joan garry

NOTES FROM A LUCKY PURPLE TICKET HOLDER
or
EXCUSE ME SIR, THERE SEEMS TO BE A TREE ON MY JUMBO TRON

We were among the lucky ones.  Purple ticket holders who were not stuck in the 3rd Street Tunnel.  Purple ticket holders who didn’t give up and watch the swearing in from a nearby sports bar.

We got there.

And so file the following post as color commentary from a lucky purple ticket holder.  Do not mistake it as whining.

The trip into the Purple Gate was treacherous.  I remember thinking that I was happy I didn’t have any significant claustrophobia issues.  I remember thinking that as I turned myself sideways, took a deep breath, grabbed my friend Craig’s hand as he pulled me through into the gate (he needed me – I had all the tickets), that it had probably been 51 years since I’d been in such close quarters.  I also remember thinking that I have never been so close to another human being without knowing her name.  I wanted to turn back and lament  to this stranger that we had time for neither a cigarette nor Chinese food.  But there was no turning back.

Conveniently located near a row of Porta-Potties, the four of us found the best spot we could.   It was thrilling.

We could hear absolutely everything.

You see, the lawn in front of the Capitol slopes down.  I suppose that works out well when there are heavy rains – I bet the basement stays nice and dry.  But if you are 5’2”, people in front of you are even taller.  And the people in front of them are even taller still. You get the idea.

Thank goodness for the JumboTron.

I could see that pretty well.   I stared at it between wool caps and got the best view I could.  But there was something odd about what I was seeing.  I turned to my friend Cordelia.  “Why do you think they were making all the VIPS walk through the trees?  You’d think they would give them all a clear shot.”

It was just the JumboTron.  I guess they decided not to trim back the landscaping and they couldn’t hang the screen much higher or it would interfere with flags.

So again, we made the most of it.  It is downright amazing to find out just how many politicians the four of us could identify with only a select few facial parts visible to us.

So fun.  You should try it sometime.

“Eileen, look at that hairline – that is definitely Newt Gingrich.”   Someone in the crowd with a better view would confirm.  “Yup, that’s Newt!”   Cordelia chimes in.  “I see a woman and an eye.  It looks like Condi Rice.  I think that is her eye.”  Amazing.  Cordelia was spot on.

Once in a while, we’d get lucky and get a whole face – that was an extra special treat.

Anyway, we only played that game for a little while.    The magnitude of the event trumped our need to entertain ourselves.  And the event did not disappoint.  It was absolutely thrilling.

I do think it would have been nice to let those of us standing near the canons know that there was going to be a 21 gun salute. It’s a good rule of thumb to avoid with big loud explosions that come as a surprise during gatherings of 2 million Americans.

But my favorite moment of all was standing behind the Capitol and seeing the Bush helicopter lift off and fly right over our heads.  I had my Flip Video at the ready but the intensity of the moment caused my index finger to turn the camera off.

But it was OK.  I saw it with my own eyes and I remember what I saw and how I felt.

I have hope about the future.  But I worry a lot.  We all do.  But as he flew away, I knew one thing.   Another  national nightmare was over.