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| First thing we noticed about the Illinois State Capitol is that the dome and other raised portions of the roof are silver instead of gold as many other state capitol buildings. This is actually the second capitol building in Springfield and the sixth to serve as the capitol of the Illinois since being admitted to the Union in 1818. Taking a total of twenty years to complete, it was begun in 1868. |
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| Though not in session today, the State representatives and senators meet on opposite sides of the central dome. |
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| The Grand Staircase off the rotunda. |
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| Each story (total of 4) has a series of statues of prominent Illinoisans and paintings of Governors. The height from floor to dome is 361 feet, even exceeding the US Capitol in Washington. |
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| In the center of the rotunda on the ground floor is the Statue of Illinois Welcoming Settlers. |
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| The Gallery for the Representatives. The chandeliers are made of Czechoslovakian crystal |
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| The well of the Representatives Hall. |
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| The Senate Hall has chandeliers with Austrian crystals. |
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| One of our shorter driving trips from Springfield, Illinois to St. Peters, Missouri, northeast of St. Louis and across the Missouri River. Just as we pulled in to register, it started to sprinkle. By the time we found and got parked in our site, it was raining. After disconnecting and leveling the RV, I head inside to put out the slides and set everything back in their proper "living" spot while Bob finishes all the connections outside. Poor Bob was soaked when a downpour opened up. |
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| Things were very wet with standing water surrounding us when the rain stopped and the clouds broke. |
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| Good drainage is the hallmark of good design in RV parks so we could get outside with the dogs. |
St. Charles, Missouri - 27 June 2018.
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| Meeting Bob's brother Jim and his wife, Jan at the Ameristar Casino Fountain for dinner at the buffet. There are shops, restaurants and bars in this complex. We had a nice dinner without spending any time, or money, in the Casino. |
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| Thursday, 28 June 2018 was a rest day. Grocery shopping and laundry then relax in the afternoon. We were both reading when we suddenly noticed our awnings were snapping in a very strong wind. Fortunately for us, we were able to get both of them rolled up even in the wind but it was scary to watch the frames being blown closed while the awning fabric was up over the RV. Above, our neighbor was not so fortunate. Not being home and leaving out awnings can mean there will be some needed repairs the next morning. Luckily, it was not completely pulled off. Lesson # I don't remember - Keep your eyes on the skies, take in your awnings if you are leaving home or going to bed. |
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| And later that night, all is quite. There were severe storms in Missouri and Illinois but we were lucky. Jim and Jan just 30 minutes east of us in Spanish lake had even more wind than we did. A Limb from a neighbor's tree came down over the fence. |
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| Early dinner downtown at Gio's for pizza before heading to Busch Stadium for a ballgame. This is the second incarnation of Busch Stadium near the site of he original but, of course, much improved. One thing that was not "much improved" was the awful hot and humid summer in St. Louis weather. Upon entering the stadium, it was 99 degrees with about 85 percent humidity. The new stadium does offer a breeze from time to time unlike the prior stadium. |
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| Without realizing it, we requested our usual third base line seats and ended up with a great view of the Gateway Arch. |
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| All of us wearing Cardinal red in some form it was a challenge to not overheat but once in awhile a short breeze would blow from behind us. |
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| Not a good night for the hometown crowd (including us) especially since most of the runs were the result of those errors you see above. |
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| By the time we left, the temperature was only 87 degrees. Didn't seem to concern Stan, the Man who has been brought over from the original stadium. |
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