Well technically, I've been growing lilies since I was about 12 years old (1971), when one of my parents' friends (who was a member of the local Lily society) gave a bag of miscellaneous stem bulblets to grow. They still grow at my parents' homestead that my brother now owns. Really though, I didn't start growing lilies in earnest until around 1998 with bulbs that I purchased. First lily seeds were planted in 2004, and hybridizing began in 2007.
Della, if that is the same dishwater lily that you complained about last year, I recall replying back then that it was not as bad as you think. Now it looks way better. Those maiden flowers can sure be deceiving, sometimes. And wouldn't that be called "dusky pink"? In this case, a very nice touch.
