To Maymont and the Capitol

It's been eleven years that we have been a family. D and I celebrated our wedding anniversary by going out to dinner on the downtown mall on Friday, and we celebrated as a family with a day trip to Richmond.

We might have started it with a donut stop at the grocery store. We ate on the road to make up for our late start.

Second stop: Maymont.

Leslie recommended this estate-turned park to me several months ago, but I didn't get around to seeing it in full summer spendor. Instead, we explored it in its amazing autumn colors and textures. We marched all over the one hundred acres--through the Italian and Japanese gardens, by the estate black bear (yes! a real bear in his own enclosed habitat), alongside the raptor row (to see the eagles, hawks, owls, and vulture), through the children's farm, finally pausing on bench in the sun to eat our simple picnic. 

J was photographer for the wild animals portion of our walking tour. 

And he did a much better job than I did photographing the animals in the children's farm--I didn't take a single shot of the two dozen or so farm animals, bison, and deer. Really by the end I was in disbelief at how many animals we had just seen, and we weren't even at an official zoo.

Everyone was having a great fun and there was relatively little complaining considering the distance we had walked, so I had the brilliant idea to capture it in a photo. My expectations were high. It really is important that we laugh at a failed timer attempts even when it's our best attempt right? Blur, silly faces, bad framing. We'll take it.

After the kids were completely out of steam, Dan returned to the car with them while I snapped a few shots of the house which we'll have to tour some other time. 33 rooms. Twelve thousand square feet. All the modern conveniences of the Gilded Age. A perfect view of the river. The Dooley's stay there for 32 years at the turn-of-the-century.

The brass door knocker caught me eye right away.

"Faith shuts the door and night and mercy opens it in the morning."

I like that simple statement of trust and confidence. 

We were their while the leaves were peaking and I, sadly, didn't get many of the kids in all the color. But I remembered to snap one of myself with a glimpse of Maymont's autumn in the background just before catching up with Dan and the kids. (I figure you don't see me too much on this blog, so an occasional self-portrait isn't a bad thing, right?) 

Last stop, the Capitol. 

 It has been newly restored inside and extended to include an underground visitors center. Among the many interesting aspects of this building are (1) it was designed by Jefferson while he was in France and then they started building it with his plans and model but without him, (2) it's A-line roof hides the rotunda that Jefferson wouldn't have left out, and (3) it has such meaningful artwork. 

This was our first gathering spot for the tour in the underground extension and its impression remained. It featured a really powerful statue depicting two brothers reunited after fighting in the Civil War in opposite armies--it stopped me in my path--and behind it is displayed Virginia's state flag which flew over the Capitol during the Civil War until Richmond was captured near the end.

We went for the historical tour, but ended up paying attention to restless children for part of the time after they had made it through the first hour with little more than hugs. We stuck it out so that we could see where the Virginia General Assembly meets for between sixty and forty-five days a year starting in January.

Can you believe that for decades the amazing oval skylight was painted over with a neutral beige? I can't imagine who would choose to keep natural light out of this space.

This was a great first trip and a good starting point for me to understand who sits in these chairs and what they're talking about that effects my family most. As with Maymont we will return perhaps to sit in the gallery during a session  and take more photos.