Counting Down

Last day of the year: I'm going to throw out all of the unread 2009 New Yorkers at midnight, so today I am reading like mad. For 2009 I had resolved to stay on top of "the New Yorker problem," and I did better than ever before, but. . . .

My 2010 New Yorker resolution: try harder.

The state capitol project: A few years ago I decided to collect state capitols. Actually, I'm taking pictures of the capitols, but the photo is just the token--the evidence--that I was there. When I mentioned to brother-in-law Jim that I was excited about driving through Frankfort, Kentucky, because I could take a picture for my collection is said "You can't just get them off the Internet?" What a joker.

As it turns out, this week I collected TWO capitols: Kentucky and West Virginia.

Left: Kentucky capitol in Frankfort.

Below: Interior of Kentucky capitol















As luck would have it, the rotunda of the Kentucky capitol was closed for renovation, so I missed seeing that. The other parts were grand, though. Kentucky was granted statehood in 1792. The capitol was built from 1904 to 1910.

Interestingly, in Kentucky we had to go through a metal detector, but in West Virginia I just walked right in. Just a note about the Capitol Project Rules: It's not necessary that I go inside. That's just a bonus, and sometimes I do, sometimes not. It counts just to get the picture.

The West Virginia capitol has an impressive and beautiful gold dome, but the interior staircases and rotunda are not as elaborate as those of Kentucky's. A statue of Lincoln outside the WV building noted that he signed the proclamation making it a state in 1863. The capitol building wasn't built until 1924-32.


Left: West Virginia state capitol in Charleston



Below: The West Virginia Senate chamber

















I love my little capitol project. I think I have pictures of about six or eight. Before I had the photo project I saw a lot of capitols. Denver, Santa Fe, and Phoenix come to mind, but I'm sure there were more.

This summer I plan to go to Juneau. Snap!

On a totally unfair note, this summer I purposely made a side trip to Indianapolis and took pics of all 4 sides of the capitol. Inside, too. I was using my cell phone. I never downloaded those shots to my computer, and a couple months later I put the phone through a laundry cycle. It was not happy, and those photos are lost forever. So, back to Indianapolis.