Corinthian order

Pediment and upper portico of the Legislative Building, West Capitol Campus

The acanthus leave on the columns seemed to relate to the foliage in the foreground.

Italian Villa?

Nope, it's the old Olympia Brewery, glimpsed from Tumwater Falls Park

Panorama

Capitol Lake and Puget Sound from the West Capitol Campus

This shot is taken from behind the Washington State Supreme Court on the West Campus. The isthmus of Fourth and Fifth Avenue (with the rather unlovely Capitol Center Building in the middle of the picture) separates the Lake from the Sound, which stretches out to the north.

The other Washington

Washington State Legislative Building, seen from the Sunken Garden, West Capitol Campus

Built in 1928 at a cost of $6.7 million, the Legislative Building is comprised of more than 173 million pounds of stone, brick, concrete and steel. It is the fourth tallest masonry dome in the world, rising 287 feet high. At the time, many viewed the building and its furnishings as a "Monument to Extravagance."

Cuspidors costing $47.50 apiece? Outrageous. Or so it seemed in 1928 when silk handkerchiefs sold for a mere 65 cents and women’s girdles could be had for $1.25. Yet Washington had agreed to pay that inflated price for the ornate spittoons to be strategically located around its new state capitol building. No one objected to the spittoons themselves -- every well-equipped office had them at a time when many men, including state legislators, chewed tobacco. It was the price that was shocking.

--HistoryLink.org

The dome shifted about an inch during the Nisqually earthquake in February 2001, which along with other damage, required the building to be closed for repair for three years. During that time, the state legislature met in temporary structures and other nearby buildings. Lobbyists were sometimes reduced to operating out of tents.

Another bright posie

Old fashioned rose in the Sunken Garden, West Capitol Campus

I was playing with the selective focus capabilities of my new camera. Do you like this effect? What about the colors?

Every day's a celebration

Tivoli Fountain, West Capitol Campus

This replica of a Roman-style fountain located in Tivoli Park, Copenhagen, Denmark was dedicated in 1953. It features an outer ring of 540 jets which create an umbrella of water, and inside of this are two rings of vertical spray jets rising out of large, tulip-shaped copper tubs. In the center of the fountain is its most striking feature, a central spout that shoots water approximately 25 feet into the air. All of the sprays alternately rise and fall together, creating five different artistic water displays while circulating 600 gallons of water a minute.

The fountain operates between April 1 and October 30 each year.

Survivor

Beaver Burn, 1985

A stalwart cedar stands among the snags and undergrowth of an old forest fire in Olympic National Park. Taken July 4th along the Staircase Rapids trail.

Prop me up!

Elderly tree on the West Capitol Campus

At least a couple of the older trees on the campus have one or more posts supporting their ancient, heavy lower branches. At it's age, this tree has certainly survived many storms and I like to think it has witnessed a never ending parade of events -- leisurely strolls, political rallies and demonstrations, office worker lunches, whispered conversations, posing for photographers.

In the background, you can just make out a winding river of 4,000 metal wheat stalks that are part of the state's World War II Memorial. I'll post at least one more photo of that memorial sometime in the next few days.

A Veteran of the "Forgotten War"

Detail of the Korean War Memorial, East Capitol Campus

This is one of several war memorials on the East and West Campuses. The memorial was not placed on the campus and dedicated until 1993. Roughly 122,000 Washington soldiers served in Korea, now often referred to as "the forgotten war"—532 of these troops were killed. The Highway-Licenses Building is in the background.

Greenery

Rocks in the Skokomish River.

This is another photo from my July 4th hike along Staircase Rapids Trail in the Olympic National Park.

Happy Cosmos

Cosmos in the Sunken Garden, West Capitol Campus

Western sky

Olympia Yacht Club Marina

Taken the evening of July 2nd, facing west from Percival Landing.

Part of the working port

Port of Olympia from Percival Landing

I'm not sure what the vessel behind the tug is, but it's not a yacht. The gantry crane to the right is part of marine terminal operations.

Morning light

Beside the Staircase Ranger Station

Taken the morning of July 4th, heading out for a hike on the Staircase Rapids Trail in Olympic National Park.