We've had plans to meet up with Margaret and Lee for an overnight in Sacramento. We began at the incredible State Capitol building where the past, present and future of California interact with equal force. The building serves as both a museum and the state’s working seat of government. Visitors to the Capitol can experience California’s rich history and witness the making of history through the modern lawmaking process.

What we came to experience was the holiday music program. Festive music and celebration began at our Capitol as early as December 1869, during its triumphant opening.
Between the Vocal Art Ensemble and the Mellodika Harp Duo, we were incredibly impressed by the magicalness of the afternoon. What a perfect way to be enveloped in the holiday season.
We then happened upon an incredible exhibit in the museum part of the Capitol. Out of the Vault: Treasures from Your California State Library is an intriguing display of many extraordinary items from the magnificent collection of the California State Library (CSL).
Drawing on the remarkable materials from the CSL, this exhibit included many never-before-seen books, photographs, prints, artwork and other objects. An example of one such item is James Marshall's hand-drawn map of the gold discovery site at Sutter's Mill.
I loved this book and the story of its life. Robert Thornton’s Temple of Flora (1807) is the third and final part of his New illustration of the sexual system of Carolus von Linnaeus, considered by many to be the greatest of all flower books. It consists of a series of sumptuous depictions of flowers notable for their epic and unusual settings. Lack of interest from the general public spelled disaster for the scheme, and the holding of a lottery could not save it from financial ruin, neither did a page in the work dedicated to the spouse of George III, Queen Charlotte, patroness of botany and the fine arts.
And how about this book. The Smallest French & English Dictionary in the World Containing 5000 Modern and Current Words by E.A. Gasc (1890). What you can't get from this image is its size... 1.06" X .74 ", 614 pg. Yes, that is not a typo less than two INCHES. Can you imagine? So dang cool.

Seeing the exhibit at the Capitol made us curious about the actual California State Library (CSL) so we headed to see it. We were greeted by an enthusiastic and helpful librarian.
We learned that it is the oldest continuously operated library in the American West. Originally established in 1850 as a reference library for the State Legislature, it has grown into a major collection and repository for the state. The State Library is a venerable, pioneering institution that was built by the government for the use of the people of the Golden State.


We caught a cool exhibit created for celebrating National Novel Writing Month. Want to Write a Novel in November? features inspiring books, photographs and ephemera designed to get your creative writing juices flowing! So very cool.
Everything we did today in our State's Capital was free and exceptionally interesting. It all demands a return visit. Who knew?