This was the second time we were at the Capitol.But it was still such a magnificent building. The city of Salem is even more magnificent when you see it from the top of the Capitol building. Near noon, we climbed up to the gold man and snapped some pictures of the breathtaking view.
The 8.5 ton statue stands 140 feet above ground. It's twenty-two feet tall... and its base? Twenty-three feet tall!
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| The gold man, a pioneer figure layered with real gold |
The route up to the top had been really cool and exciting. We weaved through some tunnels (aka corridors), stairways, and a long spiral staircase....
We started climbing the 121 steps to the top from the fourth floor.
But before our epic adventure at the top of the Capitol, we spent the morning with Senator Alan Olsen, who took us to caucus and a meeting on the Senate floor.
At the meeting, he introduced us to the Senate and presented two bills, which both passed!
Senator Olsen presenting his bill as we read it from the signs that hang on the walls on both sides of the room. Our favorite part is when a young man calls out the names of each Senator, who reply with an "Aye" or "Nay". We keep track of the votes by watching the colorful names on the signs. If the name turns green, they voted for the bill. If the name turns red, the individual voted against the bill. If it's orange, the senator was not present and was excused.
It passed! With all votes for it!
The most interesting meeting we attended was caucus. The republican senators met before assembling on the Senate floor, and the democratic senators did the same. Senator Olsen explained to us that the media and guests could attend and watch every meeting and everything that goes on in the Capitol, except the caucus meetings. So because we were told it was, like, top secret, we can't exactly tell you what was going on.... ;D
In the lobby of the Capitol, we saw some interesting things we did not notice on our last visit. First of all, the seal of Oregon.
Which, by the way, everything that makes up this seal...
...was found in the sewers.
We spotted keys, earrings, rings, toys, forks, a bunch of coins, buttons...
Also in the lobby area were uniforms of deceased officers, generals, and faithful soldiers.
It was a great day and an amazing experience. We caught a glimpse of life at the Capitol, toured the building, climbed at least a thousand stairs, met the Governor.... I still think there is a possibility that we might be involved in politics. Someday.
That is so awesome!
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the movie Lincoln? At this one part, they're voting to pass the bill, and they call out the names, and it's either "Aye" or "Nay". SOO awesome...XD
I wonder how no one has ever stole the gold man...I mean, I suppose it's pretty heavy, but gold? In public? I dunno...:P
Nice post! Looks like you guys had fun!
We haven't seen the movie 'Lincoln', but you sure got us interested! The Oregon Pioneer statue is an eight-and-a-half tons, so I don't think it would even be possible to try stealing it. I don't think it would even be worth it. It's bronze, only brushed in gold. But it is 23K gold. :P
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Thanks again for spreading JOY and sharing at the Oh What a HAPPY Day party.
ReplyDeleteHolly at Not Done Growing
Hello, Holly! Thank you for visiting our website!
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