U.S. CAPITOL

Our visit to the U.S. Capitol was a real disappointment.  We knew that the Capitol's dome was under restoration, as is evident from the massive amount of scaffolding surrounding the dome's exterior.  But we didn't realize that the interior of the dome, including the rotunda, is also under restoration and is  also shrouded in scaffolding.  Not exactly photogenic.  To add to my frustration, we had a time constraint and were lured into taking a tour on the understanding that it would take 40 minutes when in fact it was closer to 1-1/2 hours in length.  Admittedly, it was interesting but our time constraint was major distraction.

Here is all that I got on this visit.  First, a statue of Frederick Douglass located in the area underneath the rotunda.  I liked the statue and the fact that I included negative space above and to the left of the statue.  My challenge here was that the area was very crowded with other tourists and it was simply not possible to get more than a shot from the waist up.  Still the statue is powerful, I think.

Here is the mural on the inside of the Capitol dome, which has been left exposed during the renovation.  But the shrouding covering the balance of the dome and side walls is evident in the shot. That's Washington surrounded by a passel of women.

My favorite shot of this post is of a ceiling in one of the legislative chambers.  A bit busy, perhaps, but I liked the curved lines.

And here is a statue, one of a dozen or more in a room seemingly devoted simply to statuary, of Barry Goldwater.  Quite distinguished, I thought.

John