Thursday Thirteen 199: Madison State Capitol, Part 1

Can you believe this is my two hundredth Thursday Thirteen post? Obviously, I have been doing this a few years. *grin*

This week, I thought I would share one of my favorite buildings in the world, The Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. Now, I could delve into the long history of the Capitol, but we don't have all day, so I'll be kind and abbreviate. Well, I'll try to anyway. *wink*



Madison was chosen as the site for Wisconsin's Capitol in 1836, when Madison was only a city on paper. That's right, our fair city hadn't even been built yet, though 1000 acres of swamp and forest had been purchased by James Duane Doty. The city is named after our country's fourth president, James Madison. It is the only capitol in the U.S. built on an isthmus.



The current Capitol is actually the third building built on this site. The first was built in 1838 and replaced 25 years later when it was deemed too small. The second building was built between 1857-1869, but was badly damaged by fire in 1904. Construction on the current Capitol was started in 1906 and completed in 1917. The exterior is constructed of White Bethel Vermont Granite.


The statue atop the Capitol is called "Wisconsin," and is a gilded bronze created by Daniel Chester French. You are probably more familiar with this other statue of his in Washington, D.C. The Capitol measures 284.4 feet from ground to the top of "Wisconsin," and is three feet, one and a half inches shorter than the National Capitol in Washington, D.C. There are three observation decks ringing the outer dome, but visitors are only allowed as far as the first. Let's go up, shall we?



Obviously, the sign does not tell the whole story. To reach the observation deck, enter the Capitol and make your way to one of the elevators located inside the four wings. Ride it up to the fourth floor and follow signs to the stairs leading up to the fifth floor (23 marble stairs), then take the 14 metal stairs up to the sixth floor museum. Wait—you're not quite there yet. There is then a metal spiral stairway leading up to the observation deck—only 11 stairs, but did I mention that they are steep, narrow and metal? It's a bit of a climb, but well-worth the view. Don't believe me? Keep scrolling...



From the lower observation deck you have a good view of the various statues adorning the outside of the Capitol. Sorry, I do not know who created them, or who they are meant to represent, but they are magnificent.



Visitors were allowed up to the second observation deck ringing the dome's middle and the observation deck in the dome's lantern from 1915 until 1931. Tours to the top of the inner dome's observation level continued until the late 1950s. Click here if interested in seeing what it took to get to the top.



And this is what Madison looks like from 92 feet above...



Looking northwest down State Street, a one-mile thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants, leading to the University of Wisconsin. State Street is only open to bikes, buses and pedestrians. State Street ends at the University Mall, with Bascom Hill behind it. You can see the roof of Bascom Hall in the back, right hand corner. It originally housed a dome for "astronomical observatory," meant to mirror that of the Capitol's, but it was destroyed by fire in 1916 and never replaced.



This is the view looking south down Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard to the Monona Terrace and Lake Monona. This photo was taken in 2006 during Cows on the Concourse, an annual event the first weekend in June. Yup...there be cows in them there tents. (Hey, we're the Dairy State!)



Looking down East Washington Avenue towards the more industrial side of the city. You used to be able to see the towers of East High School, but they are now obscured by trees and buildings. East Wash wends its way towards Interstate 90/94, leading to Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis.



The view looking north along Wisconsin Avenue to Lake Mendota. This area between the Capitol and Lake are some of the oldest neighborhoods in Madison, including the district now refered to as Mansion Hill. Lots of beautiful old homes in that area, though many have been subdivided into apartments. The buildings in the foreground are condos, with retail space at ground level.



And here's the beauty of a powerful zoom lens—a magnificent view, wouldn't you agree?


If you thought the outside of the Capitol was something to see, be sure to come back next week for a peek inside. Trust me, you will not want to miss it!







LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Alice Audrey * Shelley Munro * CountryDew
Hazel * Adelle Laudan * Janet * Harriet
Tatiana Caldwell * Janice Seagraves * Suzanna Medeiros
Mary Quast * Kimberly Menozzi * Paige Tyler
Darla M Sands * Colleen

Wordless Wednesday 6

Rotary Gardens ~ Janesville, WI
March 2009

More Wordless Wednesday

Teaser Tuesday 82: Water for Elephants

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!


Read this over the weekend and absolutely loved it. It's a good, fast read that is hard to put down. I had to force myself to take breaks and give my arm and shoulder a rest, as I am still suffering the pinched nerve, though it's feeling much better. There were times the writing was so vivid you could picture yourself in the situation and feel the anger, horror or despair of the characters, but there were also a few scenes that had me laughing out loud. This is from near the end of the book.

I’m facing a full-fledged stampede. The animal dens are all open, and the center of the menagerie is a blur; staring into it, I see bits of chimp, orangutan, llama, zebra, lion, giraffe, camel, hyena, and horse—in fact, I see dozens of horses, including Marlena’s, and every one of them is mad with terror.
(pg 308)

If you are intrigued or enchanted by the circus of a bygone era, you may be interested in my circus train photos, taken during two of the many years the Great Circus Train passed through Madison en route to Milwaukee. Baraboo's Circus World Museum loaned several of their wagons and other memorabilia for the filming of the recent film adaptation, which stars Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Water for Elephants
By Sara Gruen

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Happy Easter

Wishing you all a Very Happy Easter!

Random Photo: Easter Tree

Easter Tree, April 2011

Sitting this week out

Sorry, no Thursday Thirteen from me this week. I have a pinched nerve in my shoulder, and even though it's not the mouse hand/arm, it's still limiting my time in front of the computer. I hope to be back next week. In the meantime, I hope it actually feels like spring wherever you are, and that those who celebrate have a good Easter!

Wordless Wednesday 5

Rotary Gardens ~ Janesville, WI

March 2008 More Wordless Wednesday

Teaser Tuesday 81: The Bite Before Christmas

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.

* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!

This is from my current read, though I am not quite this far in the book yet. It is from the first of three stories in an anthology I won off GoodReads last year. And yes, the stories are all Christmas-themed. Though I won the book in November, I did not receive it until late February, and wasn't exactly in the Christmas mood by then. Since we seem to have reverted to winter here (windchills in the 20s and snow in the forecast!), I figured I might as well pull this one off the shelf. If you're suffering frostbite alongside me, here's something I hope will warm you up! *WEG*

“I suppose the only way to find out is to give it a try,” he replied honestly.

“I don’t like being bitten by bugs or my cat,” she told him.

“I’m not a cat.” Or a bug.

“No,” she agreed. “Your teeth are bigger.”

“Other things, too, one would hope,” he felt the need to point out.

("All I Vant For Christmas," pg 76)

FROM GOODREADS:

The Bite Before Christmas

By Heidi Betts

In Heidi Betts's collection of holiday novellas, vampires turn to Angelina Bertolli—vampire matchmaker extraordinaire—to help them find that special someone to curl up with under the mistletoe...

"All I Vant For Christmas"

Connor loves trimming the Christmas tree, baking gingerbread cookies, and hanging the mistletoe. But his vampire siblings won't help. His friend Angelina sends party planner Jillian to the rescue. But when Jillian, who's mortal, discovers she's decking the halls for a family of vampires, will she run—or will Connor have a beautiful woman to share the holidays with?

"A Vampire in Her Stocking"

When Vivian learns that her secret crush Nick is terminally ill, she's heartbroken. Confiding in Angelina, Vivian refuses to turn Nick into a vampire. Deciding to play Santa, Angelina changes Nick and leaves him wrapped in a red bow on Vivian's doorstep...

"It's A Wonderful Bite"

Although Angelina is happy with her boyfriend Sergio, she's ready for a commitment. After drinking eggnog and watching It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve, Angelina falls into a dream where she is mortal and Sergio isn't interested in her. Talk about the nightmare before Christmas! But Santa must have checked his list twice because this Christmas Angelina's wishes are coming true...

Disclaimer: This book was received through the GoodReads "FirstReads" program.

RIP Lucy

Lucy, December 2010

In Monday's post about my sister's cat Taboo, I mentioned that one of their other cats, Lucy, had been sick for a few weeks now, mostly having difficulty keeping food down. I had a feeling that she would not be with us much longer after Taboo passed, giving her two weeks at most. Many companion animals, particularly older ones in poor health, will often give up their own fight after their companion has gone.

We saw this with my half-sister Karlé’s cats. Buster had feline diabetes for many years. When he finally passed, his sister Martha—who, it turned out, had heart disease—died only a few weeks later. The last couple of days, Lucy had stopped eating altogether, and Saturday morning they made the difficult decision of putting her down, laying her to rest beside Taboo in their backyard. RIP Lucy.

Bucky Badger

Bucky Badger ~ Vilas Zoo 2003

Madison, WI

Random Photo: Crabapple

Still waiting for the crabapple to bloom this year...
(Photo: April 23, 2010)

Thursday Thirteen 198: New Music

Time for some new music! Click on the link to check out any of the following.

1. Fitz and the Tantrums - MoneyGrabber

2. Adele - Rolling in the Deep

3. Michael Franti & Spearhead - Hey Hey Hey

4. Florence & the Machine - Dog Days

5. The Decemberists - Down by the Water

6. Mumford and Sons - The Cave

7. Plain White T's - Rhythm of Love

8. Neon Trees - Animal

9. Scars on 45 - Give Me Something

10. Paul Simon - The Afterlife

11. The Cars - Sad Song

12. Portugal the Man - People Say

13. The Avett Brothers - Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise


LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Bratty * Alice Audrey * Journeywoman * Xakara
Maddy Barone * Shelley Munro * Kimberly Menozzi
Adelle Laudan * Allstarme * Darla M Sands * Harriet
Janice Seagraves * Tatiana Caldwell * Paige Tyler
Jennifer Leeland * Anita * Mary Quast

Wordless Wednesday 4

This is built in the top outer corner of a wreath hanging outside the door at work. Taken Monday, April 11, 2011

Teaser Tuesday 80: Ghost and the Haunted Mansion

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.

* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!

I wasn’t intending to use another book by this author this week, though it was another good addition to the series, but I really liked what this book said about censorship and not judging what other people read, so hope you will forgive the length of this week’s post. This issue comes up as customers complain about a racy standee used to promote a new thriller. Here is a bit of what Penelope's Aunt Sadie says on the topic:

"[Customers] are perfectly free to purchase what they like to read. In this store, everyone is, and no one will ever be made to feel bad about reading whatever speaks to them, whatever makes them happy. Did you know a St. Francis (local college in the book) Ph.D. candidate once asked me in serious, earnest tones why I sell cozy mysteries?

"...Apparently this young man hadn't heard that Agatha Christie is one of the most widely read authors in the English language, and the genre in which she excelled is still very much alive and loved, not to mention one of our most popular sales categories.

"Should I stop selling the Yarn Spinners their favorite books because some young man, paying oodles of money to read a professor's syllabus, has an opinion about what some of my very best customers 'should' be reading?"

"I'm not saying...that this year's roster of bestselling authors will stand the test of time. But, you know, the novel itself was once considered a 'disreputable' genre; and some of the greatest books ever written—in my humble opinion—would be dismissed today as 'popular' fiction, given the literary theories of the moment. And I do mean moment, dear."

"Academia can be as changeable and trendy as the rest of society in what it decides to deem worthy, and people who go out of their way to make others feel bad about their enjoyment of a particular book, even an entire genre, are missing the bigger picture.

"At a time when fewer and fewer adults are reading anything, we should be celebrating enthusiasm, not condemning it.

"Be careful... 'My' books are good and yours are bad' is a dangerous Animal Farm game... For some people, 'erudition' is nothing more than a vehicle for hostility and arrogance; 'good taste' merely an excuse for condescension—or worse, censorship." (pg 96-98)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion (Haunted Bookshop 5)

By Alice Kimberly (aka Cleo Coyle)

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure didn’t believe in ghosts—until she met the ghost of hard-boiled 1940s private investigator Jack Shephard. And when Pen’s friend and mailman, Seymour Tarnish, gets into deep trouble, Pen not only believes in her ghost—she also thinks he can help…

An elderly lady of leisure has been found dead on posh Larchmont Avenue, her will recently—and suspiciously—revised to name Seymour as heir to her mansion. Just as eyes turn to him as the murderer—and Seymour gets busy settling into his ritzy digs—the mansion’s ghosts begin plaguing him. So he hires a team of parapsychologists to exorcise all the spirits from the town of Quindicott—and that includes Jack. Pen must act fast, because losing Jack scares Pen more than rattling chains and cold spots...

RIP Taboo

I learned Sunday morning that my sister's cat of 16 years died Saturday afternoon. They had been worried about his companion, Lucy, who is the same age and has been losing weight and been sick a lot lately, but Taboo had appeared to be in good health, considering his advanced age. The above picture was taken just this past Christmas. He was a moody, handsome fellow who will be dearly missed by his family. RIP, Taboo.

Mystic Harbor

Scene of Mystic Harbor, CT, stitched in 1998 for a friend who had visited there the year before (not the same friend who received Mona Lisa in 1997—I try to rotate who gets a really big project from year to year. Gotta make it fair, ya know!)

Artzoobilee: Turtle Sundae

This is the last of the Artzoobilee animals—and doesn't he look good enough to eat?










Animal: Turtle Sundae
Artist: Ronna Duckowitz

Random Photo: Birdhouse

Spring 2008

Thursday Thirteen 197: Recently Read

As you may remember, I joined the GoodReads 2011 Reading Challenge, with a goal of 100 books. I am happy to report that so far I am right on track, having just finished book number 29 for the year. Yay me! For a full list of books read this year, see the tab above, which was updated this week. In the meantime, here's a look at what I've read the last few weeks. Click on a cover to read the description of any book.












NOTES:

* As you can see, I have finished off the Alice Kimberly "Haunted Bookshop" series. I really enjoyed these books and look forward to book six out later this year (book one was read last fall). Alice Kimberly also writes a coffee mystery series under the name of Cleo Coyle.

* The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was a GoodReads FirstReads win. Good writing anda fast read, though it was a very strange story.

* Mortar and Murder is book four in a DIY mystery series—I really like this series. Through a Glass Deadly is book one of three in the Glassblowing series by Sarah Atwell, who also writes the Apple Orchard series as Sheila Connolly.

* The Frog Prince and Man With the Muscle were two of many literary birthday presents. The first was good, though slightly depressing. The second ended with a cliffhanger that virtually had me screaming.

* Mockingjay is the final installment in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. If you have not read this series yet, I highly recommend it. This was a fitting end to the series, though I was quite a bit sniffly at the end.

Your turn: What are you reading these days?

LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Alice Audrey * Tatiana Caldwell * Shelley Munro
Xakara * Brenda * Virginia Cavanaugh * Sandra Collins
Darla M Sands * Janice Seagraves * Maddy Barone
Kimberly Menozzi * Adelle Laudan * Jennifer Leeland
Paige Tyler

Wordless Wednesday 3: Robin

Photo taken March 2009

More Wordless Wednesday

Teaser Tuesday 79: The Ghost and the Femme Fatale

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.

* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!

Just finished this one, and loved the film noir tie-in (except, now I have a long list of old movies I want to see or watch again). This was a really great installment in the Haunted Bookshop series.

A moment later, I realized the stain wasn't ketchup at all. When I stepped around the table, I saw a wheelchair overturned on the parquet floor. (pg 201)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Haunted Bookshop #4)

By Alice Kimberly

The Movie Town Theater is holding its first ever Film Noir Festival, with Penelope Thornton-McClure handling book sales for the guest speakers, including screen actress Hedda Geist. The legendary femme fatale has been out of the spotlight for decades. Unfortunately, the moment she steps back into it, she's nearly killed. Then other guests start to die, and Penelope wants to know why her little town's film noir weekend has taken a truly dark turn.

With local police on the wrong track, Penelope enlists the help of Jack Shepard, PI. Okay, so Jack hasn't had a heartbeat since 1949, when he was gunned down in what is now Pen's store. But the hard-boiled ghost actually remembers Hedda's dark past and Penelope is sure he can help solve this case—even if he and his license did expire more than fifty years ago...

Random Photo: The Boys

One friend's son with another friend's cat.

Three Cards

Do you remember the sympathy card posted March 14? This get well card uses the other three images from that set.

Stamps: Forest Friends, Lots of Thoughts (Stampin' Up)

Paper: Textured Cards (DCWV)

Ink: Basic Black, Ruby Red

Accessories: Square punch, groagrain ribbon, pop dots (used to raise greeting panel)

Paper: Textured Cards (DCWV)

Accessories: Printed Greeting, Brads, Paper Flowers (Primas, Hero Arts)

Stamps: It's Your Birthday (Stampin' Up)

Paper: Mariposa Matstack (DCWV)

Ink: Basic Black (SU)

Accessories: Square Punch, Scallop Square Punch