Liv goes to the Capitol!

When we were in Des Moines for a week and a half, Liv got the chance to go to the Iowa State Capitol Building. See, we'd passed this golden-domed building a number of times, each time pointing it out, ooohing and aaahhhing over its regal beauty.

So now that she and I were in the Des Moines area for an extended stretch of time, and since we had a nice, rain-free day, I decided that she and I could go there and I'd give her a private tour of Iowa's Capitol Building.

She was excited at first, but when we got there, she got upset, thinking we'd just drive past on our way to a kids' play area. Once I got her unstrapped from her car seat, out of the car, and looking at a water fountain in the shape of a buffalo head, well . . . now she was ready for the tour! And boy, did I take a ton of photos!

The following photos are the ones I took of her own private tour at the Iowa State Capitol Building. (I didn't think she'd have the patience for an official tour given by someone from the Capitol, so I did my best at giving her one myself - though I did eavesdrop on one occasion when we passed an official tour group . . . just to make sure I'd gotten my facts straight.)

Here's the buffalo fountain that got Liv excited about a Capitol building tour!

Up the steps to the Capitol . . .

She's posing at the "Lincoln and Tad" statue.

Here it is. Almost looks like a postcard, doesn't it?

Here's the view of downtown Des Moines when we turned around at the top of the steps.

Here's the sundial on the terrace.

Here's a bit of trivia: the dome is gilded with 23-karat gold!

Here's the view of the inside of the dome!

She's checking out the end of the hallway.

Liv was impressed with the gilded ceilings.

Grateful to the Iowa patriots . . .

These are dolls representing Iowa's First Ladies in exact replicas of their Inaugural gowns. This is a permanent display at the Capitol.

Billie Ray, wife of former Gov Robert Ray, commissioned the making of these dolls as a Bicentennial project in 1976.

Liv is telling me she wants one.

She was disappointed to find out she couldn't "win one of those dolls as a prize." 

This is a bell from the USS Iowa.

She's waiting to hear it go "Ding!"

Here's a replica of the USS Iowa.

Liv asked if this is where I used to work when I "worked for the Colonel, like Daddy used to." I had to give her a brief explanation of the differences between the Navy and the Air Force.

Here's the Iowa Supreme Court.

Liv wanted this chandelier taken from the Iowa Supreme Court and put in her room.

I liked all the woodwork decorating the Justices' bench.

Liv wondered why they had a lamp like this at the stairs.

I told her it was a decorative touch next to the stairs. 

Heading up the steps . . .

Here's the entrance to the Iowa State Law Library.

I've spent many, many hours doing legal research here when I was a paralegal.

Isn't this a beautiful library? I didn't mind sitting in here, working.

Liv decided to do some reading.

Here's what she was reading: Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure Annotated.

"Fun" stuff, eh?

Now here is something really cool.

Liv wanted to climb the spiral staircases (there's one at each end). But I had to tell her the sign said the stairs are only for librarians. She was a little disappointed . . . until she decided she would work at the library one day so she could climb the cool staircase. 

 I have always thought these looked cool and very appropriate for a law library.

 This is the library's ceiling.

So there's the tour!