Shooting the Illinois State Capitol

Whenever it's reasonably convenient, Linda and I snap a shot of the capital buildings in states we visit. Being in Springfield, Illinois, it was nearly mandatory. When visiting the Lincoln Presidential Library, you can almost see the dome; we had to take a shot or two.
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Actual date of these events: 2009-03-14

Shooting the Georgia State Capitol

When in a capitol city, Linda and I like to get a photo of the capitol building. This handsome structure is the capitol of the great state of Georgia. Unfortunately, we were unable to enter the building but did get to roam the grounds a bit. Near the building itself is a very nice statue and ring honoring former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. It is a very nice tribute recognizing the various areas where Mr. Carter has served his greater community.

Visiting the State Capitol of Indiana

Linda and I knocked off another state capitol while in Indianapolis. There were very few people around that morning so we had no problem finding a place to park or dodging people hustling and bustling hither and yon. (That would be the idiom meaning in or to a great many places; not the quilt block pattern... but you likely knew that.) Located near the heart of Indianapolis, the building itself is set nicely in an oversize block of it's own allowing for some nice views of the exterior.

Inside, the halls were spacious and warm with natural light from above. That said, there are several handsome chandeliers to drive off the shadows on a more overcast day. Under the dome is what appears to be a very nice stained glass window, backlit with apparent natural light as well; it's as very handsome design that reminded me of the dome at the Drake Library in Centerville, Iowa.

In front of the capitol building, just out of frame in the image above is this relief showing, as I recall, a governor giving a speech to Union soldiers either preparing to go to war or recently returned. While I'm sure that the speech was about high purpose and gratitude for their sacrifice, someone has placed a modern day penny in the hand of the speaker. There are now several alternative speeches he could be giving: a penny saved, their G.I. benefit, look what I have, etc. I'm sure you can come up with any number of alternative topics for his speech. It's an attractive piece that now has an alternative interpretation / appreciation.

Pausing in Charleston

Charleston is the capitol of the state of West Virginia and this is their capitol building. When the building came into sight, that interestingly patterned dome really caught my eye. I couldn't make out just what the pattern was but it was still an eye-catcher.

Once again it was pouring rain when we arrived so Linda and I were quickly but cautiously looking for a good shot from under the umbrella. I think that this was probably the place where we both were pretty well soaked from the knees down by the time we got back to the car.

We were both surprised to see another state with President Lincoln as a significant figure. The statue in the foreground, though largely a silhouette in this photo, depicts the President as described in Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight by Vachel Lindsay.

Reading the engraving at the base of the statue we learned (possibly reminded) that the state of West Virginia came into being because President Lincoln said so. Originally part of the state of Virginia, divided allegiance and occupation by Union forces led to the proclamation that formed our thirty-fifth state.

Charlestown was a nice stop. I'm aware of several other attractions in the city but weather and schedule kept us on the move.

Shooting the Kentucky State Capitol

This stately building is capitol of the state of Kentucky and is located in Frankfort. Linda and I took a spin around the nicely maintained grounds. An apparent television news crew was leaving and there were several people in suits; apparently work was going on and, being on vacation, work was not what we were looking for so we headed on down the road.

Pausing in Madison

On our way home, Linda and I passed through Madison. Having never been there before, I wanted to take a few minutes to see something. The state capitol building seemed like a good idea... after all, Scotty and Fiddy had made it a point to visit them all!

Shaped like a big X, the building is hard to truly get a good handle on visually. Often, all we could see was the end of one wing or the corner between two wings. Inside, it's easy to become confused as each wing looks about the same.

The dome over the rotunda is quite handsome. Unlike when we visited our capitol building, this one was not under renovation. Another difference was the group of protesters walking in a circle under the dome. About a dozen men and women carrying signs were quietly circling. We found our way up to the Governor's Office and saw the badger that used to be aboard the USS Wisconsin.

On our way back to the car, Linda noticed a sign in the window of a sandwich shop, Teddy Wedgers, and asked if I'd ever had a pasty (pass-tee.) I'd never heard of such a thing but was game to learn more. We stepped inside and met a compact man with great woolly mutton chops. Linda commented that she'd only been aware of them in Michigan.

"Oh! Those Upers think they invented the pasty. Well, they didn't; it's Cornish." Evidently, someone in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan hasn't been giving credit where credit is due. "They put rutabaga in 'em too. That's not right." We ordered half of a regular pasty and listened. As he prepared our food, he explained how his father had cooked pasties in Mineral Point, a mining community settled by people who came from Cornwall, England, people who know how to make a pasty. Set straight, we went on our way and enjoyed this miner's meal.

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.