Visiting the Iowa State Capitol

Friday afternoon, Linda and I took the afternoon off and stopped off at the capitol. It had been a while since I'd been there (November 16, 2006 to see Scotty and Fiddy) and much longer since Linda had been there. It's on the list of 100 Places so we took the opportunity to peek under the golden dome.

The majority of the people that were around were involved in maintaining the building so things weren't at their best; that also meant that we had access to nearly everything. The mosaic in the upper left of the collage was just one of many that had me wondering if a quilter had tried their hand a ceramics.

The interior of the dome was every bit as striking as ever, even with the scaffolding obstructing it.

Everywhere you turn, there are shiny chandeliers, tall windows, and period appropriate details. The wallpaper, heavy drapes, and smell of old wood and leather in the chambers of the Iowa Supreme Court seemed to ooze with a somber gravity; it was clear that something important happens there.

The House and Senate chambers were orderly and appropriate but not as photogenic or interesting as the Law Library. Five stories of narrow walkways allows for a lot of books. The white wrought-iron railings of each floor and the spiral staircases were a striking accent to the wooden bookcases and shelves of books.

Our capitol isn't the most up to date facility in the nation but I'd have to guess that there are few finer. It was nice to step in and appreciate the investment that has been made to build and maintain this treasure of our state.