September 1, 2012

The next day... at the Pioneer Café...

"The Pioneer Family"

... bring the whole family.

***

Here's the closeup of the sculpture, which you were commenting on last night, saying things like:
I'd rather see people representing that ideal than statues. But perhaps those two figures were as close to a Romney/Ryan photo as Althouse could get.
In the wider view, you can see the 2 figures are father and son. (Romney and Ryan do look a bit father-and-son when they stand side-by-side, not that Ryan seems in any way under the tutelage of Romney.)

The sculpture, called "The Pioneer Family" stands on the grounds in front of the North Dakota State Capitol, which you see in the background. It's rather unusual architecture for a state capitol. The old capitol burned down in 1930....
North Dakota Secretary of State Robert Byrne was able to save the original copy of the state's constitution, but he suffered cuts and burns on his hands while breaking a window to reach the document.
His name was Byrne and he was burned.  He saved the Constitution!

Building a new capitol in the early 1930s, the architectural style they chose was art deco. It was the tallest building in the state of North Dakota. It still is.

77 comments:

David said...

It's a georgeous day in Wisconsin today!

Palladian said...

Shit, you ruined it for me! I was excited that the sculpture depicted the first hot, rugged daddy-bear and his hunky, devoted twink to cross the American frontier.

Dick Stanley said...

That's the kind of art worthy of the money it takes to pay for it. Instead of the junk we get nowadays that only the academics care about or understand.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

The tallest building in the state is a government building? In a conservative state? Wow. The war has been lost before it started.

edutcher said...

The Milton-Ann-Ryan relationship, reminiscent of Armstrong, Tom, and Elizabeth Custer.

Palladian said...

Shit, you ruined it for me! I was excited that the sculpture depicted the first hot, rugged daddy-bear and his hunky, devoted twink to cross the American frontier.

And the woman and her baby were just hitching a ride?

bagoh20 said...

Oh well, there goes the hunting trip trip, son. I didn't tell her where we were going, did you?

Jason (the commenter) said...

I like the architecture, it's the sort of thing I'd imagine seeing in an Ayn Rand novel.

Paddy O said...

Here's an article about my great-great-great grandmother... oh wait, I already did that.

Did I mention I finished the rough draft of my dissertation? I did? Hmmm... this did all seem familiar...

wyo sis said...

Paddy O
Should I post a foam flecked rant about religion or do you want to wait for Crack?

Chip Ahoy said...

I'm sorry to inform you that plaque is wrong. Well, partially right. It is the Pioneer family.

You see, the statue celebrates gay marriage. That's Doug Pioneer and Dave Pioneer. Dave took Doug's last name when they were married because Doug is senior partner and he was the guy with money and he pretty much controlled things. Oddly though, in one of those reversals that occurs between sex life and real life, it is Doug who is the bottom. Just say'n.

The lady is a social worker delivering their adopted baby. The statue captures the couple in a moment of joy and quiet celebration.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

I'm generally a fan of art deco, but I hate that building-- looks like a Soviet ministry building-- the tallest in Minsk. Maybe the details are more attractive.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

They've brought their favorite wheel all the way from Trondheim.

edutcher said...

Agree with Tyrone on the look of the building.

Definitely has that Uncle Joe look.

MadisonMan said...

I'm sitting upstairs and can hear the football game. Just heard the students doing the Eat Shit Fuck You chant.

Let the hand-wringing begin in the Athletic Department. Oh those nasty students.

Nice day for a game. High overcast from the remnants of Isaac, and warm enough out.

Palladian said...

And the woman and her baby were just hitching a ride?

The detail posted yesterday only showed the men.

Beldar said...

Our host wrote, "(Romney and Ryan do look a bit father-and-son when they stand side-by-side, not that Ryan seems in any way under the tutelage of Romney.)"

I think it's rather the other way around in many important respects. Or at least that's what I hope.

Beldar said...

Our host wrote, "(Romney and Ryan do look a bit father-and-son when they stand side-by-side, not that Ryan seems in any way under the tutelage of Romney.)"

I think it's rather the other way around in many important respects. Or at least that's what I hope.

Mark O said...


The “Pioneer Family” is a work by Avard Fairbanks. He has three sculptures in the US Capitol. He also sculpted the “Angels Moroni” that sit atop the Mormon Temples in Washington, D.C. and São Paulo Brazil.

He was a Mormon. Did Ann know that when she referenced Mitt?



n.n said...

Unless we realize Firestone's vision of reality, and human ego successfully subordinates the natural order, then the first level of social organization will continue to be the family, consisting of a mother, father, and their children.

Jeff with one 'f' said...

Very nice. But all right-thinking people know that the finest art-deco state capitol building (really the best, period) is that of the great state of Nebraska.

traditionalguy said...

Penn State lost to Ohio University. The Penn State players and coaches looked like guys from Deep Depression Valley.

ad hoc said...

He also sculpted the “Angels Moroni” that sit atop the Mormon Temples in Washington, D.C. and São Paulo Brazil.

I live fairly close to the DC Temple, drive past it each day on my way home from work, and have thought the late afternoon sun shining on the Angel statue really lovely. From the 495 beltway, the Temple looks taller than it actually is as it sits up on a hill.

When I went to search for a detailed picture of the Moroni statue, I found that Avard Fairbanks designed the ram symbol for Dodge.

kentuckyliz said...

I like this pic better than the first with just the men. That looked like they met on the Craigslist hookup ads, looking for a JO bud.

Palladian said...

A couple of fags, eh KLiz?

kentuckyliz said...

Oops I posted that before I read Palladian's homage to early frontier fags. Didn't mean to be so heterosexist as if I were being homonegative. Wait, yeah I did. I am such a breeder. (But I never had any kids.) OK I am a gyno-American.

kentuckyliz said...

Mormon artist, and there's only one wife/mother? Where are all the sister wives? Not enough in the art budget for the extra bronze?

Freeman Hunt said...

Romney and Ryan do look a bit father-and-son when they stand side-by-side

They do. Until you look at Romney's actual sons.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

If you ever go to a baseball game and wander what fans do when their team is just ripping the other team... in football they call it running up the score...

Here is a glimpse.

I love it.

The Wave was invented by one of their people there.

Big Mike said...

My wife follows financial news and today picked up a rumor that Jon Corzine is going to set up a new hedge fund.

Nice to have buddies in the White House so that not only do not get arrested for bilking investors out of their money, but you get to do it all over again.

Meanwhile, according to Drudge, over in Myrtle Beach the gi-normous sand statue of Obama has been washed away by rain.

I dunno. When you notice that speeches by Al Gore on global warming seem to bring unusual cold snaps to wherever the oaf is speaking, it certainly makes me question my atheism at times.

Maybe there really is a God, and she has a sense of humor.

Hagar said...

Not much coverage of the SEALs sitting on their hands at Obama's speech the other night, nor that he won't make it to Louisiana until next week because of the number of fund raisers he has scheduled for this weekend.

Sorun said...

Just spent a few hours cycling around Madison. Between the Badgers' football game and the Taste of Madison festival, I think half the city's population was drunk by 2pm today.

virgil xenophon said...

@Jeff with one "f"/

NOT SO FAST, Husker-breath! The art-deco Louisiana State Capital sky-scraper is FAR more graceful. Sorry, Nebraska's IS nice, but architecturally-speaking is but a close second.. (Harrumph :) )

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Drudge's visit numbers (self reporting) just keep going up and up... no plateau for him.

Alex said...

I'm enjoying a small glass of Swiss style chocolate milk. Delightful.

Mary Beth said...

Suzanne Barr, the " I want your cock in the back of my throat" woman has resigned.

The middle of a three-day weekend, they couldn't have timed it better.

Alex said...

Suzanne Barr, the " I want your cock in the back of my throat" woman has resigned.

I just saw her picture, not hot at all. Nobody would ever want to deepthroat her.

ricpic said...

If there was fire belching from the windows of that penitentiary/temple of moloch/statehouse the statue could be plausibly titled Lot And His Wife Fleeing Sodom.

ricpic said...

...Jon Corzine Is going to set up a new hedge fund.

For the investor who yearns to be fleeced.

garage mahal said...

Looks like there was a post-convention boost.

For Obama.

LOL

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Sorry virgil xenophon, as a disinterested Californian (our capitol building looks like a capitol building is supposed to), Nebraska wins. Consolation prize-- LA beats ND handily.

Michael K said...

" Blogger garage mahal said...

Looks like there was a post-convention boost.

For Obama.

LOL"

Your link didn't work, garage.

Oh, you didn't have one ?

Are you getting off on those DNC mailers again ?

rhhardin said...

The year's first yard sign.

Freeman Hunt said...

The year's first yard sign.

I put one of those up yesterday. Mine has Ryan on it too though.

garage mahal said...

Michael K

Saw it on Political Wire, the Reuters/Ipsos poll tracker. Obama also ticking up on Nate Silver's model, who I follow on Twitter, who has Obama at 73.1% chance of winning.

So, no, I didn't get that from a DNC mailer. Wrong AGAIN!

Joe Schmoe said...

The woman in the statue could just be a beard.

rehajm said...

So the 'Eat shit/fuck you!' bit is still a ritual for students somewhere today? Warms my heart, and i'll let it go at that...but do the students know/understand the origins of this ritual? Is it up on YouTube somewhere? Has it nade OED yet for Althouse to reference?

Amazing...

Ambrose said...

My two cents. That is a nice sculpture.

Michael K said...

" a sample of 1,505 of American registered voters was interviewed online."

Thanks for the link, garage. I saw what I expected. Registered voter polls.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Most of New Orleans still without power; Patience 'wearing thin'...

Bush doesn't care.

Anonymous said...

Have decided to re-open my "The Pizza Guy" business. I had it started after seeing Fast Times with Sean Penn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ7kar7JYFA

Today was my last day in Chicago HQ. I leave tomorrow AM for Florida. My plan is to open a joint for best pizza in Tampa.

Obama is history. Clint Eastwood destroyed him and the liberal media. To work for the POTUS would be to reject the empty chair metaphor.

ricpic said...

AP: from demented dream huckster to buccaneer businessman overnight!

Synova said...

Pictures from Sandia Crest and my tramway ride. It was a lot of fun; a nice trip. The tramway only takes 15 minutes each direction.

Althouse definitely takes much better vacation pictures.

bagoh20 said...

"The year's first yard sign."

Now that's hard core conservative: No Prius in that driveway. Horse and buggy, and the horse is out going door to door, and he can probably vote too. Thanks to the Dem's, he won't even need his I.D. "I'm here to vote. The name is Wilbur."

MadisonMan said...

Good Bye Hal David.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

...instead of putting up signs people should just set up an empty chair on their lawns, everyone will know the meaning.

From the previous tread.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

If any of you like Art Deco buildings, google images of the Anzac Memorial in Sydney, Australia. I'm so privileged to have visited it. It's much more imposing and impressive in person. The architecture of the building itself with the reflecting pool, and the interior's relief sculpture, star ceiling, and the stark and affecting sculpture entitled "Sacrifice" are incredibly affecting.

bagoh20 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
shiloh said...

What War?

"The United States has some 68,000 troops fighting in Afghanistan. Over two thousand Americans have died in the more than ten years of that war, a war Mitt Romney has supported. Yet in his speech accepting his party's nomination to be commander in chief, Mitt Romney said not a word about the war in Afghanistan. Nor did he utter a word of appreciation to the troops fighting there, or to those who have fought there. Nor for that matter were there thanks for those who fought in Iraq, another conflict that went unmentioned.

Leave aside the question of the political wisdom of Romney's silence, and the opportunities it opens up for President Obama next week. What about the civic propriety of a presidential nominee failing even to mention, in his acceptance speech, a war we're fighting and our young men and women who are fighting it? Has it ever happened that we've been at war and a presidential nominee has ignored, in this kind of major and formal speech, the war and our warriors?"

>

But willard is warm and fuzzy! :)

I yield back the balance of my time to con mitten apologists.

bagoh20 said...

Love that song MadMan. It's one of those tunes from the sixties that played so much on the radio that it infused right into the memories of the time. I hear it, and I'm a kid again hearing it coming from kitchen radios as I walk through the neighborhood barefoot on the way to the public pool, and the imagination of the world is unlimited again. Crazy is not scary, but exciting and promising again. The Apollo space program was just starting, and the unknown was all good to a kid, and probably his parents too. We were all living beyond the wildest dreams of our grandparents. Everything had that new world smell.

bagoh20 said...

Shiloh, the troops were mentioned many times during the convention. Besides, I'm sure it would have been wrong for Mitt to repeat it - racist dog whistle or disrespectful, or some such drivel. Keep trying. We promise not to talk about the economy, or Obama's record until you're done.

chickelit said...

Mary Beth said...
Suzanne Barr, the " I want your cock in the back of my throat" woman has resigned.

The Head giveth and the Head taketh away.

Synova said...

"Has it ever happened that we've been at war and a presidential nominee has ignored, in this kind of major and formal speech, the war and our warriors?"

Well that does it. The 75% Republican military vote is blown. The Obama campaign can stop using its limited resources to suppress and disqualify military absentee ballots. I'm sure that will help the money problems they're having.

Synova said...

When Obama was campaigning for President he mentioned the war a lot. And he mentioned bombing Pakistan, too.

In fact, he spent a lot of time and effort assuring voters that he'd be a bad ass.

Romney hasn't done this and I should care why?

shiloh said...

mittens doing a laughable/clueless job trying to convince undecided moderate independents to vote for him notwithstanding, bagoh20's Obama deflection is duly noted.

Not ready for prime time is too kind a description for willard.

But keep hope alive, bagoh as mittens is going in the wrong direction, go figure!

Synova said...

Considering how Romney failed to talk about our deployed military, Obama can brush off his last convention speech and reuse some lines about how he's gonna end the wars, close Gitmo, and bring our soldiers home.

chickelit said...

MadisonMan posted a link to Walk On By.

Warwick had a serious Fu Manchu 'stache going in that vid. I never noticed that before. Thanks!

bagoh20 said...

Suzanne Barr,

Women bosses are too demanding. You given them an inch, and...

Known Unknown said...

Warwick had a serious Fu Manchu 'stache going in that vid. I never noticed that before. Thanks!

Looks a little strung out, too.

Man, that bastard Bacharach can write a song.

Howard said...

Obama pulled the troops from Iraq, doubled down on Afghanistan and has been bombing the crap out of AQ in Paki based on the better intel he ordered ramped up. He also ordered SEALs to invade Paki and grease OBL. That's about what he said he would do. Next, he voews to get tour troops out of Afghanistan. Obama now has 4-years of military experience as commander in chief. Prince Romney's war experience was on a bicycle touring France recruiting for Moroni. The Reps had their chance with the terror wars. Also, Mitt is assembling a national security team of neocon retreads who can't wait to war with Iran. I'm inclined to let Barry Hussein finish the job getting us out of the middle east cluster.

Synova said...

Curiosity beamed this song from Mars.

I really don't like auto-tune and I couldn't say if it's a *good* song, but I think it's okay.

What I really really like, though, is the lyrics. "Mars isn't that far."

"Why do they say the sky is the limit, when there are footprints on the Moon?"

In a time when optimism is at best droll and often enough portrayed as *racist* (as everything is) it's nice... "flying like NASA, outer space master..."

The science fiction authors I like to read would call this Human Wave.

"Why do they say the sky is the limit, when there are footprints on the Moon?"

Someone got an answer for that? Hum?

Synova said...

Howard, you're cracking me up.

Synova said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Synova said...

Dur!

Here is the song.

shiloh said...

"Prince Romney's war experience was on a bicycle touring France recruiting for Moroni."

But, but, but over two thirds of his foreign policy/national security "advisers" are Bush41/43 retreads ... oh wait!

shiloh said...

ok, Howard mentioned it first :) but it bears repeating!

Jim in St Louis said...

Is there an effective difference in the words 'pioneer' and 'immigrant'?

I'm struck when the pro amnesty team says our nation was founded by immigrants, when I think its closer to say we were founded by pioneers. Big difference in coming to an established country and joining that society and striking out to make a new society.

Not fond of the look of the building, looks very functional and all, but c'mon we all know state government is ornamental at best, so the capital should reflect that by domes and columns and cornices etc.

virgil xenophon said...

Erica@10:04pm/
If you come back to read this, yes, I agree. I visited the memorial while on R&R from Vietnam in 1968--a very moving experience. "Silence. This Place Is Sacred." states the inscription on the walls of the inner chamber. Indeed..

The ANZAC War Memorial is perhaps my favorite of all war memorials that is not a battlefield memorial.