The People's Government

We got to go on a trip to the U.S. Capitol last Friday. We left bright and early on Friday morning and arrived at the Capitol by 8:15 am. The day was cloudless and a bit breezy.



Here is the view from the west side. The sun had not yet risen above the line of the Capitol.



On the east side, I got another photo of the dome in the morning sunlight, and then zeroed in on the House of Representatives. I love this architecture.



Here is a bigger picture of the Capitol. There weren't too many people there because of the early hour.



Here is the Capitol dome from underneath. This painting, if you look closely, is starring George Washington. It is depicting the ascension of George Washington into Heaven. Washington really is a legendary figure in our history. He is shown with the purple blanket on his lap, on the left side of the inner ring of figures.

I also learned that the Capitol dome is made of cast iron and weighs nine million pounds. That is 9,000,000 pounds. That is 4,500 tons. I was pretty speechless by this incredible figure. I guess you have to fireproof it somehow!



I like Ike.



Two of my favorite Founding Fathers, Ethan Allen and Samuel Adams. Adams must be spinning in his grave right now given the state of affairs. But I digress.



Here is a giant bust of Lincoln. It was taller than I am. According to the tour guide, this was Lincoln's son's favorite sculpture of his father, because he said that it captured Lincoln's character the best. Take a look... what is he missing?



Last but not least... the view from the southeast corner of the Capitol facing toward the Washington Monument. I thought that this really great view was totally unexpected.