Category Archives: Structures

The Day After …

“US Capitol in Late Afternoon”
Washington, DC

The siege of our Capitol yesterday by the Trump-incited mob is a travesty of respect for our democracy. For me, it will never be forgotten.

I reflect on more sane times like this image taken on a warm summer late afternoon around a decade ago. I have been lucky to have had the opportunity to be able to freely walk around the various sections and chambers of the Capitol back in the Reagan administration. It made me proud to watch open Congressional sessions. I gained an insight and appreciation of our Democracy in progress. Those opportunities are no longer available to the general public.

Many have not had the opportunity to visit the Capitol. My aunt, who was a retired school teacher, saw the Capitol for her first time in her late years. Tears came to her eyes, and she exclaimed that every young student should have the opportunity to visit the Capitol to understand how our nation is governed.

For the next several posts, I will share images of the experiences I have had working in and visiting our Capitol.

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The “Painted Church” – 2

St. Benedict’s Catholic Church
Honaunau, Hawai’i

While the interior of the little “Painted Church” is lavishly colorful, the exterior is a simple white structure. I could feel the history surrounding the church through it’s old, but well maintained, grave yard and gardens. It is a beautiful and peaceful site on the gentle sloping sides of Moana Loa.

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Little “Painted Church”

St. Benedict’s Catholic Church
Honaunau, Hawai’i

The “Painted Church” is a must see little gem in the heart of Hawaii’s Kona coffee plantation area in South Kona. The church is on a peaceful hillside overlooking the coastline below. It was built by Belgian Catholic missionary Father John Velghe from 1899 – 1902. Father Velghe painted scenes of biblical stories along the church interior walls. He used the scenes to deliver his messages since most of his native Hawaiian parishioners could not read.

A history of the church can be found at the following link: https://keolamagazine.com/art/painted-church/

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Remnant of the Past

Ancient Hawaiian Heiau
Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i

Just to the north of the “Little Blue Church” is the remnant of an ancient Hawaiian heiau (temple). I came to see the church, but my interest quickly turned to the adjacent heiau. How long ago did the ancient peoples worship on this ground? Was it in use when Cook first landed on the island just a few miles south of here? What do these protruding wood branches and line represent? So many questions …

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History in My Backyard

Selah – Naches Irrigation Flume

A few days ago we had a light snow.  I gazed our from my kitchen window and became fixated on the wonderful piece of history in my backyard.  The snow provided a nice contrast between the irrigation flume’s wood structure and the sagebrush speckled background.

This piece of history was built in 1892 to provide irrigation water to the Selah Valley.  Over the years, much of the canal has been upgraded and the wooden flumes torn down.  I am lucky to have one of the few remaining sections above my home.  I currently get my irrigation water directly from this flume.  Sadly, it won’t be for too many additional years.  Plans are to replace this section with an underground pipe.  So until funds are available, I will enjoy what remains of our little bit of history.

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Great Memories

“The Columns” – Sylvan Theater, University of Washington Campus

A couple of weeks ago, I spent several hours walking around the University of Washington campus.  I had not been there for about 15 years.  How much things have changed.  My old hangout, the EEB (Electrical Engineering Building) has been completely remodeled and enlarged with a large new section for Computer Science..  When I was there, Computer Science was just a small part of the EE Department.  Now it is its own Department with over 1300 students.

During class breaks, I use to go to the Sylvan Theater and the Columns just behind the EEB.  It was a wonderful peaceful place to sit and wonder about what the future would bring,  The Sylvan Theater was just about the same as I recall it was 50 years ago.  However, there were several students there with hard hats, surveying equipment, and tape measures.  They were taking measurements to design a new courtyard to replace a good part of the grass.  I feel a little sorrow to see my old memories change.  But I guess it is for the best.  Those memories are great ones!

 

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Looking Back in History

160329_Flume and HillsideCanon 7D MkII, EF 100-400L @ 105mm, f/11, 1/400 sec, ISO 400

Looking out my office window, this is what I see.  The wood flume brings our irrigation water down from the upper Naches River.  The flume is around 100 years old and adds charm to our countryside.  Next year they plan to replace it with a pipeline because of the high maintenance.  It breaks my heart to see our history dismantled for progress.

During the next year, I will explore the flume’s path along our neighboring hill side.

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St. Augustine Lighthouse With a Little Swirl

150207_St Augustine Lighthouse by . Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 44mm, f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO 250

Does this look a little familiar?  Sometimes one gets lucky.  This image is a multiple exposure of the St. Augustine lighthouse combined with a B&W version of yesterday’s post.  I thought that that the unknown swirl image posted yesterday would make a good texture background for something.  I combined it with an image taken just a few frames earlier.  Magic happens sometimes.

Lesson Learned:  Take what each moment brings you and cherish it.

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

141222_Longwood Center Consrevatory by © 2014 Karl Graf. Longwood Gardens Conservatory

Fuji XT-1, XF18-55mm @ 26.5mm, f/11, 1/10 sec, ISO 400

Now that I have finished the Fonthill Tile Tour, I can finally start to get into the Christmas blogging spirit.  All the outgoing presents are wrapped and sent out.  Some of my Christmas cards are out, others are still in process.  I will be very late this year.

A week ago I was able to get out to Longwood Gardens with a good friend for a little Christmas photography excursion.  It was a great day, but my creative juices weren’t really flowing.  However, I was able to just step back and enjoy.  This image took me forever to capture.  People were walking in front of the far end of the water fountain.  I waited, waited and waited.  It seemed like forever, but I finally got a very short window of just a few seconds to snap this image.  It was worth the wait.

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Fall at Fonthill 2

141031_Fonthill Castle by Karl Graf. 141031_Fonthill Castle by Karl Graf. 141031_Fonthill Castle by Karl Graf. Canon 5D MkIII, EF24-70 2.8L @ 27mm, f/10, ISO 200 – 3 image HDR

Yesterday was another beautiful fall day in Bucks County, PA.  Late in the afternoon I saw some white billowy clouds coming across the sky.  I rushed over to Fonthill Castle and caught about 15 minutes of late afternoon warm sunlight.  What attracted me the most on this image were the long shadows casting themselves on the lawn and the castle walls.  It was worth the jaunt for the 15 minutes of nice sunlight.

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