Capitol City--Salem, Oregon

Slow start this morning with our fabulous breakfast at the Benson, then we retrieved the car from valet parking and headed south to Corvallis.  It is lovely country, with lots of agriculture, trees, green fields and along the way a sign marking The 45th Parallel--halfway between the equator and the North Pole.  We've crossed the Continental Divide and now the 45th, by car. 

So this is the State Capitol, and we thought it looked remarkably like an LDS temple, complete with gold statue on top, but you didn't hear it here.  The original, classical domed capitol building burned down in 1933, I think, and this interesting cylindrical shape replaced it.

We wonder if we are allowed to go and in see what it looks like, thinking of the armed guards and metal detectors at our local city courthouse.  Nope.  We just walked right in. 

There is a grand entrance hall, with steps up to the right and to the left.  We walked up the steps behind Dave.

It was the House of Representatives chamber, with its very cool carpet of trees.

 Looking back across the hall to the Senate chamber. 

We walked over there--their carpet has leaping fish and wheat sheaves.

Looking up into the cupola.  The state motto is Alis Volat Propriis, which means "She flies with her own wings."  I asked the volunteer in the gift shop what that meant, and she looked blankly at me, until I suggested, "Perhaps Oregonians are independent and self-reliant?"  "Oh, yes," she said.  

 

We liked the murals around the hall.

And I liked what this said--that "in the souls of its citizens will be found the likeness of the state."  Lots of food for thought in this one.

The State Library is the first building on the left of their state mall.  I thought of my sister-in-law Annie, a librarian.

And some cool tree branches finished up our stop in Salem.  A quick bite to eat, then we drove to Corvallis, found our hotel and Dave practiced his talk for tomorrow, where he is the keynote speaker of the conference.  We had dinner with friends at one of those lovely places where everything is sourced locally and freshly made.  We finished up by sharing with a three-berry cobbler, a very good way to end our day, I think.