Pics from the Day

Here are just the main highlights from our jaunt to the Mall last week:


Me and Mr. Obama puppet stood in front of the Washington Monument.


The crowds lookings towards the Capitol and the jumbo-trons to hear and watch the speech. Like the rest of the world, the only way we were going to see it was televised.


One of the peaceful demonstrations of happiness in front of Constitution Hall.


Team McPhearson finally making it back to the Key Bridge after luncheoning in Georgetown.

Inauguration Day, in Brief

Got up before the sun. Got to the Metro. Waited past crowded trains. Kathryn got a banana peel thrown at her. Met some cool people when we finally got on the train. McPherson Square! Walked. Crowds. Thought we were going to the parade. Walked. Crowds. Ended up at the Washington Monument. Stood. Crowds. Smiles. Pictures of crowds. Got to know Team McPherson Square better. Colder. Waited. Crowds. People we like an didn't like filling up the Capitol steps.

INAUGURATION!

Smiles on all our faces. A pretty song. A pretty poem. Walked. Crowds. Dude with mega-phone telling us all to repent. O-BA-MA cheer drowning him out. Crowds. Team McPherson2 sticking together. Shuffling past the White House. Almost getting run over by a police officer. Walking again. Crowds. Finally made it to Pennsylvania Avenue. No room at the Parade! Oh well. Walk to Georgetown. Must find a bathroom. Then we'll find some lunch. Team McPherson2 walking over the Key Bridge to Rosslyn. Metro still too crowded, so keep walking all the way back to Courthouse.

Phew!

I'll post some pics later.

Day of Service and Honoring the Past

Our President-Elect had declared today a National Day of Service and so Kathryn and I had tried to sign-up like a month ago to participate in one of the service projects that are happening in the DC area today, but like many of the things she got us on the waiting list of 500 people. So needless to say our plans for today did not start out with us participating in any service projects. We were on our way to the National Archives and the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery and when the first was crowded beyond belief and the second wasn't open yet, I suggested that we walk over to the MLK Library to see what was going on there to see what was going on today. What we found was this:





We got to participate in a service project after all! Thanks to the Morehouse College fraternities to organized such a great project. We met some really nice people and got to participate a little bit in the Feeding America program. So many people had showed up (some from as far as California) that we were only needed for about an hour. We rotated through and let everyone else have a turn.



Going through musuems is nice, but this was WAY better!

We didn't stick around for too long though as the big entertainment was going to Josh Groben and after the concert yesterday I'd had my fill. So it was off to the Portrait Gallery which was finally open and saw the pictures of all the presidents. I think that the presidents who turned out to struggle the most with their time in office have the most unusual portraits.

Then we went to wait in the line at the National Archives to see those documents that are the most important to us in this country. Fortunately I was able to take a few pictures before so many people used their flash and all cameras were put away.

Very few things move me, but the phrase at the beginning of the Constitution really is so powerful to me.



On our way back we walked through the Mall to see what was happening and to see the set up for tomorrow. It is a crazy place already! And the worst part was when we walked by the MSNBC booth, who should be there, but my new best friend Josh Groben. we really need work on scheduling our events at different times.

Concert at Lincoln Memorial

Yesterday I went to probably the best concert I have ever had the pleasure of going to, even if Josh Groben was one of the performers.

Kathryn and I arrived at 9:30 in the morning and we could have gotten a bit closer than we were, but decided that we wanted to have a good view of the screens and from our vantage point we could still see the stage, although the performers looked like wee little bugs dancing about while their voices were broadcast across the front long.



I'd never heard 300,000 people singing the Star Spangled Banner before and it really was a moving sound. Definately worth the five hour wait to hear the concert and our President-Elect speak!