Good morning folks. Working from home, far away from the inauguration events. Sorta wish I could be downtown. The procession carrying Trump will pass right by my offices, a couple blocks south.
The first inauguration that occurred after I got to Washington DC was Reagan's first in 1980. I got up before dawn that day, made may way into he city, and found a spot along Pennsylvania Averna where it makes a hard right turn to go past the Treasury Building, then a left to the White House. There was a huge tree there, then and now, and I parked myself in front of it with a 35 mm camera I had from a college journalism photography class.
(I was trying to break into newspaper work, and was determined to cover the inauguration like a reporter, even though the only job I could find then was as an editor at a trade association writing about legislation and government regulations affecting canned foods...)
All morning uniformed Secret Service guys walked by me, and a couple looked through my bag, but incredibly no one asked for any press credential or otherwise hassled me -- and I was just some kid of 23 hanging out with no real reason to be there. When Ron and Nancy passed by later that morning I got some beautiful photos. Reagan looked right at me with a big smile. So, where are they? Lost somewhere along the way. WIsh I still had them.
Of course, just a few months later, a kid about my age shot Reagan and others in DC. So, I doubt anyone has got to stand by that tree again without a much more thorough shake-down.
I was working about halfway between where Reagan was shot at the Washington Hilton and the George Washington Hospital and remember all the hullabaloo as ambulances and Secret Service cars and so on screamed passed my offices at the National Food Processors Association at 20th and M streets. A few days later, me and a buddy just walked up to the hospital at lunch time, and we happened to be there when Reagan came to the window and waved at a big crowd of people standing there. A lifetime ago...
Hope this is a good day for all you folks.
