We started out early with the intention of visiting the Olbrich Botanical Gardens before the heat of the day. It opened at 9:00 and it was already muggy. It wasn't very long ago I was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt to be comfortable. The gardens were beautiful with such a variety of color and blooms, so narrowing hundreds of pictures down to a few favorites was not easy.
The guy below serenaded us as we walked along the pathway (or maybe he was telling us we were in his spot, I'm not sure).
I thought the bloom below looked like a bouquet of flowers inside a flower. The bee was enjoying the warm day and the short commute - the gardens included hives on the grounds.
We crossed Starkweather Creek to reach the Thai Pavilion and Gardens. I was puzzled how there could be so many varieties of plants and flowers in Wisconsin where you would not think the winters could possibly allow them to survive. By the time I saw someone to ask it had slipped my mind, so I remain puzzled.
The pathway below was appropriately named the Birch Walk. I might have sat on a bench for a while and listened to the breeze rustling the leaves, but I was afraid if I stopped moving the mosquitoes would take that as an invitation to dine and they were already aggressive enough.
Joani did not notice she was being watched! Mr. Toad was keeping a wary eye on us as well.
Inside the Bolz Conservatory, we found exotic flowers from around the world. I am absolutely fascinated by orchids, but the Pitcher plant takes the prize.
We probably could have spent all day in the gardens, but we needed to move along. Everything was close in Madison - it was not a really large city - but what I noticed most was how deserted the streets were. Then Joani reminded me it was the Fourth of July and everyone was probably getting ready for picnics and BBQ's.
As we entered the capitol, the view below greeted us - no guards or metal detectors, just one of many beautiful entryways spread around the building. We arrived with only a few minutes wait for the next guided tour.
In the rotunda, it was a dizzying 203 feet up to the mural on the ceiling. There were exotic stones, rich woods and 22-carat gold leaf everywhere.
Wisconsin is known as the Badger State. Someone likened early miners to badgers and the name stuck. Around town, Buckys are decorated and on display. I tried and failed to recreate the Bucky pose.
Steve, our docent, flooded us with history of the Native Americans in the area, early settlers and the development and growth of the State of Wisconsin. The building included stone from 43 sites around the world.
With 40,000 light bulbs in 10,000 light fixtures, bulbs burn out at a rate of 80 to 100 a day. The Capitol was wired for electricity from the beginning. Skylights throughout the building help bring in natural light.
We were surprised when we found we could access an observation deck above the fourth floor. The higher we climbed the narrower the stairs until the last 11 steps were on a metal spiral staircase.
Outside, from the observation deck, we were treated to a panoramic view of Madison and the four major lakes that surround the city - Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, Lake Waubesa and Lake Wingra.
There was a group of statuary in each of four directions (carved by Karl Bitter) symbolizing Faith to the southeast, Prosperity and Abundance to the northwest, Strength to the southwest and Knowledge to the northeast.
The guy below serenaded us as we walked along the pathway (or maybe he was telling us we were in his spot, I'm not sure).
I thought the bloom below looked like a bouquet of flowers inside a flower. The bee was enjoying the warm day and the short commute - the gardens included hives on the grounds.
The pavilion was a gift from the Thai government and the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The pathway below was appropriately named the Birch Walk. I might have sat on a bench for a while and listened to the breeze rustling the leaves, but I was afraid if I stopped moving the mosquitoes would take that as an invitation to dine and they were already aggressive enough.
Joani did not notice she was being watched! Mr. Toad was keeping a wary eye on us as well.
The Alliums were finished blooming, but they seemed the perfect visual for the Fourth of July.
Pitcher Plant
Nepenthes “Lieutenant R. B. Pring” Nepenthaceae
This bloom opens at night and is the size of a dinner plate.
Variegated Clerodendrum
Clerodendrum thomsoniae “Variegata” Lamiaceae
Cochliostema
Cochliostema odoratissimum Commelinaceae Ecuador
I just want to start by saying that Wisconsin probably has the nicest capitol building in the US and that is said without having seen even half of them yet. It was their third capitol building (Wisconsin became a state in 1849) and maybe that had some bearing on the scale and grandeur of the building. It is taller than the US Capitol and it has a cruciform design creating fours wings attached to a central rotunda instead of the usual two.
In the rotunda, it was a dizzying 203 feet up to the mural on the ceiling. There were exotic stones, rich woods and 22-carat gold leaf everywhere.
Wisconsin is known as the Badger State. Someone likened early miners to badgers and the name stuck. Around town, Buckys are decorated and on display. I tried and failed to recreate the Bucky pose.
Bucky titled: Sconnie B. Goode
Artist: Michael Roberts
(Bucky's the one on the right)
Steve, our docent, flooded us with history of the Native Americans in the area, early settlers and the development and growth of the State of Wisconsin. The building included stone from 43 sites around the world.
Ammonoid: North wing, second floor, north hearing room
It would be fun to hunt for all of the known fossils in the capitol's stone.
We were surprised when we found we could access an observation deck above the fourth floor. The higher we climbed the narrower the stairs until the last 11 steps were on a metal spiral staircase.
A little less than half way down from the top of this photo, you see a group of statues ("Strength" Southwest facing W Washington Avenue). You can see the observation deck (just below the statues) that encircles the dome .
Looking north towards Wisconsin Avenue.
Looking east towards East Washington Avenue
Faith
Southeast overlooking Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Prosperity and Abundance
Northwest overlooking Wisconsin Avenue
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