On to the Parade! I was determined to see that! The kids by now were restless and ready to go home. I had to remind them of the importance of this whole day & moment. We walked around and finally ended up around the corner of 10th and Pennsylvania Avenue. We were freezing cold. Paul & Jake went in search of hot food. They ended up with 4 hot soups and some wraps for $40.00, but it was warm. The dad and his two boys next to us were locals. They were very friendly. We had a nice visit with them. Apparently, school was closed because most families and lots of teachers were planning on playing hooky to come see the events of the day. They said that school had never been closed for an inauguration before, pretty cool!
Well, we waited & waited, but then around 3:00 PM an announcement was made that the Parade had been delayed due to Senator Ted Kennedy collapsing earlier. Everything became hushed and I'm sure a number of prayers were sent out to him and his family at that very moment. Around 3:15 they announced it would begin in about 2 minutes. Well, that didn't happen. I quit looking at the time when it finally did begin, but boy was it exciting. The motorcycle police from the Metro DC area opened up the show. Then it was followed by military groups and other law enforcement. After about 10 minutes into the show, they announced that the President & First Lady were arriving. Everyone started cheering and shouting, "Obama, Obama!" It was very thrilling! Then we saw him, them...there they were walking along the streets right near where we were standing. Of course everyone in front of us wanted to see them as well. I shot lots of photos, but haven't yet gone through them to see if I got them. Jake got the back of the President's head. I hope I got something better. But, we were there & we saw them. That made it all worth while. Rachael says that was the best part of her trip!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Inauguration Day~January 20, 2009
Well, we made it to D.C., we thought this would be the day of days, and it was, but not quite in the way we planned or expected! We were disappointed along with many (at least tens of) thousands of others who were shut out by security and not allowed onto the lawn or wherever we would have ended up to see the actual inauguration. It was sad, yes I cried, but I can still say I was there, somewhere. And, knowing that we weren't the only ones, even thousands (according to the local news out here) of ticket holders were not allowed in as well. It made me feel a little better. We headed out at 8:00 AM and were stuck with others who had left their homes locally at 3:00 AM. Believe me, it sure made me feel better that I didn't make my family get up at 2:00 like I wanted, they would have really been upset with me.
We waited for hours, squished in crowd, but everyone was in the same boat. Everyone was polite and friendly, we were very warm at this point because we were all wrapped up in layers and layers of clothes, coats, gloves, hats, scarves, and long johns. Rachael got pretty squished a few times as people began getting anxious and wanted to get through the shut gates. To tell you the truth, at times I felt like the people on the Titanic that got stuck behind the gates and weren't able to get to the top or to lifeboats.
Then around 1:30 PM or so, we were finally let through. At that point, everyone was very excited, except they only let about 3 people in at a time to go to yet another line for security checks. Rachael got pulled through ahead of us because the police were worried about kids getting squished and trampled, but I kept shouting, she's with me, she's my daughter. They kept nodding that they knew and held her to the side till I went through. After about 5 long minutes, she & I were rejoined and then we went on to security. Paul & Jake were still behind the gates in the shoving crowd somewhere. Good thing we had agreeded on a meeting place.
After we were all through and reunited, we attempted to use the lovely outhouses. There were many of rows of them, fun! They were pretty bad and lots of them didn't have the ever important toilet paper. Not fun!
We waited for hours, squished in crowd, but everyone was in the same boat. Everyone was polite and friendly, we were very warm at this point because we were all wrapped up in layers and layers of clothes, coats, gloves, hats, scarves, and long johns. Rachael got pretty squished a few times as people began getting anxious and wanted to get through the shut gates. To tell you the truth, at times I felt like the people on the Titanic that got stuck behind the gates and weren't able to get to the top or to lifeboats.
Then around 1:30 PM or so, we were finally let through. At that point, everyone was very excited, except they only let about 3 people in at a time to go to yet another line for security checks. Rachael got pulled through ahead of us because the police were worried about kids getting squished and trampled, but I kept shouting, she's with me, she's my daughter. They kept nodding that they knew and held her to the side till I went through. After about 5 long minutes, she & I were rejoined and then we went on to security. Paul & Jake were still behind the gates in the shoving crowd somewhere. Good thing we had agreeded on a meeting place.
After we were all through and reunited, we attempted to use the lovely outhouses. There were many of rows of them, fun! They were pretty bad and lots of them didn't have the ever important toilet paper. Not fun!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
What a day!!
Hi Rachael and the Kerley family,
We finally have it figured out and Ms. Patterson is able to post to your BLOG. We have many messages floating in cyber space! Basically they all wanted you to all have fun, dress warm, take lots of pictures, and come home safely. As we watched the ceremonies today we were hopeful to see your family. A few students think they saw you! I hope they did.
We are enjoying reading about your trip. What a fantastic experience. We are anxious to hear all about it. Please know you are all missed at Madison School.
Mr. Kerley it is Tuesday, please wish Rachael and Happy Tuesday for us!!
Love,
Ms. Patterson's Class
We finally have it figured out and Ms. Patterson is able to post to your BLOG. We have many messages floating in cyber space! Basically they all wanted you to all have fun, dress warm, take lots of pictures, and come home safely. As we watched the ceremonies today we were hopeful to see your family. A few students think they saw you! I hope they did.
We are enjoying reading about your trip. What a fantastic experience. We are anxious to hear all about it. Please know you are all missed at Madison School.
Mr. Kerley it is Tuesday, please wish Rachael and Happy Tuesday for us!!
Love,
Ms. Patterson's Class
Today's the Day!
We are here, Change has Come, and we are part of it... everyone of us, not just those of us who were able to journey to D. C., but this is so Historic, it took all of us to get to this place. It is 7:00 AM Eastern Coast time, so you are all probably sleeping. Watching the news on TV is just incredible. There are so many people on the Mall already and my family is still asleep. I told them I was getting them up in a few minutes, they've been warned! I cannot describe the feelings I have about this moment and today...it is beyond compare as far as Patriotism and Hope go. It doesn't even matter how cold it is or if it does snow today, it is a special day! Signing off for now, I'm gettin' everyone one up so we can go and join the crowd of History! I hope you get to see this on TV. Check back this evening or tomorrow morning for more highlights!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009- MLK Day
Today was another incredible day-Monday, January 19, 2009- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! People were out in droves. We ran into people from all over the country. We began our day with me trying to get everyone up at 9:00 AM. They all took way longer than I wanted them to, but we finally got out the door & headed to a nearby Metro station, about 10 minutes away. We found a parking spot & because it was a holiday we didn't have to pay for metered parking, yeah! We then got in line with the other few hundred people to get train passes for the ride into D.C. That only took another 15 minutes, but it seemed like an hour. It was pretty cold, about 30 degrees. We decided to get tickets for today, tomorrow, and Wednesday so we wouldn't have to wait in those lines again! The Metro Staff was very friendly and helpful. We even got some commemorative Obama passes from one of them.
We decided to begin at the Washington Monument and go from there to all the nearby monuments. Well, we began at the same level of excitement, but after about 5 miles of walking, I think I was the only one still excited about the self-guided tour. We, I, took lots of photos of everything! Rachael was the only one excited about posing for them, you will hopefully see when we figure out how to get them up on the blog which may be when we return. I'm still working on it with Jake's help.
So, after the Washington Monument, we headed to the World War II Memorial which looks so different when the fountains are not flowing. It was still beautiful and sad at the same time. I think it is such a loving tribute to those who served and their familes. It has special meaning to us because of our dear friend, Rose Biggerstaff, who is one of the oldest, if not thee oldest, living WWII civilian survivor of Pearl Harbor. Her husband was a Naval Officer at the time and she has shared many incredible pictures and stories with us about them and that infamous day.
Off to the Reflecting Pond and the Lincoln Memorial, sort of. We took the long, cold, yet beautiful walk following the path next of the Reflecting Pond on the way to the Lincoln Memorial. What was really cool was they had gigantic screens and speakers replaying the concerts from Sunday as well as President-elect Obama's speech running continuously so you could see it and feel like you had been there, without quite the same size crowd.
This is where the kids began complaining. When you see the Pond in movies, on the news, or in pictures, it doesn't look nearly as long as it really is, especially when you walk it in freezing cold weather. Good thing, the kids didn't realize we weren't even half way done with our tour for the day, or they would have up and quit on us! When we got to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial the crowd was pretty large. The stage crew was still taking down the set from Sunday's concert so most of the stairway paths to see Mr. Lincoln were cut off. When we finally realized that we would have to wait in line for at least an hour, we took a family vote. The kids won and we decided not to wait to get a close up view, but to return on Wednesday. Thus we headed to the Vietnam Memorial. Of course that is amazing and sad to see as well. Many people were lined up to see and touch The Wall and look for names of those they knew and loved.
Another family dicussion, everyone was getting tired, but not cranky, so I knew I could still encourage them to hold out. I would remind them of stories of our Founding Fathers and how they got around and didn't give up! I told them I knew they could do it! I only wanted to make one more stop today: The Jefferson Memorial.
I probably should have looked at the map before I made that choice. I had an idea where it was, from my visit last summer. I really wanted to be sure to go there, since I missed getting to it last time. So we headed in the general direction with Paul, his brother, Joe, and me taking turns asking various people how to get there. Lucky for us, we stumbled into the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial on the way. That helped keep the kids' spirits up, just a little. It was a huge tribute and quite impressive. Eleanor, his wife, is even a part of it. We took lots of photos there too! When we finally saw the Jefferson Memorial across the water, through the trees, everyone was ready to give up, but me. I had good fortune on my side. Since they were all ready to get home & rest their feet, I was able to convince them, truthfully, that if we continued in the circle we were walking, it would be a shorter path back to where we began & our Metro ride home if we headed in that direction.
After what seemed like another hour of walking, even for me, although I was the only one smiling about it, we finally arrived to stare up at the incredible statue of Thomas Jefferson. Wow was it tall & elegant! And, it was well worth the journey. Signing off for now. I need to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow's bigger day! Inauguration, here we come!
We decided to begin at the Washington Monument and go from there to all the nearby monuments. Well, we began at the same level of excitement, but after about 5 miles of walking, I think I was the only one still excited about the self-guided tour. We, I, took lots of photos of everything! Rachael was the only one excited about posing for them, you will hopefully see when we figure out how to get them up on the blog which may be when we return. I'm still working on it with Jake's help.
So, after the Washington Monument, we headed to the World War II Memorial which looks so different when the fountains are not flowing. It was still beautiful and sad at the same time. I think it is such a loving tribute to those who served and their familes. It has special meaning to us because of our dear friend, Rose Biggerstaff, who is one of the oldest, if not thee oldest, living WWII civilian survivor of Pearl Harbor. Her husband was a Naval Officer at the time and she has shared many incredible pictures and stories with us about them and that infamous day.
Off to the Reflecting Pond and the Lincoln Memorial, sort of. We took the long, cold, yet beautiful walk following the path next of the Reflecting Pond on the way to the Lincoln Memorial. What was really cool was they had gigantic screens and speakers replaying the concerts from Sunday as well as President-elect Obama's speech running continuously so you could see it and feel like you had been there, without quite the same size crowd.
This is where the kids began complaining. When you see the Pond in movies, on the news, or in pictures, it doesn't look nearly as long as it really is, especially when you walk it in freezing cold weather. Good thing, the kids didn't realize we weren't even half way done with our tour for the day, or they would have up and quit on us! When we got to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial the crowd was pretty large. The stage crew was still taking down the set from Sunday's concert so most of the stairway paths to see Mr. Lincoln were cut off. When we finally realized that we would have to wait in line for at least an hour, we took a family vote. The kids won and we decided not to wait to get a close up view, but to return on Wednesday. Thus we headed to the Vietnam Memorial. Of course that is amazing and sad to see as well. Many people were lined up to see and touch The Wall and look for names of those they knew and loved.
Another family dicussion, everyone was getting tired, but not cranky, so I knew I could still encourage them to hold out. I would remind them of stories of our Founding Fathers and how they got around and didn't give up! I told them I knew they could do it! I only wanted to make one more stop today: The Jefferson Memorial.
I probably should have looked at the map before I made that choice. I had an idea where it was, from my visit last summer. I really wanted to be sure to go there, since I missed getting to it last time. So we headed in the general direction with Paul, his brother, Joe, and me taking turns asking various people how to get there. Lucky for us, we stumbled into the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial on the way. That helped keep the kids' spirits up, just a little. It was a huge tribute and quite impressive. Eleanor, his wife, is even a part of it. We took lots of photos there too! When we finally saw the Jefferson Memorial across the water, through the trees, everyone was ready to give up, but me. I had good fortune on my side. Since they were all ready to get home & rest their feet, I was able to convince them, truthfully, that if we continued in the circle we were walking, it would be a shorter path back to where we began & our Metro ride home if we headed in that direction.
After what seemed like another hour of walking, even for me, although I was the only one smiling about it, we finally arrived to stare up at the incredible statue of Thomas Jefferson. Wow was it tall & elegant! And, it was well worth the journey. Signing off for now. I need to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow's bigger day! Inauguration, here we come!
Sunday, January 18, 2007
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 ended up being a travel day and a day of rest. We traveled south from Philly through a bit of Delaware on to Maryland. We met up with Paul's brother who is a Technical Sargent in the US Air Force, stationed at Boling Air Force Base in D. C. However, he is living on Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland with his lovely wife, Jenn, and that is where we are staying. It seems like a good sized base and has everything you would need on it, just about.
It snowed quite a bit on our drive down as we crossed the border into Maryland, but by the time we hit the base, it had stayed north of us. Yahoooo! Of course, Rachael wanted it to follow us and stick so that we could play in it, we all said, "NO!"
The kids got to help Uncle Joe make pepperoni pizza for dinner, that was a treat! We really did get rest and catch up on some TV shows and most certainly, news. It was great to watch the highlights from Sunday's concerts and Obama's speech. I am saving newspapers to bring home. For those of you who know Alexia Bautista, she is out here with her husband and some family members and they made it to the concert and speech out at the Lincoln Memorial. I did get a chance to talk with her via cell phone and she said it was cold out there, but she was excited for the day's events! That's it for now...
It snowed quite a bit on our drive down as we crossed the border into Maryland, but by the time we hit the base, it had stayed north of us. Yahoooo! Of course, Rachael wanted it to follow us and stick so that we could play in it, we all said, "NO!"
The kids got to help Uncle Joe make pepperoni pizza for dinner, that was a treat! We really did get rest and catch up on some TV shows and most certainly, news. It was great to watch the highlights from Sunday's concerts and Obama's speech. I am saving newspapers to bring home. For those of you who know Alexia Bautista, she is out here with her husband and some family members and they made it to the concert and speech out at the Lincoln Memorial. I did get a chance to talk with her via cell phone and she said it was cold out there, but she was excited for the day's events! That's it for now...
Saturday, January 17th, 2009
Hello out there,
On Saturday, we headed up to the 30th Street Station, hoping to catch a glimpse of the President-elect or his train! I was so excited! We arrived around 11:30 AM because we knew we wouldn't be allowed to get into the special invitation area where he would be giving a speech. (It was so guarde and blocked off anyway.) Instead we watched that part on the TV like most people. As we drove closer to the station, we knew we were in the right vicinity when we came upon hoards of "official" looking vehicals, road blocks, police cars in many different colors from various places, and of course the beautiful police horses with their riders.
We walked as close as we could get, they actually were letting anyone into the train station without being checked through security. It was kind of nice, but I was surprised we weren't checked. Once inside, the kids wanted to eat, but we stood and stretched and tried for that one glimpse, only to see more security and more people. We finally let the kids eat!
We hung around with some demonstrators, listened to parts of their speeches about ending the war and calling for peace, and we glanced through some street vendors' Obama ware. Most of it was pretty spendy. We never did get to see the Obama Familyor the train, but we can always say "we were there!"
Next we headed back to the historic district to explore some more of Philladelphia. We went to Ben Franklin's Post Office and Printing House. In case you did not know, Ben Franklin was the first Post Master General, appointed by the Continental Congress. That would be before we became the United States. It was pretty cool to watch the printer make copies of the Declaration of Independence the old fashion way! Yes, Rachael bought one to bring back and share.
We also went to the U. S. Postal Museum. Its pretty cool to see how far we've come. Did you know that the pneumatic tubes were being used in the 1800's? Now, you might ask, what is a pneumatic tube? Good question! Mr. Kerley says, "That is a good thing to look up."
We are working on getting our photos up, hope to have them soon, something to do with forgetting cables, cords, chargers, ahhhh, the joys of techology.
Signing off for now...
On Saturday, we headed up to the 30th Street Station, hoping to catch a glimpse of the President-elect or his train! I was so excited! We arrived around 11:30 AM because we knew we wouldn't be allowed to get into the special invitation area where he would be giving a speech. (It was so guarde and blocked off anyway.) Instead we watched that part on the TV like most people. As we drove closer to the station, we knew we were in the right vicinity when we came upon hoards of "official" looking vehicals, road blocks, police cars in many different colors from various places, and of course the beautiful police horses with their riders.
We walked as close as we could get, they actually were letting anyone into the train station without being checked through security. It was kind of nice, but I was surprised we weren't checked. Once inside, the kids wanted to eat, but we stood and stretched and tried for that one glimpse, only to see more security and more people. We finally let the kids eat!
We hung around with some demonstrators, listened to parts of their speeches about ending the war and calling for peace, and we glanced through some street vendors' Obama ware. Most of it was pretty spendy. We never did get to see the Obama Familyor the train, but we can always say "we were there!"
Next we headed back to the historic district to explore some more of Philladelphia. We went to Ben Franklin's Post Office and Printing House. In case you did not know, Ben Franklin was the first Post Master General, appointed by the Continental Congress. That would be before we became the United States. It was pretty cool to watch the printer make copies of the Declaration of Independence the old fashion way! Yes, Rachael bought one to bring back and share.
We also went to the U. S. Postal Museum. Its pretty cool to see how far we've come. Did you know that the pneumatic tubes were being used in the 1800's? Now, you might ask, what is a pneumatic tube? Good question! Mr. Kerley says, "That is a good thing to look up."
We are working on getting our photos up, hope to have them soon, something to do with forgetting cables, cords, chargers, ahhhh, the joys of techology.
Signing off for now...
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
National Mall Perspective
Mr. and Mrs. Kerley, Rachel and Jacob- Thinking of you all and enjoying your blog! I watched the news this morning and they had a correspondent reporting from the national mall. She was giving the viewers a perspective of what it might be like with up to 2 million people watching the swearing-in. She stated the mall comfortably accommodates 500,000 and that it might seem extremely crowded with an extra 1.5 million. She then went on to make the point that crowding together isn't necessarily a bad thing when it is so extremely cold! Is your plan to gather with the masses? If so, be careful, have fun, take tons of pictures and stay warm! Selma
Friday, January 16, 2009
Friday, January 16th, 2009
Well, 4 more days and counting down! I can hardly wait. Today was pretty fun and VERY cold, about 4 degrees when we walked a mile or so to our car after a wonderful dinner at City Tavern. The City Tavern is a very famous meeting place (and restaurant) for the fathers of our Constitution. They would meet there to dine and discuss the important matters of the times economically, socially, and politically.
In 1774, members of the First Continental Congress met there. The closing banquet for the Constitutional Convention was also held there in 1787. Staff are dressed in period clothing and share history about the building and the times. Many of the recipes are also from that period such as Martha Wahsington's recipe for chocolate mousse. http://www.citytavern.com/
We also visited the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Ben Franklin's grave, and the National Constitution Center (NCC). http://constitutioncenter.org/ The presentation there and the museum are quite remarkable. There is so much to see, do, and of course learn. Rachael had lots of fun, "swearing in" as President of the United States.
We were also very fortunate to arrive the same day as the traveling exhibit: America I Am, the African American Imprint's World Premiere in Philly. http://gophila.com/questforfreedom It is located at the NCC. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm assuming it will come to Seattle and I strongly encourage everyone to visit it. It gives so much history from the slaves of old to Barack Obama and everyone in between, with the incredible contributions and sacrifices that have been made by so many African Americans.
Tomorrow we hope to help send off our future President Obama as he takes the Inaugural Train out of Philly to D.C. We will give a full report on that tomorrow night. Adios for now...
In 1774, members of the First Continental Congress met there. The closing banquet for the Constitutional Convention was also held there in 1787. Staff are dressed in period clothing and share history about the building and the times. Many of the recipes are also from that period such as Martha Wahsington's recipe for chocolate mousse. http://www.citytavern.com/
We also visited the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Ben Franklin's grave, and the National Constitution Center (NCC). http://constitutioncenter.org/ The presentation there and the museum are quite remarkable. There is so much to see, do, and of course learn. Rachael had lots of fun, "swearing in" as President of the United States.
We were also very fortunate to arrive the same day as the traveling exhibit: America I Am, the African American Imprint's World Premiere in Philly. http://gophila.com/questforfreedom It is located at the NCC. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm assuming it will come to Seattle and I strongly encourage everyone to visit it. It gives so much history from the slaves of old to Barack Obama and everyone in between, with the incredible contributions and sacrifices that have been made by so many African Americans.
Tomorrow we hope to help send off our future President Obama as he takes the Inaugural Train out of Philly to D.C. We will give a full report on that tomorrow night. Adios for now...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Happy Birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I can't forget to remind my students that today is Dr. King's birthday! I hope the assembly went very well. I know you did a great job! I will be checking in on you! Thanks for doing the performance without me! I have a treat for you when I return! Keep up the good work. I, we- Mr. Madison too, expect to hear great things about you. Bye for now...
We're now in Philly
We left Seattle at 9:00 AM. We arrived in St. Paul, MN around 2:15 PM on Thursday, January 15th. It was a wopping -7 degrees! Brrrrr! Good thing we didn't have to go outside. Getting off the plane was cold enough! We boarded our 2nd plane of the day for Philly. We arrived around 8:30 PM to a warm 20 degrees. We were happy for the "warm" weather. We found an amazing salad bar at Ruby Tuesdays, Yum MEE! We are staying at a pretty nice hotel that even has free internet, YEAH! I will add a photo to this tomorrow when Rachael wakes up to show me how to download it from her new digital camera. Friday, we plan to do it up in downtown Historic Philadelphia. Stay tuned, or come back for another visit!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Saturday, December 13, 2008
In the Beginning...
We are getting ready for our trip to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. My class has come up with a list of questions that they want to know the answers to. They will be going on line to research and try to find answers to their questions. One of the questions is: How old is the Lincoln Memorial? Another is: Where is George Washington buried? The kids will be posting their questions and answers as they complete their research. Stay tuned to see their results!
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