Bucket List – Page 2 – The Metastatic Breast Cancer Journey

February 7, 2025February 17, 2025

State Capitol 17: Florida State Capitol

the metastatic breast cancer journey banner

February 7, 2025. Tallahassee, Florida.

We finally made it to Florida! The weather is so beautiful, as one would expect (hope for) in the Sunshine State. The humidity so common in the summer months has not yet arrived, and we have had a nice pleasant breeze so far. We left Texas two days ago wearing shorts and t-shirts, stopped in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and then on to Tallahassee, where we visited the State Capitol.

I wouldn’t say this is the most exclusive of the buildings we have toured. After seeing 17 to date, we have a general idea of what capitols might include. Big domes, cupolas, grand marble staircases and columns, famous artwork, rare and exotic wood, historic artifacts, governor’s office, senate, house, and the supreme court amongst other things. Tallahassee has a new capitol building that is 22 stories high with an observation deck overlooking the city. It houses all the current workforce. The New Capitol overshadows and dwarfs the smaller, Old (Historic) Capitol, which the state outgrew many years ago and has since been turned into a museum.

This is the fourth building to serve as a capitol for Florida. A log cabin served as the first capitol, erected just two days after Tallahassee became a territory in 1824 (Florida would later become a state in 1845). The cabin was replaced by a 2-story frame structure. The third Capitol was built in 1845. (Can you guess why? Hint: the date.) They considered demolishing that Old Capitol building, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed. The Old Capitol was restored to its 1902 state, and is now home to a museum similar to the ones we have seen in so many of the other capitols we have visited. The New (current) Capitol was built between the years 1973-1977, and opened in March of 1978.

This building does have a couple of interesting features. The State Capitol is one of four official Welcome Centers for the State of Florida. We stopped at the one in Pensacola and got some free orange juice, which they do not serve at this one. I’m not sure other state capitols have official welcome centers inside their buildings. Wikipedia was not helpful.

The lower floors have a nice display of the Florida State Seal, Florida Halls of Famers, and Florida fun facts. Of course there are chambers for the House of Representatives and Florida Senate where we looked down on from the galleries, but we couldn’t go inside.

FLORIDA FUN FACTS

STATE DAY: April 2nd
STATE MOTTO: In God We Trust
STATE NICKNAME: Sunshine State
STATE FLOWER: Orange Blossom
COUNTIES: 67
STATE PIE: Key Lime
LENGTH NORTH & SOUTH: 447 Miles Long from St. Mary’s River to Key West
WIDTH EAST & WEST: 361 Miles Wide from Atlantic Ocean to Perdido River
ACQUIRED BY UNITED STATES: From Spain by Treaty 1821
ADMITTED TO UNION AS STATE: March 3, 1845
RANK AMONG STATES OF ADMISSION: 27th

More Florida Fun Facts:

27 first magnitude springs – more than any other state – and more than 200 total springs. (Wakulla Springs has the longest and deepest known submerged cave system in the world.)
Ranks first in amount of groundwater of all states. More than 11,000 miles of rivers, streams, and waterways. Approximately 7,700 lakes of 10 acres or more.
Approximately 1,200 miles of coastline,
2,300 miles of tidal shoreline, 650 miles of beaches.
4,510 islands of 10 acres or more.
3 national forests comprising more than 1.1 billion acres.
Sunshine about 66% of daylight hours
No point more than 60 miles from coast
4th largest state by population; more than 80% of Floridians live less than 10 miles from the coast

An interesting carving titled “Resilience” is on display outside the State Senate. The plaque tells the story of the carving and the wood, which I’ll repeat here as well.

“Resilience”

Signifying the resilient and enduring spirit of Floridians, Resilience showcases the unique silhouette of Florida, highlighting the barrier islands of the Space Coast, the Northern flowing St. Johns River, Tampa Bay, the beaches and islands of the Emerald Coast of North Florida, the Florida Keys and many of Florida’s other unique natural features.

Resilience is constructed of pecky cypress recovered from the Ocklawaha River in North Central Florida.

This distinctive wood is unique to the Southeastern and Gulf Coastal Plains. The holes within the wood occur when a fungus enters a cypress tree after a limb falls or an injury to the tree occurs, typically in cypress trees more than 100 years old. Over time, the holes grow in number and size; however, the spring fed, low oxygen waters of certain Florida rivers protect the wood from decomposition. Estimates indicate the cypress wood used in this sculpture was originally harvested during Florida’s Steamboat Era, the time of the territorial State Senate.

We enjoyed visiting both the New and Old Capitol buildings. The New Capitol has an enclosed observation deck on the 22nd level, overlooking the city. It was foggy and cloudy when we went up there, so we couldn’t see very far away, which of course was disappointing. Try to go on a sunny day if you have options. Two groups from very different schools were also touring the building. It was interesting to see the first group, dressed in street clothes. They were not necessarily unruly, but they didn’t demonstrate the same decorum and level of respect as the second group, dressed in Ivy League uniforms.

Art exhibits are rotated on the top floor. Famous Noh Masks were on display around the deck when we were there. There are a few other interesting pieces of art, but otherwise, it’s a pretty neutral building. The exterior is also under construction, which makes it hard to find one’s way around to the visitor’s entrance. The Old Capitol has a small dome with stained glass,

One thing that really impressed me about this capitol was the elevator system. I know! It’s not a big deal, right? But it was the first time I have seen this technology in use. It has apparently only been around for the past few years, and is used in tall buildings around the world. Quite cool if you ask me. Watch this brief video of us using the elevator system, and be sure to watch to the end for views from the observation deck (and Noh masks).

Florida State Capitol Elevator to the 22nd floor (observation deck)

The Old Capitol. The Old Capitol building has been turned into a museum, displaying artifacts among the hallways and chambers of the three branches of government: executive, judicial, and legislative.

One of the historians showed us how the Old Capitol has changed shapes over the years, and how it now fits inside of the New Capitol as it has been since 1982. You can see its transformation in the banner at the welcome desk.

There is a glass dome, which is a replica because the old one was removed when it started leaking within the first year after it was installed. Interesting fact: When they restored the building to its 1902 glorious self, they found over 100 pounds of broken dome glass in the walls of the building. The original glass was made by the Opalescent Glass Works, who also made the glass used by Louis Comfort Tiffany in their famed lamp designs. Perhaps hiding it in the walls was some worker’s way of saving the beautiful glass pieces. Or, it was simply easier than throwing it all away. Makes me wonder what we will find inside the walls of our new house that is currently under construction. The things that make you go “hmmm.”

Senate, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court in the Old Capitol are interesting to look at. Hard to believe Florida population used to be small enough to only need a building this size.

THE McCOOK FLAG

At the end of the Civil War, the United States Flag was raised over this Capitol as Union Brigadier General Edward M. McCook received the surrender of the Confederate government in Florida. In a transfer ceremony on May 20, 1865, Confederate Governor A. K. Allison officially turned the Capitol over to Union forces.

This flag is a reproduction of the large silk flag owned by General McCook. The flag appears to have started as a 31-star flag. Between 1858 and 1865, five states were added to the Union and the flag evolved into this unique 36-star pattern.

The original McCook flag is in the collections of the Museum of Florida History.

The governor’s private office is seen in the Old Capitol Building, along with some more historic flags and the Mountain Howitzer that sat on the Capitol steps for 70 years. “The roll top desk, made of Honduras mahogany, is Jennings’ original desk. William Sherman Jennings served as Florida’s governor from 1901 to 1905.”

This was the office room for the governor’s staff; a secretary, Mr. Charles Dickinson of Madison, Florida, and a stenographer, Grace Irene Marietta Mann, Governor Jennings’ sister-in-law. The large document file cabinet was in the room after 1902 and is almost completely original. Some of the original labels can still be seen, including “W. S. Jennings Private” and “Bank Pardons.”

When we got back to our hotel (where we stayed for one night), Tim had some things to say about the Capitol as well. This brief video pretty much says it all.

I hope you enjoyed our little tour of the Florida Capitol. Sign in and comment below to let us know what you think! I promise we won’t bug you or send you a bunch of spam emails, but it will give you an opportunity to interact with us in the comments.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

November 1, 2024January 19, 2025

State Capitol 16: Kentucky State Capitol

November 1, 2024. Frankfort Kentucky.

I grew up in southern Ohio, and I remember hearing as well as repeating this joke. How do you pronounce the capitol of Kentucky: Lou-EE-ville, or Lou-IS-ville? Answer: Neither, it’s Frankfort (insert rimshot) 🤪.

The entrance to the building is nicely decorated with flowers, paths, and street parking big enough for a King Ranch pulling an Airstream 😁. It was a little confusing as to where we should enter the building, as the signs were misleading. We just missed an opportunity to enter the Capitol a day earlier. Costumed trick or treaters were given candy by the governor inside the building last night. Mischievous ghosts and goblins might account for the entrance signs leading you in a circle 😂. But today we were the first (and sole) visitors, so it was a peaceful tour.

From the top of the stairs, at the entrance to the KY State Capitol.

The guided tour wasn’t for another hour, and we were on our way home, so we just walked on our own with the self-guided brochure. The tour desk lady provided some valuable information about things we should not miss before we began. And she stamped our passport on the way out. (Don’t forget the stamp!)

We met a man under the rotunda who told us that if you rub the boot of Lincoln, it is supposed to bring you good luck. That is why his boot is so shiny under the rotunda. Click the link below to see a short video of our interaction, as well as the changing lights under the rotunda.

Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda

The House of Representatives and Senate were next. While they look alike, you will see the House is more arched and contains beautiful roll-top desks. We walked around and even sat in the chairs (they are very comfy), which isn’t permitted in some of the Capitols we have visited.

Grand marble staircases lead from one floor to the next, with artwork to greet you at the top. I’m sure all the artwork would have a story if we had taken the guided tour. The lady at the tour desk cautioned us on the stairs. Apparently they can be slippery and a few people have fallen.

Infinity mirrors are a fun find in the State Reception Room. I found it ironic that no food or drinks are permitted in the reception room. Isn’t that what you expect to find in a reception 🤪 😂?? Paintings decorated the walls, painted to look like antique tapestries.

Unique aspects are the shifting light colors in the rotunda seen in the previous video, the infinity mirrors in the State Reception Room, and the irreplaceable mahogany wood from the Honduran rainforest found in the Supreme Court Chambers seen in the short video below. I told Tim I hope they planted some trees after that!

Kentucky State Supreme Court

I always love looking at the displays of First Lady dolls (and even a dog in this one), similar to the ones we have seen in other Capitols. Here are the first and current First Ladies. It’s fun to witness how the dresses have changed over the years.

In the basement, frames lined the walls with important documents that have been a part of our American History, including The Mayflower Compact, the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, the Constitution of Kentucky, The Star Spangled Banner, a picture of Lady Justice, and several more. Amongst these prestigious documents governing our land was The Ten Commandments. We were pleasantly surprised to see it there.

Even though this might not be the most ostentatious of the Capitols we have seen, it is certainly noteworthy. Tim described it as the “most comfortable” of the Capitols we have toured thus far. It is certainly roomy, and one could easily get lost in there.

À la prochaine … hasta la próxima vez … Until next time!

October 30, 2024January 17, 2025

State Capitol 15: Ohio Statehouse

Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Columbus Ohio.

We dropped off our Airstream at the Mothership for some warranty repairs, which I’ll cover in another blog. While they were working on it, we rented a car and took an overnight trip to Columbus so we could get our passport book stamped at the Statehouse. Somewhere around Zanesfield, we saw one of the transport trucks carrying new Airstreams to their destinations. It could be yours!

I grew up in Ohio, but I don’t recall ever spending much time in Columbus. It was fun to visit the city and spend the night in a King-sized bedroom with a walk-in shower that we could stand under as long as we wanted. Fortunately we looked ahead and learned that the Statehouse was not doing any tours on October 31st. We originally planned to go on Halloween, but we changed our plans when we discovered they would be closed, stopping on the way to the hotel rather than going the next day.

It’s always a good idea to check for hours of operation before your visit to any State Capitol. You will see flags flying at half-staff in this picture. We would later learn from our tour guide that Ohio’s first female House speaker, Republican Jo Ann Davidson, died at 97 years of age earlier this week. Among her many other accomplishments, she was largely responsible for the Capitol’s restoration project. She made a commitment to keep the old Statehouse features rather than building a new one. Her portrait is the only one displayed in the entire building. Tomorrow is her funeral so there will be no public or private tours.

Ohio Statehouse. We had a good tour guide. Take away the mustache and he reminded us of one of our pastor friends (you know who you are). He started by having us stand on the map of Ohio that was crafted into the floor. The information was reminiscent of my early school years, learning Ohio History.

Ohio is the 7th largest in population. This building is called a Statehouse because of its architecture, rather than a “Capitol,” although it is the capital of Ohio. The interior and exterior have different architectural designs, built in the Greek Revival style, constructed from 1839-61. The interior is Roman, whereas the exterior is Greek, plain and unadorned. This was intentional to save money.

Private citizens exerted their wealth and will to get the Capitol where they wanted it, and that’s exactly how it was paid for. Because of their economic influence, the capital of Ohio moved cities several times in its early history. Ohio limestone is found on the stairs and the walls. The building was restored in the 1980s, back to its original 1861 style.

After much movement, Ohio finally established a law that says the state Capitol has to be within 40 miles of the center of the state. That’s how it ended up in Columbus, and that’s where it has stayed since 1861. Interestingly enough, the state motto is “With God All Things Are Possible,” which is written in the Passport Book.

This 155-year old historic Thirty-Six Star American Flag is on display. It was flown over Capitol Square in 1865 when the body of Abraham Lincoln lay in repose in the Rotunda of the Ohio Statehouse. You can read more about this flag and where it has been by clicking here.

Our guide also talked about the color on the walls, seen in this picture. Salmon was uncovered on the walls during the renovation, so that’s what it remains today. It was not called salmon back then. At the time the Statehouse was built, this color was considered light red, which is masculine. Also, red is a very Roman color.

I learned (re-learned?) something about architecture during this tour. Domes are Roman. Cupolas are Greek. (The Florence Cathedral provides an example of both, if you want to click on the link or Google it.) The Statehouse has a dome pictured here, but since the outside of the building was meant to be Greek, and the style of the dome did not conform to the Greek architecture of the exterior, they had to cover it with a cupola.

While we were there, they were hosting a reception and making preparations for the big funeral about to take place. Normally the tour would go right through that hallway, but we had to take the long way around to avoid any interruptions.

Corinthian columns are found in the Senate and House chambers, but this was considered too ornate. An architect was fired for going over budget with the details.

Unlike other Capitols we have seen with expensive wood from exotic places, Ohio used pine throughout the building to save money. They painted the pine with a wood grain to look more prestigious.

It was hard to tell the wood on this door and frame was pine at first glance, so it’s always nice to have a tour guide point out those intricate and interesting details. I was raised with this type of frugal mentality, which was common in southern Ohio at that time, possible values passed down from the government.

The Senate and House look very similar, except you can see the Senate has telephones on the desks, and the podiums are different. They didn’t spare the same expense there, as they are made mostly out of marble. This is unique than most of the Capitols we have toured, as the House and Senate are typically very different in their appearance, from the carpet to the chairs, the podium and the chandeliers. Again this speaks to their financial frugality while making a very nice place to hold sessions.

During renovations in the 1980s, they uncovered muse murals and other features that were covered up and “lost” sometime in its history.

I may have shared a bit more in this Statehouse blog, since it’s from my home state. It was an interesting visit, and I do recommend taking the tour. We may go back for a second visit, as there is an entire museum we had to miss in the timeframe we had. I also read online the “World’s Largest Steel Gavel Sculpture” is located in downtown Columbus near the Ohio Supreme Court building. Somehow we missed that.

Back at the hotel, a pumpkin carving contest was in process. Here are the very creative pumpkins the staff came up with, one of them nodding at the famous Jimmy Buffet. It seems “carving” has morphed into “painting” these days. But hey, in the words of C. S. Lewis, “Have fun, even if it’s not the same kind of fun everyone else is having.”

À la prochaine … hasta la próxima vez … Until next time!

October 28, 2024October 29, 2024

State Capitol 14: Indiana

October 28, 2024, Indianapolis.

On our way from Marceline Missouri to Jackson Center Ohio where we are going to get some warranty work done on the Airstream, we saw Indianapolis right on the drive path. Bonus! Another stamp in our State Capitol passport and a place to stretch our legs.

We found a few empty spaces on the street that fit our truck and trailer. Tim plugged some money into the parking meter and off we went, hoping we wouldn’t get a ticket.

Unfortunately they only had two guided tours today, and we missed them both. But, Tim once again acted as our tour guide, and he does a pretty good job 😂. They do have a nice self-guided tour brochure which describes the important places of interest.

Play video with sound on for the full effect. 🔉

This building is referred to as The Statehouse, and we never figured out why during the tour, so I did some research on good ol’ Google to learn more. This website was very helpful. Capitol buildings are categorized in three ways: statehouses, domed capitols, and executive towers. There is also one “roundhouse” that serves as a Capitol in New Mexico.

The shape of the building, when it was built, and architectural style all play a factor into which category it belongs. Indiana has a statehouse because it is has a flat front, square windows, and a federal front. The dome in the center was under construction while we were there, but you can see the rotunda from inside. This building is not the first statehouse. The original building still stands in another location, but we didn’t get to see that piece of history on this trip.

The chandelier in the Indiana Supreme Court is the heaviest in the Statehouse, weighing 1,500 pounds. This room has been largely unchanged since it was built in 1888.

Senate and House of Representatives.

We sat in those comfy blue leather chairs in the Senate Chambers. They are nicer than most in the Capitols we have seen.

The first Meditation Room in a State Capitol. It’s an interfaith chapel, in memory of those who have laid the foundation for this state.

Tim with his hand in the candy jar. 🤪😂

Walking around various floors held some unique finds. Busts of famous people including Benjamin Harrison, the only U.S. President from Indiana and the one who saw more states come into the union than any other president. I didn’t get his picture, but I did get Abe Lincoln.

Here’s a picture of another Abe, the Bison presented for Indiana’s bicentennial.

I enjoyed walking around the grounds under a beautiful autumn sky. There were several opportunities for great photos of the Capitol.

Our original plan was to boondock in a local parking lot, but after driving around downtown it didn’t feel like the safest place to stay overnight. It was still daylight so we went a little further down the road to get out of the city traffic and boondocked in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. In case you don’t know, boondocking is dry camping, without any hook-ups to electricity, water, or sewer. We used the water from our fresh water tank, and battery–operated lanterns to save our batteries (Batteries are one of the reasons we going to get warranty work done).

À la prochaine fois … hasta la próxima vez … Until next time!

October 18, 2024October 20, 2024

State Capitol 13: Iowa

Friday, October 18, 2024. Des Moines.

October has been a complicated month of travel for the Wests. When Tim realized he had a work trip in Minnesota while we would be camping due south in a small town in Missouri without close access to an airport, he decided to drive it. He asked if I’d like to ride with him and spend time together rather than fly, and of course I said YES! It would be nice to sleep in a big king-sized bed for a few days.

He rented a car on his way home from the airport last week so we would take that rather than put extra miles on the truck. Plus, if we leave the truck parked with the Airstream it gives the appearance we are home. We left yesterday (Thursday) from Marceline, visited the Hoover Presidential Library and National Historic Site in West Bend Iowa (different passports), spent the night in Iowa City, then drove to the State Capitol this morning on our way up to Minnesota.

The Iowa Capitol is a pretty building. It has the “wow” factor. When I asked Tim what he liked about the building, he said he liked the domes amongst other things. I concurred. It has five domes on top. The center dome is covered in 23-karat gold leaf. The most recent re-gilding began in 1998 and was completed in 1999 at a cost of approximately $400,000. All I can say is WOW 🤯😳. The other four domes are copper with gold leaf stripes.

Construction of the Capitol began in 1871 and was completed in 1886. The building feels “original,” another thing Tim likes. Even though they have done some restoration, you get the sense an old, antique building. When you walk through the halls, it’s like you are transported to a time and place 150 years ago. It’s a timepiece from that era.

Ground Floor. We didn’t get to take the guided tour since we were pressed for time to get to Tim’s site visit, so Tim acted as our tour guide. He’s not quite as old as our last one, and a lot less eccentric 🤪 😂. He was actually really good! Their self-guided tour brochure is very well laid out, and highlights some important facts about the art and architecture we would see along the way. Some of the facts in this blog are borrowed from the brochure.

Visitors enter on the ground floor on the side of the building, where security checks your bags and asks you to walk through a metal detector. You are greeted by a series of tables and chairs and a cafeteria, which serve as a lunch room when legislature is in session. A school group gathered in these tables while we were there as well. The Iowa State Capitol Tour Guide desk and Gift Shop are located toward the center of the building near the rotunda. We stamped our passport, picked up our brochure, and listened to some tips on what to look for. There are a few facts on a plaque about the fire of 1904 near the stairs, but the main tour starts on the first floor.

First Floor. The first thing you notice is the rotunda, with stairwells and wings leading to various suites. According to the brochure, the building’s interior is furnished with 29 types of marble and a variety of woods.

The Rotunda. Suspended across the dome is the emblem of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). The emblem, painted on canvas and suspended on wire, was placed there as a reminder of Iowa’s efforts to preserve the Union during the Civil War. A painted sky with clouds was added to the interior of the dome during recent Capitol renovations.

The reception room to the Governor’s Suite has high ceilings and a beautiful chandelier (which I would hate to have the task of cleaning). Visitors can’t go beyond the ropes, but it was fun to peek inside.

In the hallway outside the governor’s suite, there is an encased collection of “first lady” dolls dressed in their inaugural gowns. Currently they have a female governor (Kim Reynolds), the first female governor in Iowa, so there is one lonely male doll front and center representing her spouse. That was a unique display we haven’t seen in another Capitol to date.

There was a very large model of the USS Iowa battleship on loan from the U.S. Navy Department, in one of the first floor wings. It’s a World War II era battleship and frankly, pretty incredible. The model is 18 feet seven inches long and weighs approximately 1,350 pounds.

Lots to read in the first floor wings.
I love the ceilings and columns shown here.

Underneath the rotunda is a block glass floor with the grand staircase in the background.

The Old Supreme Court Chamber is on this floor as well.

In the Secretary of State’s Office, a staffer unveiled Iowa’s original constitution where it is covered with a thick cloth, then she proceeded to tell a brief story about it. The original Iowa Constitution, signed in 1857, was restored in 1988 and is protected in a specifically designed case. Iowa has the second shortest constitution in the United States at 40 pages (Vermont has 20 pages). In perspective, Alabama has the longest state constitution at 300 pages! I loved reading the words written in the old script. It seems we have lost that art over the years. That was a unique and surprising find in the Capitol.

Second Floor. The marble and granite Grand Staircase leads to the second floor. There are some other interesting facts about this in the brochure which I won’t repeat here, but you can perhaps see by the pictures it is a beautiful staircase. I liked the six mosaics on the wall of the third floor, also seen from the first floor just above the mural. More on that later.

Above the staircase is a mural painting *Westward,* by Edwin H. Blashfield of New York. The mural symbolizes pioneers’ arrival in Iowa.

**Iowa House of Representatives.** This and the Iowa Senate chamber occupy most of the second floor.

From the second floor we got a better view of the paintings on the rotunda. Eight half-mooned shaped paintings and 12 statues. The paintings—called lunettes, tell the story of the “Progress of Civilization.”

We found the State Library of Iowa – the Law Library to be very appealing. It was probably my favorite part of the whole building. The library encompasses the entire west wing of the second floor. I loved the white iron spiral staircases and matching railing that framed the bookcases, filled with over 100,000 legal volumes. The staircase was a bit scary for me, but I climbed it anyway as it gave a different perspective on the library worth seeing.

*This dumb water is older than us,*
*but we can relate to the sign 😂.*

Third Floor. This is where you can stand in front of the six mosaics and see the details of the tiny tiles. The craftsmanship takes my breath away.

I read a plaque that said it cost $10,000 to commission the artist. That was a long time ago, but I still thought that was an amazing deal. The mosaics symbolize Defense, Charities, the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches of Iowa, and Education. Pictured here is “education.”

The galleries for the House of Representatives and Senate are also accessible from this floor, on either end of the rotunda. They don’t include the third floor in the self-guided tour brochure for some reason, maybe because it’s just the galleries. It was a challenge to find the elevator to get up there, and the stairs were closed off, but we really enjoyed the close-up view of the chandelier overlooking the House once we found it. Those galleries are tight, with very narrow walkways between rows, again challenging for someone with acrophobia!

Tim and Cindy West at the Iowa State Capitol.

I hope you enjoyed our tour of the State of Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. Next time you are in Iowa, take an hour and go see it for yourself. If you know of anything additional about this Capitol, or have your own personal story to share, please comment below!

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

October 5, 2024October 17, 2024

State Capitol 12: Missouri

October 5, 2024. Jefferson City, Missouri.

When we arrived in Sedalia for the Airstream Club International Rally, we had a free day before the rally started. We drove from Sedalia to Jefferson City on Highway 50, which we have been down on the motorcycle a couple of times according to my map photos. It was a beautiful day, and after my fever broke I felt better. We both wanted to get out for a little bit before the Rally kicks off. We knew if we didn’t go to the Capitol that day, we might not get another opportunity. It’s a good thing we went when we did, because it wasn’t long after that before I was back in bed with a fever and a bad cough. The Rally will be another whole blog, as it was a week of fun and adventure, but here’s our Capitol experience.

State Capitol of Missouri. This is their third capitol building. The first two were destroyed in a fire and it looks like this one was constructed well enough to take on the lightning strikes. Standing atop the Missouri State Capitol is the historic bronze statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. (That was interesting after hearing about the controversy of Ceres in the Kansas Capitol.) The ten-feet tall copper and bronze statue was installed on Oct. 29, 1924 and has remained there ever since, with the exception of a 13 month period from 2018-2019 when she was carefully transported to Chicago for restoration. While the dome topper was on the ground at eye level, someone counted where it had been struck by lightning 800 times.

We pulled up to the Missouri State Capitol at 1:50 PM, found an easy parking spot in the shade, and got there just in time to join the 2:00 tour. It’s interesting how some people feel the need to correct you when they think you did something wrong, rather than just welcome you in. The tour desk clerk informed us with a stern look that we were supposed to reserve our spot in the tour 24 hours ahead of time. Did we do that?

Ummm no.

Well we do happen to have space available so you can join the 2:00 tour.

Okay, thanks!

🤔 She could have just said, “you’re in luck! We have space available in the 2:00 tour.” 🤦‍♀️ 🤨

It’s unfortunate for this “Show Me State.” I kind of wanted them to show me something! That was not the best of introductions. This Capitol building was pretty but it was missing a bit of the “wow” factor. Maybe the Saturday tour guide had something to do with our experience, or the desk clerk’s reprimand, or the fact that I was coming down with a bug. So don’t take my word for it; go see for yourself!

The first floor contains a museum dedicated to the resources for living. Agriculture, petrol, mining, wind, the carriage and other modes of transportation, and more. We browsed through there for a few minutes before the tour began.

Modes of transportation and how they are powered. Tim was a minute late to the tour as he didn’t know she was there yet. The tour guide was a little put out by that, asking multiple times if we had checked in and registered with the front desk 🤦‍♀️.

Des Moines-Palmyra Mail Coach, This Concord-style coach was built in Palmyra, Missouri, in 1840 at a cost of $600. It carried mail and passengers between Palmyra and Des Moines, lowa. The route was jokingly called the “tri-weekly mail” because it tried to offer weekly service but didn’t always succeed.

We had the Saturday tour guide, an eccentric old lady who took us into the hallway on the second floor and showed us some unique aspects of the murals found there. One of the paintings looks like the direction of the bridge changes as you move from one side to the other. That was cool. When she started up the stairs Tim asked if I was ok. I replied, “If she can do it, I can do it. ” 🥴 We were right behind her making sure she didn’t pass out on the way up 😳.

Her favorite phrases were, “Is everybody ok?” and “Thoughts, questions or observations?” She reminded us of an old schoolmarm. She had some specific “dos and don’ts” along the way. In her defense, it was a large group and she probably deals with naughty school children every day 🙄🤪.

Next she took us down the hall of fame where busts of famous people are on display. Fun fact: Bob Barker graduated high school in Missouri, and his bust says he went to Drury College in Springfield Missouri on a basketball scholarship. I never knew that! There are many facts about him including advocacy for animals, seventeen-time Emmy Award-Winning American Television Game Show Host, and Lifetime Achievement Award for Daytime Television in 1999, amongst other things. Here are a few more Hall of Famers I found intriguing.

Top Left: Ginger Rogers (1911-1995). Born in Independence, Missouri. Legendary actress and dancer. Academy Award winning best actress for film Kitty Foyle (1940). Famous for her dance partnership with Fred Astaire in ten films.

Top Right: SACAJAWEA (1788-1812), born in Lemhi Valley, Idaho. Shoshone interpreter for the Lewis and Clark Expedition which explored Missouri and other Louisiana Purchase territories. She seems to show up everywhere we go!

Bottom Left: Emmett Kelly, Sr. (1898-1979) born in Sedan Kansas. Grew up near Houston Missouri. Created the World-Famous Hobo Clown character “Weary Willie,” and became a major star of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus.

Bottom Right: Anna “Annie” White Baxter (1864-1944) was the first woman elected to public office in Missouri in 1890 and the first female county clerk in the U.S. She defeated her opponent by over 400 votes and earned a reputation as one of the state’s best county clerks, overseeing elections for which she could not vote due to her gender.

Next we went into the “lounge room” on the third floor, which has a very vibrant mural with life-size people depicting various good and bad aspects of Missouri. The artist spent time in Missouri people-watching, and each face in the mural represents someone he actually saw, but he used his imagination to put them all in the mural. The mural is painted to look like there are people leaning on the trim (which is also part of the mural).

The baby who is painted on his mother’s lap in the center grew up here. He came to the building as an adult on occasion to see the painting of himself and his mother. That one piece of the mural was quite controversial in the community, but the artist insisted on keeping it because it represents moms and real-life stuff that happens daily.

Our guide kept us in this room for quite a while as we unveiled many different aspects of the bright mural. Perhaps she was tired from all those stairs. 😅 🤪 I know we were! We all sat down and were not in a hurry to keep moving.

They no longer use this room as a lounge, and the public cannot go inside without a tour guide.

Over each of the three doors is a “legend” depicting, Jesse James, Tom Sawyer, and Frankie and Johnny. There is an Elvis song written about them. And a movie. It’s the legend of a woman who killed her husband after he cheated on her. Word to the wise.

Anyway, of interest is also this tidbit. Jesse James was known to “rob from the rich and give to the poor,” and now there is actual proof that he did so. He gave a lot of money to the local school, which was quite poor. Our tour guide did some research in this area and found this to be a true fact.

She unlocked the door to the House of Representatives gallery, which has a beautiful stained glass window front and center. This is where our tour ended with the guide checking in one last time to make sure everyone was okay.

Beautiful ceiling and stained glass window in the House of Representatives.

We were unable to go into the Senate Gallery. There was a lot of scaffolding in the interior, as they are working on the stained glass windows. They should be finished with this restoration project in about a month.

The Capitol was built on the Missouri River. There are cool pictures of it from the other side of the river. In fact, lots of people seem to like this picture spot. We saw two different wedding parties gathering on the Capitol steps for their pictures.

Missouri State Capitol from the Riverside. It has a bit more “wow” factor on this side of the building.

All in all, we had a good time at the Missouri State Capitol. I hope you don’t mind my musings about our tour guide 😅. She was an interesting character, which added to the overall experience at the State Capitol.

Now, pick up your Passport and start collecting those stamps!

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

September 23, 2024October 17, 2024

State Capitol 11: Kansas

September 20, 2024. Topeka, Kansas.

We were pulling our Roam Home from Lincoln NE to Kansas City MO, and it made the most sense to stop at the Capitol on our way. The only challenge was finding a place to park. There are metered parking spots in front of the Capitol, and no one was around, so we parked there. We couldn’t figure out how to pay for ten spots on the meter, but fortunately no tickets were left on our window. It turned out to be a great photo opp!

We arrived late enough to barely catch the final tour. No one else showed up, so we got another private tour! Our tour guide wasn’t feeling well, but she was happy to oblige. I am still amazed by the knowledge of these tour guides. You can ask them about practically any artifact or picture in the building and there will surely be a story to share.

The artwork in the main hall to the rotunda is incredible. The artist completed all of the pieces in a matter of months. Done in the pointillism style, the artist paints little dots close together which look like an image when viewed from a distance. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it.

This antique Otis elevator is still in excellent working condition. In 1995 it was seen in the movie Truman, after they looked all over to find one. (Not The Truman Show with Jim Carrey.) Truman is a biography of President Truman, who was Vice President when FDR died, and was suddenly promoted to the presidency. The movie stars Gary Sinise. We visited the Truman Presidential Library and Museum down the road earlier in the day, so now we want to watch the movie and look for the elevator as well.

Kansas State Senate. After the House did a renovation project the Senate decided they needed a bigger and more beautiful room as well. When they did their makeover they set a budget of $70,000, then doubled it. That’s white onyx from Africa and Mexico. The stained glass windows on the side were imported from France, said to represent the sun, but later noted to also look like the sunflowers.

There is evidence of the Kansas prairie all through the decor.

The State Library of Kansas moved to the Statehouse in September 1900. Annie LePorte Diggs, First Woman State Librarian (1898 to 1902), reported to the Governor.

The State Library of Kansas was also presented as part of the tour. We walked up a tiny staircase and across a block glass floor through rows of books as our guide explained fun facts about the library. My fear of heights kicked in for a moment, but I was okay to continue. They installed lots of contraptions to make the librarians’ work easier. The librarians used the book elevator to transport books up and down.

Ad Astra is the name of the statue on top of the dome. He’s a Kansa warrior, the tribe from which Kansas got its name. This honors the Native American heritage as well as the motto of Kansas, “to the stars through difficulty.” Another Interesting story about that. There was a plan to put Ceres, goddess of agriculture, on the top but there was controversy over honoring a pagan goddess so the dome sat without a statue for decades. Ad Astra was finally installed in 2002. There is a cast of Ceres in the museum at the bottom of the Capitol.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

September 21, 2024October 16, 2024

State Capitol 10: Nebraska

September 18, 2024. Lincoln Nebraska.

This is the first state to radically depart from the design of the U.S. Capitol and build a 400-foot tower. Built out of Indiana limestone, it is the second-tallest state capitol (only because Louisiana’s governor insisted theirs be taller).

They paid for the building as it was going up. Nebraska was not permitted to go into debt for the building of the Capitol, so much of the artwork had to be added later. The building cost just under $10 million when it was built in 1922-1932. If it were destroyed and needed to be rebuilt as it stands, it would cost into the billions.

The influences of Spain, France, and USA are noted in the artwork, representing some of the nations that made Nebraska great.

When we entered this state capitol, it felt a little weird at first. Like a catacomb. There was no grand entrance or visitor’s desk to greet us. We couldn’t see the dome, which we thought was strange as well. We didn’t realize we had entered through a back door.

We finally found the main entrance. It felt a bit overwhelming at first, as there are many mosaics on the ground and paintings in the main hallways; a tour guide noticed our confusion and asked if she could show us around. She had just finished with a group tour and had some time (I think she was feeling a little bored), so she gave us our own personal tour!

The Nebraska Capitol is one of the most unique buildings we have seen to date. We are still trying to decide whether we like the architectural decisions, which combines Egyptian style with Nebraskan landscape and history.

Fun Fact. Nebraska is the only unicameral state, meaning they don’t have a separate House and Senate. They haven’t always been that way. The bicameral, two-group system was based on British Parliament (House of Commons and House of Lords), which Senator George Norris believed should no longer apply to us. He believed the two-group allowed for too much blame, whereas one body would have to take full responsibility for decisions made. He proposed a new form of government, and Nebraska voted to move to a unicameral, one legislative chamber, in 1937. They meet in the old House of Representatives chamber pictured here. Notice the gold leaf painted on walnut wood, representing Spain (lions), France (flour de lis), and U.S. history (eagles).

I also found it interesting that a couple of young students created a ten-minute documentary on the history of Nebraska unicameral system, which is featured in their state website.

Brief video looking down on the floor of the rotunda. The tour guide explained this to us, but I can’t recall the detail. Wikipedia comes in handy at times. The Capitol has a number of these spectacular mosaics on the floor of the halls and rotunda.

“The Procession of Life continues in the Rotunda’s floor…At the Rotunda’s center, four tondi mosaics representing the Genius of Water, the Genius of Fire, the Genius of Air, and the Genius of Earth surround a larger tondo mosaic of Earth as the Life-giver.” (Wikipedia)

Surrounding each Genius are the animals found in Nebraska during archeological digs, or known to have lived in the water, air, earth, or died by fire.

Earth, as the life-giver (Mother Nature)

Genius of Fire. Zoom in to see the tiny tiles in the mosaic.

Supreme Court. The very large tapestries on the Supreme Court walls are over 100 years old. Unfortunately they are faded by the Nebraska sun.

8,000 pieces of wood are used in the ceiling of this room, designed for acoustical purposes. Seven seats of justice are in front of a hidden door, where they enter and leave to their secret chambers.

Our tour guide walked us to the antique elevator, which took us up 14 floors to the four observation decks with views of the city. She stamped or passport and encouraged us to browse on our own from there.

The dome on top is octagonal shaped, and has large murals dedicated to various service personnel.

According to Wikipedia, “The capitol and its grounds are a frequent site of political demonstrations, rallies, and news conferences.” We walked by this group and it appeared they were rallying around feeding the hungry. View from the observation deck..

Our tour couldn’t be complete without a nod to The Lincoln Monument, built in 1912. This predates the current statehouse. The commission for the State Capitol stated, “Solutions should consider this monument and suggest for it a proper part in the ensemble, preferably but not imperatively on the building site proper.” Architects had to incorporate the Monument into their design proposals to be accepted.

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. was built a few years later (1914-1922).

It is also interesting to note, in 1976 the National Park Service designated the capitol a National Historic Landmark, and in 1997, the Park Service extended the designation to include the capitol grounds. We should have gotten a stamp in our NPS passport (darn).

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

September 20, 2024October 16, 2024

State Capitol 9: Wyoming

We toured two State Capitols so close together, I was going to combine them into one blog. We have done so much these past weeks; it’s getting hard to keep it all straight! But then it was getting too long, so you’ll see my Nebraska blog soon.

September 16, 2024 – Cheyenne Wyoming.

This capitol building recently went through a four-year restoration and renovation project, and was closed during that period of time. It reopened to the public in July 2019.

The tour desk lady stamped our passport and gave us some information to get us started, but they only offer a self-guided tour from thereon. There is a video, which we didn’t take time to watch; it probably would have helped us to uncover some of the finer details. They also have a cell phone tour, where you can click on the QR Code at each location to learn more. We were a bit pressed for time, so we walked the floors, talked to a few staffers, looked at the architecture, took some pictures, and read some of the plaques. We did find a few interesting facts that peaked our curiosity, and you will find those in this blog.

This room has two titles on the double entry doors. There was some debate over saving this room, but there is a lot of history here.

Beautiful furniture and fresh flowers on all floors.

The domes in the buildings that have one always catch my eye. In this case there are four bronze statues on the four corners of the third floor worthy of attention. They were added during the restoration project, but were made to look like they have been here since the beginning.

Hope. Sound on to hear Tim reading the description of Hope. On the third floor of the Wyoming State Capitol.

Courage. Sound on to hear Tim read the description of Courage. On the third floor of the Wyoming State Capitol.

Justice. Sound on to hear Tim read the description of Justice. On the third floor of the Wyoming State Capitol.

Truth. Sound on to hear Tim read the description of Truth. On the third floor of the Wyoming State Capitol.

What state holds the title for “first female governor in the United States”? Wyoming, of course. In the governor’s office behind the receptionist is a large portrait of Nellie Tayloe Ross, who was governor from 1925-1927, and remains the only female governor of Wyoming. She was also the first female to be appointed as the Director of the United States Mint. There is a statue of Her Honor in front of the historic governor’s mansion as well.

I’m so grateful I have enough energy to do the things we do. God has given me the gift of more time. Time to live. Time to minister. Time to worship Him, and see His great creation. Time to see some inspiring things made by man. I know not everyone who has cancer is so lucky, but I will continue to live life to the fullest as long as I have enough energy and breath left in my lungs.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

September 16, 2024September 20, 2024

Rocky Mountain Sigh

The title could have read, “The Grand Tetons kicked our butts,” or “We experienced peak disappointment in the Grand Tetons.” Read on for this Tale in the Tetons.

Mid-September our calendar read, “Grand Tetons National Park, Colter Bay Campground,” and this is the one stop we were both very much looking forward to. It’s our first visit to the Grand Tetons, so we booked two nights in the Colter Bay Campground, on Jackson Lake. We are collecting stamps in our National Park Journal along with several passport books. Collecting stamps takes us places we might not ordinarily think to go.

Lake Jenny Scenic Loop, Grand Teton National Park

We will get into the challenges in a minute. But first, let’s review a few fun facts about the Grand Tetons.

The Grand Teton Mountain is in a 40-mile mountain range that can be seen in its entirety from one overlook (and there are many). Each overlook provides a unique view, with a different mountain exposed more prominently than the others. We drove the scenic loop, went to the visitor center, stopped at several overlooks, saw the Snake River crawling beside the mountain range, and walked to Jackson Lake from our campsite where a beautiful view of the mountains unfolded in front of the colorful sunset. Grand Teton is the tallest of the mountains at 13,775 feet above sea level. It is more rugged and jagged than the others, although the entire mountain range is quite beautiful. Snow still stands at the top of these mountains.

The Grand Tetons is the only national park with its own airport. We saw several planes landing right beside the road where we traveled to the park. Also, one website said the Grand Tetons are the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountain Range, and quite possibly among the youngest in the world.

After spending one day in the Grand Tetons, we decided to take a trip to Yellowstone National Park. We had been to Yellowstone once before, but it was a very long time ago. Bryan was a young boy and our daughter was still inside my womb. She just turned 27!

Yellowstone National Park has changed a great deal since our last visit. Now it includes hotels and general stores and gas stations at nearly every village. Also, we were able to go into areas that were closed before; we were there Memorial Weekend in 1997 surrounded by snow banks. We saw Old Faithful and other geysers erupt, took in some lake and mountain views, saw the Canyon Falls and Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, had lunch by the roar of the Yellowstone River, drove the full scenic loop, and saw some bison herds. It was a very good day.

Quite a lot of animals live in the two National Parks. Pronghorn reside there, and in case you didn’t know, they are the fastest mammal on land in the western hemisphere. They can run up to 70 miles per hour. Lots of birds were also of interest. We saw some ground squirrels and chipmunks, but most of the big animals besides the bison eluded us. We missed seeing the bears and bighorn sheep, but we felt satisfied with our animal sightings. The most popular animal was the two-legged kind, riding in their steel cages and on their two-wheeled motorbikes. Needless to say, traffic was horrible and patience was tried.

But that wasn’t the worse of our tale.

Our Airstream Globetrotter (lovingly known as “Roam Home” or “Roamy” for short), has been our full-time home for the past 160+ days. We have been running her pretty hard. She has been faithful to us with minor repairs as can be expected with any house on wheels: a few loose screws, missing rivets, etc. But this time we experienced something new. In the Grand Tetons we had to boondock, also known as dry camping, meaning they have no electric, water, or sewer hook-ups. Normally we can go 4 or 5 days without needing any hook-up, so we didn’t think two nights would be a problem.

However, for some reason the batteries could not keep up. It got very cold at night, down into the 30’s, and we had to turn on the furnace. The furnace runs on propane, but it does require electricity to kick on. That was fine the first night, and we were toasty warm. But the batteries completely drained by the second night, and that meant no heat.

Airstream boon docking in the Grand Tetons Colter Bay Campground

Our spot was surrounded by trees, so our solar panels were only in full sun for a few short hours during the day. We weren’t home most of the time, as we were site-seeing and driving scenic loops in both of the National Parks, so we weren’t using any battery energy. The only thing pulling electric was our 12v refrigerator. However, it seemed the battery life was going down pretty quickly in spite of this. By the second night we had to turn off the entire system (which meant no fridge, and no heat). We bundled up and layered up, slept under two blankets, and made it through the night.

The next day we drove to Cheyenne Wyoming. It’s a long drive, and typically the batteries will charge while they are connected to the tow vehicle. Plus it was a sunny day, and the solar panels had full sun the entire way (well, except for the big storm we drove through at the end of the day). Halfway there, during our lunch stop, Tim checked the battery level and it seemed to be charging. But when we got to Cheyenne the batteries were dead, or at least very low so that they would not permit the power to stay on in the Airstream. After plugging in to shore power, the batteries were fine. From them on, we’ve had no trouble with the batteries staying charged.

We tried to diagnose the problem We checked the battery level manually with a multimeter, called our mechanic friend, called Battle Born (the lithium battery manufacturer), called Airstream, and ultimately decided we need to get the batteries load tested.

Our plans now include a side trip to Ohio, where we will stay at the Mothership campground, and get the batteries tested, and the rear axle replaced. In case you didn’t hear, our rear left tire was wearing faster than the others, and Dexter Axles is giving us a free new axle “as a courtesy,” with “no implied warranty attached.” We’ll also have them do some other minor warranty work while we are there.

We managed to salvage some of the food in the fridge, while the freezer stuff had to be tossed. We defrosted the refrigerator at the next stop, gave it a good cleaning, and started filling it back up. I was happy our grilled chicken was still good, as well as the salad. That was dinner the first night in Nebraska.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!