Thoughts on the Inauguration...........

I was at the inauguration with the Child Bride (she voted for him, I did not, and she's the Republican) and was impressed by many things.

I thought the speech was excellent. Hinting at the need for new ideas and methods while pointing out that our nation is based on the same values that have made us what we are. And stressing that those same core values are what we need to get back to the path of peace and prosperity.

I enjoyed greatly the stress on taking responsibility. A few groans in the crowd around us for that one, but they were VERY few.

Stressing that we will not "give in" to those who would harm us and that we will not hesitate to strike to protect ourselves is a message that I hope is carried through. I think it will be and I hope those who would do us harm were paying close attention.

So, we shall see what we shall see. My hope for our new president is the same as it would be for any person in the job. I hope he achieves greatness because that will also mean good for the American people.

I was impressed by the spirit of all the people we saw over our 3 days there. We didn't see a single instance of inappropriate behavior, rudeness or crime. We did see people of all walks of life and parts of the spectrum treating each other with respect and courtesy.

I will recommend the International Spy Museum as a place to stop if you visit. We did not get to do their interactive segment due to a water problem, but the museum alone was excellent.

We also experienced very little difficulty in getting around town. The nightmare traffic jam going into our Metro station we heard about on FOX news simply wasn't there, and we could see the site 7-8 minutes and were at the site about 15 minutes after it was last reported.

Trains were crowded, but on time and we never failed to be able to use the first one available. We were delayed leaving the Mall on Tuesday, but given the numbers there it wasn't anything that shouldn't have been expected.

Finally, did anyone else notice that President Carter shook hands with President Bush but walked past President Clinton?