The West Coast From Right to Left Part V: George, Harry and Herb

This morning Gen dropped me off at the airport, I rented a car, and headed south.

I stopped for a few hours in Washington’s capital Olympia.  What I saw of the small city was pretty…..although after being in Seattle and the crowds….going to a state capitol when government wasn’t in session….was a bit creepy.  I kept thinking about that “Twilight Zone” episode where a man wanders around empty streets shouting “Where IS EVERYBODY?!”

If you ever do visit the Capitol building in Olympia, unlike most other states, there actually is very convenient parking for visitors right in front of the building.  (I didn’t realize this until I got right up to the building…so got some extra exercise and a parking ticket….)  

There are free tours at the Capitol building every hour.  Our tour guide was a retired teacher…and I figured out pretty quickly she had worked with the younger kids.  She was very good at keeping any children on the tour involved, and even made the tour as hands-on as possible.  The child on the tour got a chance to move a 5 ton door.  She also gave a 34 year old kid some fun as well.  In the reception room is the Official State Piano, a Bluthner built in the 19th century.  Our tour guide asked if anyone in the group could play the piano.  When I raised my hand, she told me I could go over and try the piano.  I couldn’t think of anything appropriately Washington-related (“Yankee Doodle” just didn’t suit the setting….) so I played the Randy Newman song “Louisiana 1927″ as it showed off the piano, and the acoustics of the room, nicely.  Certainly not what I was expecting to do on that tour!    A family from San Francisco recorded the whole tour…..so I’m sure I will be boring numerous California relatives in the future.   Apparently the reception room doesn’t get used for dignitaries as much as they would like, as visitors to Washington tend to come to Seattle.  The only president ever to visit Olympia was Harry Truman.  I bet they let him play the piano too.

One thing I got a kick out of in the Capitol building, and really in Washington state in general, is all the images of George Washington.  George’s image is on the highway signs, on the state flag, and all over the building.  My favorite is the George Washington bust that has a shiny nose because everybody rubs it for luck.

Then I headed south and made it to my 48th state: Oregon.  This means I’m caught up to my father for about 2 weeks….and then he goes to Alaska.  D’oh!  I took a brief trip to Newberg, Oregon to see Herbert Hoover’s childhood home.  Now you’d think after Galena I’d remember to check what days it is open….I didn’t.   So I saw the outside of Hoover’s childhood home, and Herbert Hoover Park across the street.  So alas, no tour guides to geek out about Hoover.

Now I’m in Portland.  I’ll be meeting up with a friend tomorrow to go out and savor the city.   I am glad I got rid of the rental car though….like Madison, it has a lot of one way streets and many many people on bicycles.  Safer to be a pedestrian.