Salem Field Trip

I've lived in Oregon for most of my life, and yet I've never been to the capitol. This is especially ridiculous because I spent a year working in Salem. Just never went. So when I heard the 5th grade had a capitol tour scheduled...I begged my way into being a chaperone.

I'm so glad I did! The kids were so well behaved, we almost didn't want to say anything. They were all mature and polite. They've come a long way.

Our tour guide was great, explaining to the kids about the governors office (it's basically for photo ops, not unlike our class pic), the state senate & the state house of representatives.

The kids also got a lesson in phone booths. They'd never seen them, and couldn't fathom why you would want to go into a closet to talk on the phone.

Then it was time to climb atop the capitol to see the Golden Pioneer. The scaffolding and spiral staircases reminded me of climbing to the top of a lighthouse. The view was fantastic. Plus we learned the big gold dude comes from the same place as The Situation - New Jersey!