Apotheosis

Fancy word, apotheosis. Who in the history of this country deserves such exaltation? George Washington, of course. Father of our country. The dude whose face is on the $1 bill, making it iconic. The Apotheosis of Washington is the fresco that covers the very top of the interior of the Capitol dome. You can't see much detail from down on the floor without binoculars or a telephoto lens.

I don't think modern Americans know much of anything about Washington. Sure, chief general in our Revolutionary War, crossed the Delaware River in a rowboat in the middle of winter, chopped down a cherry tree when he was a kid, first president. Oh, and that face on money thing. Ask people on the street something beyond that.      

I Like Ike

Carolyn and I spent much of yesterday in the U.S. Capitol, home of the Senate and House of Representatives. I hadn't been there since childhood and it was her first visit.

Lots of good pix but I'm having trouble with my laptop. The trackpad isn't working right and I can't crop or drag so just one for today. More when we get home.

Each state gets two statues in the Capitol. This is the best-known of the pair from Kansas. Carolyn's home. Dwight Eisenhower, of course, was Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and president of the U.S. from 1953 to 1961. Our guide told us the statue was based on a photograph from the war years. The general was explaining to an enlisted man how he liked to tie a fishing fly.