Capitol loop

We were watching the Stanley Cup playoffs on TV the other evening.  The local professional franchise is participating so when the games are here you get TV footage usually on the return from commercial featuring some sort of local landmark or scenic spot.

The one that caught my eye was a very scenic looking shot of the front of the Capitol building and the beautiful south lawn.  It looked a lot like this photo taken in 2009:

I says to TOPWLH, "That doesn't look right".  Because I happen to know that the beautiful south lawn was turned into a parking lot and I wasn't aware of the lawn being put back in.  Weather conditions cooperated today, I decided to ride on down and take a look.

There are two routes that I commonly take down there, the wind direction today recommended the most direct route.  It is only about 8.5 miles from my front door to the spot where I today took this photo.

Yup, the parking lot is still in place and furthermore the shrinkwrap still covers the entire front facade of the big, immensely distinguished government building.  I did read in the daily news paper today that there was some progress with the figures of the gold leaf sculpture there on top of the main building in front of the dome.

So progress, but mostly, under construction.

I hadn't been down there yet this year so I saw a bunch of stuff I haven't seen for a while.  Here is some sort of modern traffic furniture set up.  This cannot possible work, how are they going to re-train all of the old people to negotiate that, especially in their Buicks.

Some will recognize that I have been to that spot before so at least some of that previous bit was intended as "jest".  I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

Today I rode 450 degrees of that roundabout, first a 180 or so to get the sun angle and tulip view that I preferred for the photo.

Still tulip time.

Then I rode another 270 and departed the intersection towards the north and home.

I understand from the young people that I have contact with that all activity with this modern means of conveyance is conducted on their smart phones.

Apparently there is an app for that.

I was thinking to myself that perhaps I should do some research on this as the day is coming when I will be out there on my bicycle and recognize that I am unlikely to make it home under my own power.

I know, I know, that day doesn't seem, like, imminent, or anything like that.  But I can tell it is coming.

It would be probably be handy to be able to pull out my phone (which I do carry and which is nominally smart) and locate a motor vehicle.

I was pondering all of that as I rode when within about two and a half blocks I rode past this.

A passing pedestrian and I had fun making jokes about this "telefon" booth.  We both thought it unlikely that there actually is a phone in there but on the other hand if I went in there with my smart phone then there would be.  Further I would be fulfilling my often stated to Wireless belief that people using their phones in public should either have a box over their heads or perhaps should try to use their "inside" voices to avoid the current practice of having every person within shouting distance being party to the "private" conversation.  No wonder these people don't seem to care that the government is engaged in widespread warrantless collection of data about all of our wireless activities.  And as long as I am on a rant, to those of you using "bluetooth"?  Please, shut up, I am not interested in the mundane details of your pointless life.

I probably went a bit too far there.

Here is an exotic flora update.

It appears that at least a fair amount of that stuff is indeed, despite the growing zone here, perennial.

Including some nice yellow tulips.

Tulips in bloom.  Nice day.