A Capitol Idea: Exploring the USA Seeing All 50 State Capitols
Alan and Colleen Baltis, Cleveland Area Mensa
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On the way to Bar Harbor for their honeymoon, Colleen and Alan stopped by for a tink and a drink in Montpelier, VT. Despite being the smallest of the state capitols, it was impressive, with a cascade of steps leading up to the impressive capitol building, topped by a splendid gold dome, beautiful gardens all around, fall colors looming in the background. Alan said, “This is beautiful. This is where every state puts its best foot forward- we should see all of them!” Colleen agreed.
In classic “a good idea that got out of hand” fashion, over the course of the next 22 years, they’ve made it to 48 out of 50, every one of the contiguous United States, with only Alaska & Hawaii remaining. Many have been via road trips looping out and back from Cleveland. Several have been on the way to or emanating out from Annual
Gatherings. Along the way they also took in National Parks, scenic wonders, museums, zoos, galleries, historic sites, roadside oddities, ridiculously dangerous roadways. Learn about the joys of seeking out mini-golf courses, locally famous food, and amusing tourist traps. The best of Americana.
Please join them for a much-compressed survey of their Capitol Idea, loaded with photographs, anecdotes, laughter and love. Which one is their favorite? Which one were they not sure they were at the right place? Which one have they been back to more than once? Please ioin us!
Alan Baltis is an alpha geek, an app/website/database developer, consultant, author, and investor. He’s a music lover, game player, puzzle solver, movie buff; a fan of stand-up comedy & live music and theater. He’s a life-long reader and collector of comic books, magazines, books, puzzles, games, CDs and LPs and is determined to consume as much of the best media as he can before he expires. He’s a hiker and traveler who has been to 48/50 state capitols with his wonderful wife, Colleen, and dozens of National Parks, museums, zoos, and oddities. He loves origami, mosaics, fractals, and trompe l’oeil artwork. He’s in Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not” for having hugged 833 people in an hour, a world record at the time. He’s an almost 50-year and life member of Mensa. He won on Jeopardy, baby, in 2013. Email him at alanbaltis@gmail.com, or friend him on Facebook and far too many social media sites.
Colleen Baltis grew up in Cleveland with eight siblings, all bigger and meaner than she is. A VERY happy retiree, Colleen enjoys the puzzles in the NYT (she is taking a sabbatical from the news), reading (Haus Baltis is a block from the public library), and spending time with friends. She and her delightful M husband, Alan, love live comedy, travel, zoos, and hiking in beautiful places. Her aspiration is to be the world’s oldest person.
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