Well, I didn’t get much actual writing done this past week. But I did gather material in ways I didn’t imagine possible. Not only was I one of the two million people who traveled to Washington to attend the inauguration, but I was among the five thousand or so “purple people” who didn’t make it inside the security gates to the designated ticket area.
We got up at 4:45 a.m., were on the Metro by 5:30 and were at the end of the line at our designated entry point at 8:30. The line never really moved and at the moment of the inauguration we were outside the black metal gate listening to the oath on a cell phone. But we did feel the reverberations of the 21 gun salute (we were right in front of the guns) and we did observe first-hand the Marine helicopter whisking Bush away. And while I would have preferred to be inside the gates, I still feel like I was there – at least in eyeshot of the Capitol.
The entire four days we were there felt like a pilgrimage – suffering physical deprivation, cold, crowds, inconvenience – as a manifestation or expression of having faith and confidence in the American people. It was such fun to see so many people; all happy, all in a good mood, all enthusiastic. And I found some great souvenirs.
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