What a DAY!!!

You probably saw the pictures, you watched the inauguration... it was truly an amazing day. We were able to get on the Metro at Brookland at 8AM.... crowded, yes, but we were on. Everyone on the train was excited and feeling so good that this day had finally come. The train stopped between stations ..... an announcement asking people to step away from the door came on... ominously stating that if this didn't happen, the train would be evacuated ..... finally a Metro worker ran down the platform toward another car.... fixed the problem and we were on our way.
At Union Station 90% of passengers got off the train. But not us. We had been working on our exit strategy for a long long time... we were leaving today.... had to exit the National Mall and DC and get to Dulles airport.... so we had opted for the Lincoln Memorial end of the Mall... farthest from the Capitol where President Barack Obama would be sworn in. We knew there were jumbotrons in this area (the We are One Concert was at the Lincoln on Sunday) and we would be able to leave by walking over the Arlington Memorial Bridge.... but for now we just wanted to be able to get there.

We took the Metro to Farragut North which would have us just 1 mile from the Mall and hopefully with many fewer people. As we came above ground there were many many people but the streets were closed to cars. There was a military hummer/jeep and a few National Guardsmen just making sure that cars with certain folks (government workers, police, VIPs)
could get thru when necessary ... but mostly ... the streets belonged to the people. Thousands of people.
We went with the flow for a block or two, but most folks were going toward the Mall on 17th or 18th and as we looked down 18th toward the Mall at I street, you could see a block or 2 long back up of people. There were security checkpoints at that part of the Mall and we just did not need to get involved in that. We opted to continue toward the Potomac River and use 21st or 23rd Street as our way to the Mall. As we continued West, most walkers were going East... I had the feeling that we were the salmon swimming upstream, but I was confident that our plan was quite different than most peoples so we continued on. We walked thru parts of George Washington University campus, saw many DC cops on motorcycles, government security people at many buildings, parking lots and anyone, truly anyone we asked for fine tune directions, or advice was polite, friendly, helpful in ways you can not believe. We all felt very proud of the way Washington DC was handling this incredible event.

We were beginning to get closer to the Mall.... We could see a few people on the Mall in the area of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, but not the thousands we had been seeing walking. Most were still going toward the East (the Capitol) and that was not the direction we were going. At last we were on the Mall, and walked past the Vietnam Vets Memorial as we walked toward the Lincoln Memorial. Suddenly I noticed that some of the jumbotrons from Sunday's concert were no longer there!!... OMG were they all gone... had our plan been a bust.... but no... there was 1 large jumbotron on the south side of the Lincoln Memorial near the Korean War Memorial. We were able to get over there and found ourselves about 50-70 feet from the jumbo screen. There were many people, but not the crush of folks we had spent the concert with on Sunday. There were actually benches still available but none that would not have us too far to the left and then distort the images on the screen.. so we decided we could sit on the ground for a while, knowing that once the inauguration began we would all be standing for the entire time anyway. Folks were excited, there were shouts and cries of 'O B A M A'.... smiles all around. People hugging one another

They were showing the 'We are One' Concert and it was great to experience again where you could really see the jumbotron (we were much further away on Sunday) and hear the singers and speakers.... I got up and walked around to see how big the crowds has gotten. There were still hundreds of folks streaming towards the Washington Monument, but we were happy and secure in our choice. Close to a screen, with an easy exit, no security to worry about... and really not a crushing crowd to deal with. It was 9:40AM on January 20, 2009. A little over 2 hours before Barack H. Obama would be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. Can you believe it!!...
Everyone exuberant, smiling, happy, cold and bundled up serious hats, gloves, scarfs and of course, long underwear .. it was close to 20°F with the wind chill factor.. it was windy... but not as bad as Saturday... it actually felt pretty good.

Then it began...... The San Francisco Boys Choir and Girls Chorus.... they sang quite a few songs and looked great in their red hats and scarfs ( I wondered if they would donate to an inner city school here in DC--or just take as a memento of their inaugural trip) Dianne Feinstein, our senior Senator did California and herself quite proud. A wonderful speech..... and she introduced and ran the show....

The feeling in the crowd was one of exhileration, respect, people did shush others who wanted to add the negative feelings when some people came on the screen, but for the most part, everyone just wanted to feel the love, the compassion, the change that was palpable.. the exuberance, the justice of finally being a grown up country that could choose someone based on their abilities, their character (and Obama's grace and dignity and genuine humility and joyousness were so evident in every shot of him that people could not stop smiling and feeling grateful to this man who has obviously touched something in so many people around the country and the entire world.

Saturday Rehearsal

We all moved on Saturday, Carol to spend time with her cousin, Beth to see an old friend and me to get together with Kara, a former Oakland special ed teacher who now lives in New York City. We get up early, pack, say goodbye to Ted who informs us it is 6°F , eat a fabulous breakfast with Harriet (homemade banana bread and muffins yogurt, bagels with lox... really the breakfast smorgasbord) and out the door when Mary, Carol’s cousin arrives. She drops Beth and I at the Metro and we proceed to Union Station where I am looking for one of the scarf/hat combos I have seen which allow you to really bundle up your face.
The cold has been so harsh that the skin on our cheeks can really hurt, and for the inauguration and the concert we will be out side in the cold for many hours. Union Station is alive with much activity this morning. We had been here briefly last nite and it was still relatively quiet, but today there is lots of motion, lots of suitcases. We actually find a type of scarf/hat and since they are 1/2 price I buy one for Carol and myself and am ready to test it out. Beth and I find a wifi bakery/coffee shop and I now sit down with coffee and my laptop to do a couple pages of the blog. Can not do photos but will add when I can.

I take the Metro and meet up with Kara at her friend's in the Catholic University area and she and I go off to the Mall as she has never seen the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. It is down near the Lincoln Memorial so it will be a good test of walking in the cold, staying in the cold and just seeing how well the new scarf/hat protects the skin on my cheeks. The Mall is much more crowded than it was on Thursday when Carol and I were last here. Lots of groups of people all taking photos all looking cold but very happy. The wind is blowing the flags around the Washington Monument the air is fairly clear although there are some high clouds. As we get near the WWII memorial we can see some of the jumbotrons down towards the Lincoln Memorial. As we get closer we see plenty of workers setting up speakers, screens and finally we can hear some music. James Taylor.... but it becomes clear that it is just testing the speakers. Finally we are close enough to see that there are some folks up on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial and much activity.

We can not see any musicians so we slide over to the Vietnam Vets Memorial. Beautifully simple memorial that slopes downhill as the black granite panels increase in height each etched with the names of those who died or are considered missing in action. The number of names increases as you go slowly down towards the lowest point which has the tallest panels and then you walk up the other side which makes a right angle when you reach the lowest point. It is a very respectful place, a place that reminds you how slowly we got entangled in Vietnam and yet how totally it impacted this country in every way. (photo) I am reminded how Maya Lin, the 21 year old Yale student who designed and then was selected to build this beautiful memorial to our nightmare of an undeclared war, was treated by Congress while she stayed true to her vision. Sometimes America just does not know how to treat people, places, countries, itself.

We then walk back on the other side of the Lincoln Memorial so that we can check exit strategies for the Sunday concert... and as we come up to the fencing we notice a number of people (maybe 20-30) along the barrier. The stage is filled with a choir/chorus now and there is much activity. All of a sudden I notice on the entry ramp from the left, BRUCE Springsteen walking up towards the stage. Quickly all the people around me also notice him and Kara and I try to contain our excitement. It is still quite cold but he seems to have no gloves on , no hat for sure, and you just wonder how he and the other muscians will play their instruments. We stay for quite some time as he and the chorus sing "The Rising" a few times. The HBO folks are streaming to the jumbotrons and the speakers are working just fine. I call Jaime but she is not really answering her phone... I text her later then finally get her. We are now surrounded by people (40-60) along a 20 foot length of barrier no more than 3 deep and are listening to Bruce in his rehearsal. AWESOME. We stay here for close to an hour and realize that other than Kara's toes and both of our fingers, we are not so cold. Again it has only been about an hour and tomorrow will be much longer AND there will be hoards of people.... we are hoping for an increase in temperature for tomorrow... but this is just divine and part of the serendipity that I had hoped for in coming to Washington DC for this special, historic occasion. We decide that we should probably be moving along if we are to get back to Anna's house for dinner at 6 but then out comes someone else with a banjo (and an orange jacket) We watch and finally realize it is Pete Seeger. Yes, this is one of the reasons I am here, for the unexpected happenings the surprises that can happen when you are in a special place at a very special time. We watch Pete and Bruce talking to one another as they await directions to sing as we slowly leave the area.

Supreme Court, Capital and Italians

January 16, 2009 4 days til Inauguration

Breakfast with Harriet and Ted .... The King and Queen of Hospitality...Ted informs us it is 12°F but it will warm up.... Full Page ad in the Washington Post today about the Sunday Obama welcomes you to the Capital.... and the time ...finally we know it begins at 2:30 and a huge list of folks who will be coming for this historic event..... 2:30 means getting to the Mall, very very early on Sunday and knowing it will be cold cold cold....

Metro into Union Station walk to the Supreme Court.... cold, cold... windy cheeks burning..... 2 scarfs don’t seem to help....

11AM Supreme Court.....empty steps, empty area below the steps... no one there except a couple and I overhear what sounds like Italian. I ask in Italian if he is Italian.... He is!!.. oh my!!.. We chat briefly he shows me his cell phone.... A picture of Obama with an all caps THANK YOU under it.... and then we all take the tour of Supreme Ct chambers with perhaps 15-20 folks... John Marshall... Marbury Case .... made the Supreme Ct what it is.. .the true 3rd branch of the govt/ After the tour we get in conversation with the Italians again... Ugo and MariElena...... they have come all the way from Turino, Italy to be part of the historical and hopefilled inauguration of Barack Obama... Ugo has been a believer since before the first Iowa caucus....MariElena tells me later that he is the dreamer ....she the practical one (Barack is black ... and can not get elected, she thought....but she gladly paid off the lost bet about the election) ... and now they are here... .

Ugo and MariElena come with us to the Capital... we get on an earlier tour and they are able to come with us. They are loving it... we are loving it.. we finish the tour and it seems as tho the Senate is in session, Mark, our tour guide says we just need to get a pass from our Senator so we bundle up and go across the street to the Dirksen Senate Office Bldg and get to Barbara Boxer’s office and get 5 passes. They are beautiful and we trudge back to the Capitol just in time to find out that the Senate is no longer in session.. What !!..
So we are told that perhaps the House is in session.. we walk along toward the house but have no desire to bundle up again to go a much longer distance to the Rayburn House Office Bldg to get persmission slips from Barbara Lee’s office, so I go up to a red coated Capitol employee and explain that we have just gone to get Senate passes only to find out that the Senate is no longer in session.... can we use these to go into the House.
They pull some House passes out of their pockets and say how many do you need?? So now we can go in to the House which is actually not in session anymore today anyway .... but they will allow you to come in to see. Ugo says that he and MariElena have never been to the Parliament in Rome so its fascinating to be going into the US House of Representatives. He has seen it on CNN many times and then talks about seeing the steps to the Capitol in many movies.. especially in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911.. and the scene when Michael is asking House Representatives if they would allow their child to go to Iraq.... and none will speak to him. He also informs me that In Italy they have 300 Senators and 600 Representatives ( or there abouts) and that they just seem to argue among themseves and get nothing done.

We leave the Capitol and decide to go for some coffee... we find out that the coffee shop in the Capitol is overpriced and not very good from the gal behind the electronics check in/pickup place.... and she suggests Pennsylvania Avenue.. which we do... it is cold and windy but blue sky and gorgeous naked tree limbs against a late afternoon Washington DC skyline...... we are all feeling so very good about the serendipity of our day... chance meetings.... dreams coming true.... Everyone, from security folks, Metro workers, tour guides .... all exude happiness, helpfulness big smiles.We exchange phone numbers and arrange to talk again tmr.... and get together again over the next few days....

We meet at Levante in Bethesda Md for dinner with Ted and Harriet... a fabulous Turkish meal and again we are falling in bed full and exhausted and exhilerated...

I am currently sitting on Sat AM in Union Station at a wifi coffee shop. Eric Ross, an Oakland teacher has just called, Ugo the Italian has called and we have met an English couple from London who are here for the events that Beth was just speaking with. Everyone so happy, helpful, and still it feels calm and manageable.....

24 Hours to Departure

Ok.. 2 days of work under my belt with just one more til we leave. Today at Sequoia we had a lot of fixing to do due to the incredible wind storms we have been having. The wind did not die down til after lunch so that was when we were able to work on the bamboo structure that allows our snow peas to climb off the ground. We had to almost take the entire big one apart as we tightened all the twine that holds the bamboo stakes together and then we added some higher cross pieces so the plants can grow as tall as they need to.


Both the 4th and 5th grade classes worked very hard to make sure the snow peas will be able to do the climbing they need to. Also the 5th graders added more potatoes to our chicken wire planter and April and Michael put the hose holder together and got that hose out of the way!! The cooperation and fantastic problem solving that I saw made me so happy that I get to work with these marvelous students.

At lunch I came home to double check on how our trip arrangements are going. We have been concerned about getting out of town on Inauguration Day .... and my friend Beth found a marvelous solution today. There is a shuttle that will go to the airport all day on Inauguration Day and the price is pretty reasonable. So that major difficulty is out of the way.

Weather still seems like it is going to be very very cold...18°F when we arrive Thursday with Friday estimated to be closer to 15°F.. Very cold indeed. Surely taking my long, wool winter coat ... it seems like it may be cloudy, but there is no rain predicted at this point.

We have reservations on Thursday to visit the Lincoln Retreat, http://www.lincolncottage.org/about/index.htm a house within Washington
DC (District of Columbia) that President Lincoln stayed at during a lot of the Civil War* in an effort to get away from the White House (where the President lives). At the time he was there, no cars, no telephones, no television, no video games (obviously) he could walk from the White House at the end of a long work day and kind of take a break from it all.

Last year they finished a major renovation of the house and reopened it to visitors. I am excited to see where he stayed during those hard years when the United States of America was fighting with itself in large part over the question of slavery.

*(this was a war fought from 1861-1865 between the Northern states and the Southern states of the United States of America {they were not so united at that time}

Just an update... if you click on the 'follow the blog' link, I think ( but do not know yet) they will send you each post as I make it... I will surely have not time to resend to all the folks I have sent this to..

More later... gotta finish my lesson plans for Thursday and Friday....

3 Days B4 Departure

So I am in Bolinas, CA this morning with a little time so I thought I would check DC temperatures in an effort to fine tune the clothing choices for this amazing trip. Well today in Oakland it is 36°F whereas in DC it is 38°F. Interesting... very interesting.

But for our arrival morning, this Thursday the 15th, they are predicting 17°F for the low with a high temperature of 29°F. WOW... So now I am rethinking my decision earlier this week to opt for the layered look and loose the long, wool, very warm snow world winter coat, since I was thinking it would be too bulky for packing if rain were to enter the picture. Now I am pretty sure that that long, wool very warm winter coat is looking very much like what I will want to have on me. And at the moment no rain is predicted for the 6 days I will be in DC.

I have decided that I will do a blog of my time in Washington DC during this historic inauguration. I will try to plop in a picture or 2 or 3 each nite before falling asleep and write a little bit about where we went that day and what we saw. Please pass along this link to anyone you know who might want to see what is going on as the change we have waited for arrives in Washington DC in the next 9 days. We know the veils have begun to fall slowly from all of us over these past 2 months as we watched and listened to a man with vision, integrity, a plan (actually many plans) and the ability to actually articulate his ideas and sound like an intelligent well thought out native speaker of the English language. I so appreciate this time that I have given myself to soak up and be with others who have look forward to the changes
that are so soon upon us.