Augusta, Maine

After leaving Vermont, we headed to Cushing, Maine for a one week stay. First on our list of places to go was a trip to the LL Bean store in Freemont, something I've wanted to do for decades! J The second day we made it to Augusta for our Capitol visit. Maybe not quite as fun as shopping in person at LL Bean, but it does mark our 43rd Capitol, kind of amazing to me that we've actually been to so many Capital Cities, and Capitol Buildings during our seven years on the road. We're zeroing in on 50! Occasionally we wind up at a capitol during times of restoration or repair. Such was our luck in Augusta. The Capitol Dome was undergoing restoration to replace the copper roofing, paint the cupola, and regild Minerva, the "Lady of Wisdom", who sits atop of the dome. The Maine State House was built using Maine granite, based on the design of the Massachusetts State House, since Maine was formerly a part of Massachusetts until separating in 1820. The park surrounding the capitol was quite green and lush, making for an enjoyable walk on the grounds after our tour of the building itself. Fun facts about Maine: Maine is the only state in the US with just one syllable; Augusta, Maine, and Juneau, Alaska are the only two state capitals with the names of months in them. Stephen King paid for a professional Little League baseball stadium behind his house in Bangor, Maine. The locals call it Field of Screams; People from Maine are known as Mainers, Down Easters, or Maniacs.