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Frank's trip to Madison, Wisconsin

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Around 50 pictures included.

Outside the Capitol

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The first picture is of the capitol building from across the street. The second is looking down the street. Madison is a cool, hip town that reminds me of a larger version of Ann Arbor. The third shot is from the steps of the capitol.

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I don't know what this statue is, but I had to pose in front of it. Perhaps it's the patron saint of tip-offs or hat-drops. I don't know. Unfortunately, due to a recent injury, I wasn't quite able to jump in this picture forthe tip-off to try to get my hat, so I had to make do with just catching the hat and then seeing how good of a 'poser' I could be.

On top of the Capitol

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The dome has various cool statues at its base. The first and third picture show two of the sets and the second shows where they sit with respect to the observation deck.

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Two close-up shots of statues.

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A shot of Estelle overlooking Madison. A shot overlooking Madison. And a shot of Estelle and me (with a goofy smile on my face) with Madison behind us. The lake behind is is either Monona or Mendota, and to be honest, I really don't know which one is pictured.

Addendum: My friend Lisa, who used to live in Madison clarified for me that it is, indeed, Lake Monona in that picture, and the Madison Convention Center, which is based on a design by Frank Lloyd Wright, is visible in the second picture.

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Another shot of Estelle and me using the self-timer, and another overlooking the city. The third shot is of a nearby building with a window-washer dangling precariously from the upper-left window. Not a job I'd enjoy.

Inside the Capitol

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Ah, the regal badger, majestically looking over the doorways with the wisdom that only comes from being a rodent. Estelle came up with the name "regal badger" and for some reason, I kept referring to it as the "noble beaver." The second and third pictures face the west gallery. At the end of it is the courtroom for the Supreme Court. And, of course, overlooking the doorway of the chamber of the highest court in the state is the noble beaver regal badger.

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There are four passages that lead away from the central dome. There is art on each of the walls between each passage. I believe these are also depicted as statues on the dome by the observation deck. The first picture is "Liberty" and the third one is "Justice" though the word is kind of split up in the picture. The second shot shows the West Gallery. The Supreme Court chamber is at the end of the West Gallery.

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A left and right shot of the skylight ceiling just by the entrance to the Supreme Court chamber. The building is very ornate and beautiful. I didn't even mind lying on the floor to take these.

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Looking up at the domed ceiling in the center of the building. It's quite impressive. And yes, I was lying on the ground in the middle of the building in order to take this picture. Estelle casually wandered away looking like she never met me, in case I might need her to bail me out (quite thoughtful and considerate).

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The first shot is a close up of the nobler, I mean regal badger, a front view so you can see its Claws of Justice. The second one was a statue we saw on the second floor. I guess Ashcroft never got to Wisconsin, otherwise he would've had a shit hemorrhage if he ever got an eyeful of The Boob of Justice (sure, go ahead, make a joke about the Noble Beaver and Boob of Justice). Finally, a picture of the capitol reflected in a building across the street.

UW Campus

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The first shot is a dock on Lake Mendota near the student union building. The second is looking at the terraace of the student union building. And the third is Estelle and Steve on the end of the dock.

"OK guys, this'll make a great shot. I just need to you back up a little bit. Yeah. Just a little more. Almost. Just a little more. A few more steps.
<Splash>
Perfect."

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What can I say, there was a bottle that said "Drink Me" so I did. Actually, it was a quite big chair. Not Biggest Chair in the World big, but sizeable nonetheless. And it was OK to sit in it, which was cool.

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The sign warns those that you climb the chair at your own risk. I learned just what risks I had to face and was found to be wanting...

Along the path

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Mostly flowers along the path we walked. The second last picture is of Steve and Estelle as we walked back from the path to their house. The path follows a drainage way. It was only a few inches deep, though they said that was a lot and it had rained a lot the previous night. Some kids were riding their bicycles along the channel as we walked down the path.

More Madison and the Farmer's Market

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This building amused me. The sign above the door reads "State Records Center." But the large smokestack for the incinerator reminds me of the "memory hole" from 1984, where old records were "permanently" filed when history needed to be updated.

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A view of the state capitol on Saturday morning during the farmer's market. It is completely encircled by people in booths selling fruit, vegetables, meat, baked goods, and more. Plus the occasional person trying to get you to sing a petition. As seen on the whiteboard on the second shot, they sell a wide variety of things, including emu (Rod Hull would not be happy).

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And finally, a few of the crowd in front of me and behind me at the market. Quite a lot of people, like wall-to-wall. But it's a fun place.

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