I’ve got a really bad case of tulipmania.  I can understand exactly how those Dutch got carried away with this gorgeous commodity.

It is so bad that I had to return to the Pike Place Market today just to see them again.

I think you can see what I mean.  This photo is moody and dark, like a Rembrandt painting.

These blossoms attract me like a bee to honey.  I must have some bees in my family tree.  These bi-colored parrot tulips are my favorite.  I love yellow and red together.

Well, actually these are my favorites.  They are called “peony tulips”.  You can see where they get their name, right?  Google “peony” if you don’t.

Well, I was wrong before, because these are my favorites.  They look fringed, like fancy fabric with black button centers.  And I adore pinky-orange with honey-gold.  It is almost incomprehensible that this is plant material, not woven textile.

A group shot.

A close-up.

I think Georgia O’Keefe might have liked this group.

I love the way these tulips look, grouped by color family.  I like these so much better than the “arrangements” the florists put together at the Market and in a lot of other places.

These flowers and their display in all the booths at the Market are almost achingly beautiful.

Beige and red.  It was this so-called “broken” pattern that made the Dutch go nuts in the 17th century. Its kinda like how connoisseurs of “koi” fish cherish certain broken patterns.  I can’t help it, this is how my mind works.

Love these white, with their specks of green on the outer white petals.

 

Gorgeous.  This photo alone would make most flower shops around the world swoon.

Simplicity.

Here are those peony clusters again. Much fussier, but I love ’em.

And then the parrots again.

I have got to stop.  I am feeling dizzy.

Well, one more.  They are white, pristine.  A palette cleanser. Exquisite.

Back into the warmth.

Like a fan of the warm family of paint colors.

Stop.  It is starting to hurt.

Stop!

I have to stop now. I can’t take any more.

I think you CAN overdose on beauty.