate the visit and your nice comment! 🙂
LikeLike