Adolph von Graffen talks about his passion and skill with woodworking, which he has used to create numerous beautiful pieces of furniture and totem poles for display. Interviewed by Kathryn Schoutsen and Kate Zubczyk at their home on 15 November 2013. The following is a complete transcription of the video: "Kathryn: Can you talk about perhaps your totem poles or furniture building? Adolph: Yeah, well I was always interested in primitive buildings. I was interested in history, how they … Egypt, in 2000 before Christ built these big buildings and they are still there, so I thought if I come again to this world, I would like to be an architect. And so, I was impressed by the totem poles, which I saw only very little here. I saw them once in British Columbia, and I said “oh, well I can do that!” So I started to work, and my first was a cedar, which stands in front in the garden there, and then people admired that and we had a large sale, we had invited… Anita: unveiling! Adolph: Sixty or seventy people, and all were dressed in Indian and aboriginal clothes and then we had … Anita: We served… Adolph: We served only buffalo and… Anita: Venison, corn, blueberries… Adolph: And the music, Indian music we had, so it was a big success, and that encouraged me to make another one, and that was this big tree in front of our garden. He was cut down for the 20th sideroad when they built that and I thought “oh that would be a nice tree!” So I carried it over here with tractors, and it was quite a job because on the bottom it is quite heavy. So then I started to work on it, and it took six hundred hours work, and then we erected it, and it has lasted ever since! Anita: 1991! Adolph: 1991, no, ’89, no ’91. Anita: It was the year that our daughter got married. Our oldest. Adolph: Yes. And then I was asked if I could make one for the … now what is it? Anita: The Arboretum, down in Gilford. Adolph: And I carved one for them. It’s not quite as high, only 72 feet high. Anita: How tall is this one? Adolph: 42. And then another fan of ours wanted one that’s in Honeywood, and so for my daughter I made one. Anita: It’s the best, it’s inside. Adolph: That’s only 10 feet up, but it’s… Anita: It’s pretty, still! Adolph: And that’s besides furniture, I built almost everything in our house. I did a lot of iron work and painting, everything! And I had my fun, and I look now at my age and I look what I did here, and what I did there, and there’s hardly anything that I didn’t touch in the house. We enjoy it! I enjoy it especially. Anita: No, I do too! Even though it needs to be dusted all the time… Adolph: That’s what I said earlier. Anita: No but I enjoy it too. I enjoy it as well. Adolph: Lots of people visited us from Germany as well as from Colombia and other countries, and so we always had a lot of company and it was nice to show them what we achieved."
