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Illinois State Capitol
Springfield, Illinois
The Illinois State Capitol, Springfield. I'm beginning to think that if you've seen one capitol, you've seen them all. Most of them are of a design similar to the national capitol in Washington, DC. The ones that aren't include New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oregon, Hawaii, and Nebraska. I think that's all. Some of the state capitols are actually older than the national capitol.
Anyway, Abraham Lincoln is big in this part of the country, for good reason. He lived in Springfield most of his adult life. This statue of him is probably the most lifelike: tall, gangly, thin. Here he looks solemn, as he does on most statues of him, but in actuality he was a jolly man, always telling jokes and stories, with a hearty laugh. Rarely is that the portrayal of him.
A funny thing happened to me in Springfield. Well, not happened, exactly, but I left the freeway at a sign saying Springfield. It was getting late in the afternoon and I was tired and hungry, so I decided to stop at the first decent-looking motel. I drove and drove. Clear through town. I could see the capitol off to my left, and a big hotel, but no motels. I kept going until I was completely out of Springfield, and no motels. I couldn't believe it. So I turned around and drove back into town, thinking I must have missed one. I hadn't. So I stopped at that big hotel. The receptionist asked me what floor I wanted to stay on. The elevator was on the outside of the building. I said the lowest possible. Fear of heights. It was pretty nice, actually, and I was glad I stayed there.
So the next morning as I was leaving town, I needed gasoline. No gas stations. Whaaaat?? Finally I found a dirty little old place, and got gas. It was self-service, of course; just as I was removing the nozzle, it squirted about a quart of gasoline onto my shoes. Damn!!
THEN I drove a few blocks, and THERE were motels and gas stations. Well, all's well that ends well, to coin a phrase. |  |
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