Országház

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The Hungarian parliament building — seen on a river cruise through Budapest, Hungary:

Országház

This striking building was built between 1885 and 1904, and as you can see, bears a strong resemblance to the Palace of Westminster (seat of the U.K. parliament) in London. This was no accident, as Hungarian reformers of the time looked to Britain as their political role model. Accordingly, the Hungarians also wanted to make their parliament building *just a little bigger* than the British model — but ironically, slight construction errors added up, and the end result was slightly smaller than Westminster.

In any event, it’s still a beautiful sight at night, reflected in the waves of the Danube river.

EXIF:
OM System OM-1 camera, M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro II lens
ISO 2000, 12mm, f/3.5, 1/30 sec, 2-photo panorama

The crown of an English queen

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That’s the somewhat humble label of this beautiful and historic piece of work — on display in the Treasury of the Residence Museum in Munich, Germany.

Crown of an English Queen

Also known as the “Bohemian” or “Palatine” crown, it was made ca. 1370-1380 and is thought to have belonged to Anne of Bohemia, the wife of England’s King Richard II. But Richard was deposed in 1399 by Henry IV — and so the crown was given to Henry’s daughter, Princess Blanche, who brought it to Heidelberg as part of her dowry when she married the Palatine Elector Ludwig III in 1402. It moved to Munich in 1782, and is the oldest surviving crown of England.

EXIF:
OM Digital OM-1 camera, 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro II lens
32mm, f/6.3, ISO 6400, 1/60 sec

Colorful Reflections

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A scene from 2023’s “Blossoms of Light” at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Colorful reflections

“Blossoms of Light” is always an enjoyable and visually arresting visit in the run up to the holidays. This view looks south across the Monet Pool toward the Hive Garden Bistro.

EXIF:
OM System OM-1 camera, M.Zuiko 12-45mm f/4 lens
ISO 2000, 19mm, f/11, 0.8 sec

Off to the (coffin) races!

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Every place you may go has its own little… quirks. One of the fun quirks to be found in Colorado’s Front Range is the annual Emma Crawford Coffin Races, held in Manitou Springs. As you might expect, it’s held in the days leading up to Halloween, and it commemorates a beloved former resident of the town.

Emma moved to Manitou Springs in 1899, hoping to find a cure for her tuberculosis in the town’s mineral springs. Sadly, the water didn’t work for her, and she died only two years later. Her dying wish was to be buried on top of the nearby Red Mountain, and so 12 hearty souls carried her casket up the mountain to fulfill that wish. But once again, her luck didn’t hold — after 3 decades of hard winters and spring rains, her coffin came racing down the mountainside in 1929. Since 1995, the local Chamber of Commerce has hosted the coffin races in her memory, and honestly, as an off-kilter fun event for the community (and lots of out-of-towners who drive in for it).

Emma Crawford Coffin Races & Festival
Emma Crawford Coffin Races & Festival
15 photos

1965 Corvette Stingray

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Every year, one of our local cemeteries hosts a car show. Folks from a wide area bring their classic vehicles for display, and you can walk through the lineup for free while… I don’t know… pondering your mortality? I can’t explain it, but the juxtaposition works somehow.

Here’s an infrared (530nm) photograph of a 1965 Corvette Stingray taken at the 2023 Fairmount Cemetery Car Show.

1965 Corvette Stingray

EXIF:
Olympus E-PL8 camera converted to full spectrum
M.Zuiko 14-42mm EZ lens, 530nm IR filter
ISO 320, 14mm, f/9, 1/60 sec

Fully partial

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Folks in a large swath of the western hemisphere were fortunate to have the opportunity to see an annular solar eclipse today (weather permitting, of course). We decided to forgo a drive to the path of annularity, opting instead to watch it as a partial eclipse — from our front porch. We got lucky as a thin layer of cirrus blew out of the way just in time, and I was able to make some photos.

Fully partial -- partial solar eclipse photographed a few minutes past maximum.

This was the eclipse as seen from Denver, about 10 minutes past maximum. Look closely, and you can see a sunspot in the upper right part of the crescent.

EXIF:
OM System OM-1 camera, M.Zuiko 100-400mm f/5.0-6.3 lens, MC-14
560mm, f/9.0, 1/320 sec, ISO 500