From 1/22/09

Watching the inauguration (or dare I say “coronation”) of Barack Obama for hours and hours I felt a bit guilty. History was being made. My presence was required. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. What struck me besides the grandeur of the pomp, the shift on the axis of world wide consciousness and the momentousness of the occasion was something a bit down to earth. This place is familiar. I have spent time in our nation’s capital primarily because of my association with the resort, timeshare and shared ownership industry. My visits to Washington D.C. are because of my membership in ARDA (The American Resort Development Association) (www.arda.org). Depending on air fare my planes have landed at Dulles (and therefore can understand the traffic horrors of those roads into the District) or touched down at Reagan which continually feels like landing in the middle of a postcard or 5th grade history book. So when I saw Obama (and witnessed that terrific concert with something for everyone) at the Lincoln Memorial-- I truly could be present. During the limo procession to the Capitol I could visualize the route. Looking out at the mall I had memories of strolling along the reflecting pool toward the Washington Monument. And looking at the hopeful faces I can recall the youthful exuberance of another era coming to fruition. Our country is on an incredible journey. As are we. Who wudda thunk it could be felt even more deeply because of a trade association to support resort developers.