So we were walking along in downtown Indianapolis in October, minding our own business, enjoying a few brief moments before the next commitment, when all of a sudden we happened upon the Indiana State Capitol Building. Just like that. Sitting there as pretty as you please.
Of course, when a capitol building is there like that, all available and inviting, we just have to go in, so we did. And the first thing we saw...well, after passing through the security line, emptying our pockets and going through the x-ray...the first cool thing we saw was this bust of Lincoln. We might have thought Abraham Lincoln was Illinois' favorite son, but Indiana lays claim to him just as much and proudly displays this bust of him in the entryway of their grand old state capitol building.
After admiring Lincoln's likeness for a few moments, we meandered farther in and were pounced upon by the kind little lady at the visitor's desk who asked where we were from and if we were interested in a tour of the building. Soon we were bunched up with a few high school students and a Boy Scout with his little sister and mother, all learning about Indiana's great state capitol building.
An interesting trivia fact we learned: Indiana's original charter was written in the shade of a great tree because the weather was too hot to be inside. Decades later when the tree died and was taken down, the wood was saved. Decades more later, a custom climate-controlled case was created for displaying the charter for safer preservation using wood from the original tree which shaded Indiana's founders as they wrote it.
We learned all sorts of interesting tidbits and history fun facts on the tour. Our guide was particularly thorough on its construction materials and sources. This Indiana capitol building was built on time in 1888 and under budget. The wise governor at the time made a condition in the agreement that if the contractors went over the two million dollar budget, any costs incurred over the budgeted amount would be paid for by the contractors. It worked. Makes one wonder if we had more contracts like this today if it'd help rein in some state and federally funded projects.
The Indiana Statehouse (capitol building) is home to all three branches of government - and as luck would have it, the tour included all three! Our first stop was the House. On our way, we passed by the House Offices.
The House was originally a much larger room, however when space grew short in supply, the side walls were bumped in and offices for the state representatives were added on the sides.
A similar office space solution was done to the Senate chamber by bumping the walls inward to make room for senator offices along the outer walls.
The Indiana Supreme Court chambers haven't changed so walking inside here is like taking a step back in time. Photos or portraits of all the previous and current Indiana Supreme Court Justices line the back, side, and part of the front walls. Beautiful stained glass windows dress up the other side wall.
The doorway to the Law Library is beautiful, however the interior makes us so appreciative of the grandeur in our own Iowa Capitol Building.
The part of the capitol I couldn't get enough of was the central rotunda and wings. The soaring pillars connected with the sweeping railings were breathtaking.
If you're ever in central Indianapolis, take a few moments and visit the Indiana State Capitol Building. You'll be so glad you did.
Springfield, Illinois has two capitol buildings. Two, you ask? Yep. Two. But they're only using the bigger one currently. This one is the Old Capitol Building. (Duh, huh? Creative name [note a hint of witty sarcasm] - but it works. At least you know what it is without knowing any more than the building's name.)
When Illinois outgrew the Old Capitol Building, the current one was built.
The Illinois State Capitol Building sits on a large parcel of land in the middle of Springfield at the end of Capitol Avenue (would it be on any other street?). Illinois' State Library is housed in a separate building across the street from and northeast of the Capitol Building.
The Supreme Court also gets its own building and sits on the other corner across from the Capitol and Library.
And if you walk down Capitol Avenue to the East and look back at the Illinois State Capitol in early November, you'll see something like this:
And this is good. Very good indeed.
We've visited the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines several times. And every time it's been warm enough that the dome has been closed due to excess heat. So when we went to the capitol during a quiet rainy day on our anniversary this year, we were ecstatic to find out the dome was open!
We'd arrived at the Capitol 20 minutes before the tours ended for the day and the kind guide said she'd gladly give us an abbreviated tour once she found out we really only wanted to see a few key places: the House of Representatives, the Law Library, and the dome.
After admiring the House and Library, we were ready to venture to the top for the first time. We weren't disappointed. The views were incredible. Looking down at the Rotunda from four stories above was breathtaking. The people below looked so tiny.
For better ventilation, a doorway over the rooftop was open so we crouched in the low space and peered out through the heavy screen.
We could have stared at the inside of the dome all day if they'd let us.
Sensing our guide was ready to call it a day and our time at the top was coming to an end, we headed back toward the narrow winding stairs we'd climbed. Peering over the railing, the view inside the spiral only reinforced just how many flights of stairs we'd climbed and had to go back down again. It could make your head spin just thinking about it!
Back on the first floor, we asked about the restoration and construction taking place and were told the center of the first floor is being restored back to its original stained glass mosaic pattern since the floor opening is no longer needed for ventilation now that the building is fully air conditioned.
Standing on the ground floor and looking up to the top of the dome will no longer be possible in the near future. We lingered a few extra moments on our way out and drank in the view, knowing we'll be one of the last visitors to get to see the dome from this vantage point.
We've become fascinated by state capitols. Beginning with our honeymoon, every time we're near one, we make an attempt to visit each state capitol we can.
Our first was the state capitol in Olympia, Washington. There we were, two love-struck honeymooners, driving along when we'd spotted the capitol building. Intrigued, we parked and walked hand-in-hand all over the grounds and wound our way up the grand steps. We stood with our necks craned back and mouths wide open at the grandeur inside. When the cute little old lady behind the visitors desk asked if we'd like a tour, we agreed, and were hooked. We enjoyed our first capitol building so much we stopped by to see Oregon's capitol in Salem a couple days later.
Now every time we're anywhere near a state capitol, we always try to stop by. The history and significance and pride of each state is on display in their capitol and it's such a fun way to get a true taste of the part of the country we're in. Since then, we've been to the capitols in Iowa (of course!), Indiana, and Illinois just to name a few. And we're on a roll. We recently picked up this great book of American Capitols.
Now when we travel near a capitol, we'll take this book so we'll have a little background info about each place, and write the date of each visit on that state capitol's page. It'll be a fun record of our capitol progress across America. Now - any good suggestions for which capitol we should visit next?
Thanksgiving may be for traditional table fare - and rightfully so, however this year we tried something new. New, you ask? What could we possibly have made that was new? Carmelized carrots. Yum!
Sure, some lucky folks may have been enjoying carmelized carrots for years and think nothing of it - however we first had them a few weeks ago when we visited friends in Northern Iowa for supper. We both enjoyed the supper immensely and the great company even more, but the funny part was when we were back in the car a couple hours down the road we both discovered our favorite part of that meal had been the carmelized carrots. Jamie's been talking about them ever since so I knew we just had to have them for Thanksgiving. Our friend kindly emailed a recipe and included how she'd made the yummy carrots she served.
Today I started with frozen krinkle cut carrots in a medium skillet on low heat. In went a little butter and the simmering started in earnest.
Once the carrots were thawed and simmering nicely I sprinkled several tablespoons of brown sugar on top and stirred occassionally.
The simmering and stirring continued until the liquids cooked down and became nice and syrupy. For good measure, I let things simmer just a little bit longer and then we slid the carrots out of the skillet and into a bowl to stay warm in the oven until the rest of the Thanksgiving feast was ready.
The consensus? The carrots were totally delish and Jamie says they'll be part of our annual tradition. A tradition that started this year. Thank you Sharon for serving such a yummy meal a few weeks ago and for being so kind as to share a recipe so we could make some of our own. You're the best! And so are your carmelized carrots!
Happy Thanksgiving! May your day be filled with so many blessings.
With love,
Beth & Jamie
We're off now to be thankful together around the stove where amazing smells and aromas are hinting at the feast coming up soon. With each whiff we're even more thankful! Yum!
Update: 11:40am - Dinner is nearly ready! It's really getting hard to wait.
Know what I'm super thankful right now? Not these turnips:
Well, not exactly. The turnips are okay, but with all the other wonderful things to eat for Thanksgiving dinner, why waste limited tummy space on turnips?
I'm thankful for the man who planted and grew, then dug, washed and is now preparing these turnips.
And better yet, I'm especially thankful for the million and one ways he shows me how much he loves me each day. Like a few minutes ago while I was standing at the stove and he stood at the sink peeling turnips, I heard a quiet, "I love you Honey." I turned around and he stood there smiling and I melted. It's the little things he does like this that continually remind me how truly blessed I am and make me so thankful for the man God let me meet and marry.
I'm sure you've all heard the expression, "Shut yer pie hole!" at least once or twice (meaning, shut your mouth). Well, lemme tell ya all about a really nifty little thing I recently discovered for shutting a real pie hole.
This, if you couldn't tell already by the tag tied with a cute little red slip of a ribbon around its neck, is a pie bird. And this little pie bird is for baking pies. It's actually a vent for pie crust. I was reading my recent issue of Living (yes, I have to admit as much as I really am not fond of Martha Stewart after her jail stint, I do really enjoy her magazine) and came across a fun article about pie birds.
I was surprised to learn there are such things as pie birds, and they've actually been in existence since the 1700s. Pie birds are used to vent pies without letting any of the gooey pie filling goodness bubble out and away.
You see, the bottom of the pie bird is cut out or empty, so when you place it on your pie, the steam goes up and up inside...
...and then the steam comes out the top of the little pie birds' beak just as cute as you please.
This week I happened to visit Cook's Emporium, a cool kitchen gadgetry store on Main Street in my fun town, and just as I was walking towards the door to go out, I spied a shelf with pie birds sitting in a row, waiting to be adopted into good homes. I couldn't resist. I just had to have one. So this one came home with me.
That night I could barely contain my excitement as I carefully unwrapped it to show my husband. He looked at it, then up at me, then back to the adorable little pie bird, and finally asked me, "What is it?" But I think he really meant, "What'd ya get this time?" I drug out the magazine, thumbed through the pages and pointed to the article held just below his nose. Realizing he couldn't read with it that close, I let him hold it. He glanced through the article, paused on the photo, and said, "Cool." While he might not have been quite as excited about our new pie bird as I am/was, I really don't think he'll complain when I practice making pies in the near future. Something about cherry pie seems to bring out his really sweet side and then he gets even more irresistible.
Ever wonder what fish say to each other? I have ever since catching these buggers in obvious cahoots.
"That darn furry monster they call a 'cat' is staring at us again. Quick! Get into a tight group and blur together like a mass of zebras. He won't get us now!"
"We gotta stay in shape! Only a few more minutes on the bubble treadmill. All together now!"
And if all else fails, find a good hiding place and no one will ever know.
