Thursday, January 22, 2009

The inauguration

The plan was to meet friends at ten 'around the carousel,' which in hindsight, was insanity.

I took the metro in, followed the river of people (I really didn't have a choice where I was moving), and was deposited near the Washington Memorial.

There was camaraderie among the people I was mashed up against. We cheered at the sliver of jumbotron we could see, and laughed loudly when the announcer told us we could be seated.

After the oath, the poet laureate was the end credits, and the river shifted. I couldn't get within a half-mile of the L'Enfant Plaza station (I heard later on NPR it was a 2+ hour wait), so I walked around the elipse and saw the floats and the bands setting up.

I thought it might be best to walk home... got across the bridge (my favorite part of the day), and Becky emailed me saying it would take 5 hours the way I was headed (I was taking the road we drive to church)... My sister saved the day and told me how to get to another metro station in Virginia. Found it; no wait for a train at all. Got home before the family and curled up on the couch under a blanket!

2 comments:

nanapapava said...

So! That was you I saw on TV!
Yes, what a crowd. Glad you can say you were a part of it.
Next time meet your friends on the VA end :)

Mom

Kristi said...

Tim, you are insane. Certifiably. But I already knew that! Becky- I woke my 13 year old and 9 year old up this morning by blasting Belly's Full Moon, Empty Heart at them, and then jumping on their beds screaming Feed the Tree to them... seemed to work. You must file that away for future reference re: Sawyer. ;-)