A capitol idea . . .

Standing in front of a replica of the Liberty Bell.

Checking out the House chambers.

Sitting in the hot seat of the Joint Finance-Appropriation Committee(JFAC) room.
A view of the top of the rotunda from below! 13 large stars represent the original colonies and 43 smaller stars representing Idaho as the 43rd state in the Union.

This striking item can be found in the governor's office. Just goes to show that our tight-jeans contest winning, DUI-conviction-toting and current head of our great state has a sense of humor--Well, you be the judge . . .

Last Saturday, the long-awaited unveiling of the newly restored Capitol took place. The statehouse, which is located right here in Boise, had undergone nearly 2 1/2 years of construction/reconstruction. Obviously, the building and grounds were closed for those years and we really missed being able to wander the halls. We particularly enjoyed going during the Christmas season. A huge evergreen was always placed on the front steps and the public was invited to join the tree lighting ceremony. It was just a lovely time to see the Capitol.

Anyway, we decided to see what $120 million of our tax dollars looked like. I had been grumbling about the cost/need to do the repairs. With the economy in such bad shape and the state government calling for cuts in nearly every department, it just seemed pretty foolish to do the restoration. Well as it turns out, $120 million looks fabulous. I cannot describe it nor did I take good enough pictures to show it, but trust me, it is a job well done. For the record, I still had a hard time watching the governor give the "state of the state" in the newly decorated building, especially with all of the cuts to education looming, possibly including jobs at our school. C'est la vie--I guess I will just have more time to wander those halls again!