We began our day in the early morning walking towards the Washington Monument and then started our ascent of the Mall towards the Capitol. It was precarious walking at times with the crowds swelling and then bursting through small portals of entry. Strangely, the crowd was calm faced with crowded and even crushing paths of travel. We decided to stay clear of the metro as the reports were it was extremely crowded (text messages requested us to walk if at all possible). A good decision. Mavonne and I arrived at the silver ticketed area about 10 am. We were quite a ways still from the Capitol, but had wide angle views of the ceremony site. The wintry weather tested our stamina even though we were properly layered. The jumbotrons projected images and sound with the Capitol looming in the background ---an awesome sight through the cl
ear and crisp morning air. The multicultural, multinational crowd oohed and awed as each celebrity and politico appeared climaxing with shouts of "O-Bama, O-Bama, O-Bama" when the President-elect entered. During the oath of office, silence permeated the Mall with only the echoing voice of the President audible. It is that strong voice echoing in this cold January morning, and the genuine feeling of a new dawn for our nation, that I will remember."Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations." President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009.
That must have been SO AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteOn my blog titled "We are one" and a few others after (or before, as these blogs go backwards)is the way I experienced events of that week. Redding even had an Inaugural Ball.