Inaugural Thoughts

I have been to two inaugurations - Nixon's in 1973 and Daddy Bush's in 1989.

Nixon's was part of a date as I was young, dumb and in love enough to drive up to D.C. and stand round in the freezing cold just to say I was there.  (The fact that I eventually married and divorced the lady I took to that event, I really can't blame on Nixon.)

What I do remember, aside from the freeing temps, is how militarized everything seemed to be around the event.  This was back when the inauguration was still held on the east side of the Capitol and the military folks were out in force.  There were tanks and armed soldiers spaced every 10 feet apart or so and I remembered thinking that it all seemed  little over done.  (It was Reagan who would eventually move the ceremony to the west side of the Capitol because he wanted to be facing his native state of California when he was sworn in.)

But back to how militarized Nixon's seemed to be, I read somewhere that that is what Nixon had in mind.  He wanted to install an imperial presidency and foster a strong military image.  He even had a hand in redesigning the uniforms for the military:

http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/2b4_b.html

For the Bush inauguration in 1989, I took the wife (yep same gal I took to Nixon's) and our four kids.  Let's just say it was quite an adventure as we were situated somewhere way in the outer regions of the ceremony back under that tree as Bush was being sworn in.

Years later my daughter Ryan would be working at a resort/retirement home in Arizona and waited on Dan Quayle.  Quayle's mother was a resident at the complex and he was there visiting her for Mother's Day and having breakfast in the restaurant where Ryan worked.

As Ryan took his order, she informed Quayle that she had attended his inauguration.  Impressed, Quayle signed a place mat for her and dedicated it to Buzzy.  (I've since looked for that place mat and either Buzzy tossed it or has it stashed in some nook of the Store that I've yet to discover.)

Feel like having hit these two events, I should try for the trifecta on inaugurations and go to one more.  Maybe take the grandkids this time.  However, given that I'm still not as mobile as I'd like to be, I'll have to pass on tomorrow's Trumpster Fest and watch it on the T-V. 

Hope H. makes a full recovery.  Always thought that he was a decent guy.