This is an attempt to make up for a month's worth of missed blog entries and photography opportunities with a single blog entry! We headed downtown this morning to stroll down Fayetteville Street and take lots of photos of Gavin surrounded by concrete and glass. It turns out that Raleigh isn't called the City of Oaks for nothing and this street is beautifully lined with trees and plenty of benches.

While nervous from all the noise and tall buildings at first, Gavin opened up on the grounds of the state capitol where he ran around like a crazy boy. He enjoyed using the curbs as balance beams...

Oops! A little stumble...

Ah! Back on track...

Sitting on a canon, for lack of a more creative caption...

A statue of the three North Carolina-born U.S. presidents in front of the capitol building...

Gavin, of course, is incapable of sitting still for two seconds to pose for a picture and insisted on running to Gmummy to give her a leaf he found.

But I'm so cute, I can get away with being crazy. Right, Mom?

After terrorizing enough squirrels on the grounds of the capitol, we headed back down Fayetteville Street.

You just never know what you're going to find downtown in a city...

Gavin would have climbed onto every single park bench that lined the sidewalk if we had let him.

I don't remember what he's doing here. Sometimes it's better to not ask...

This would be a great shot to use in Gavin's campaign material if he chooses to run for mayor...

No way! A picture of Mommy?!

Yes, Gavin, it's another car!

Contemplating his next move...

Flexing his muscles and making an intimidating, Grrrrr, sound...

Gavin found a quaint fountain and sitting area below street level...

But Daddy only brought him down when he saw dark, cramped stairwell that was apparently more "interesting"...

I loved the row of historic buildings on the other side of the street in this shot...

Gavin stopped to share a bit of Gmummy's cereal bar. Gavin's world always stops for cereal bars...

While Gavin munched, I snapped this shot of old and new skyscraper architecture...

And I couldn't pass up a photo of an old hardware building. The hardware business is in my and Gavin's blood! Evidently, the Briggs Building, built right after the Civil War, is one of the oldest buildings in the city whose fascade has remained practically unchanged since the day it was built.

Just a block away is the RBC Plaza, the tallest building in Raleigh and merely as old as Gavin himself!

After our long walk, we found refreshment at Starbucks...

We saw a few NC State football players and then passed their bus which was parked at the Marriott hotel with no one inside. Put me in, coach!!!

I'm still wondering why the football team stays at a hotel one mile from campus the night before a home football game. Hmm...

The end. :) Phew!