Through our eyes (and ears)

Watch the swearing in of Barack Obama from our spot on the mall in Washington D.C. at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2009. It was an unbelievable thrill to be a part of the flag-waving, chanting, history-making crowd, estimated at between 1.2 and 1.5 million people.

Early morning run

This You Tube video shows the first leg of our journey from the tour bus which dropped us off more than a mile from the mall in Washington D.C. at about 6:00 a.m. We somehow managed to stay together in the dark as we wound our way through the crowds and the traffic, climbing over walls at one point and down a narrrow path to get to the grassy area where we stood for five hours to be a part of this historic event.

Favorite Moments

Going through the trip in my mind and trying to identify my favorite moments is a hard task. There were numerous adventures and comical sayings that I will remember for the rest of my life. I would say that one of my favorite things on the trip was the people I met. We shared a bus and hotel floor with a group from Palm Bay, Florida. They were an amazing group that always had us laughing. We had come from extreme opposites. They were bundled in warm coats, hats, scarves, mittens, and hand warmers in D.C. while we thought of the experience as a break from Maine's harsh temperatures. Our Maine group was often seen in just a sweatshirt or no coat at all. Hopefully after I graduate this year I will be able to see some of them this summer. I will always hear "Palm Bay-Maine," echo in my ears whenever I think of them.
My second favorite moment was when we played a joke on Mrs. Minton. We were going into George Washington's home at Mount Vernon when Jess placed a cellphone in her mom's purse, set to the loudest rap ring tone. Then, once we got next to the tour woman, she called the phone. Mrs. Minton had no idea that it was her phone going off. Finally, once it was repeated to her several times to turn off her phone, she turned to Jess frantically, "Jess, Jess, Jess, what did you do? What did you do to my purse?" Then, Jess replied, "Mom, I can't fix your mistakes." That moment was priceless. I still laugh when I think back about the times we shared. I not only grew close to people from different states, but also the people in my own school. This was a great bonding experience and an even better way to end my senior year. Oh, and the inauguration was great, but hey, that's a given.

Where we were on January 20, 2009

People keep asking where our brave band of Bonny Eagle bloggers stood to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama.
We were near the front of the first long quadrant -- between Madison Drive and 4th Street -- across from the National Gallery of Art West Wing. We were positioned near the porta-potties, behind the first and closest Jumbotron on the left, but with a good view of the Capitol dome in the distance.

This photo gallery of aerial and satellite shots really gives a good sense of where we were on that incredibly cold, but wonderfully momentous morning. Photo #20 gives a good sense of how close we got, relatively speaking, as well as the size of the crowd. The photos can be accessed here

Favorite Moments

Now that we are home, the members of the Bonny Eagle staff will be recording their memorable moments on this blog. (Most of them will wait until they've had a good night's sleep or finished their finals today and tomorrow.) This first one was recorded by Steven Murphy as we sat in the BWI terminal waiting to go home Wednesday night. So, keep reading our blog as we wrap up our impressions of this historic week. J.L.

One of my favorite moments was the morning of the Inauguration when we were walking towards the mall and the capital. Our tour bus was forced to drop us off about six blocks away from the mall. The time was 5:30 a.m. and we had already had a long two days, but our exhaustion was wiped away with the excitement of what we were about to witness.
As we began our walk we were met with hundreds of people herding through the dark streets, making it feel like we were in one of those movies where the world is ending and everybody is trying to make there way out of the city. As we continued the crowd became more and more compacted as it filed into the mall. Soon it got to the point where people were so packed together that you didn't have a choice to move in your own direction, the crowd just moved as one.

Steven Murphy

Day 2: Jan. 19: Dancing the night away

By Shannon Jacobson


We had an early breakfast in the hotel. We sat with members of the Florida group from Palm Bay. We also shared a hotel floor and the bus that drove us into the city every day with them. Once we ended our breakfast, we headed into DC. Our first stop was the Korean War memorial, and then the Vietnam War memorial.
We walked past the Lincoln Memorial, which was still blocked off because of the concert the day before. Then, we went on to visit the Smithsonian museums. One group was with Mrs. Lannin and the other was with Mrs. Minton, Jessica Minton's mother. Mrs. Lannin's group headed to the Museum of Natural History while our group went to the Museum of Art.
At the art museum, we were amazed by the architecture. As soon as we walked in, all around us were large marble pillars. In the center was an enormous fountain with flowers all around. Above us was a glass ceiling that lighted the room perfectly. We were able to see the only Da Vinci painting in the nation. We also saw Monet and Van Gogh paintings.
After we left the museum we walked many blocks to the bus. Then, we boarded and headed to Mount Vernon, the home of our nation's first president, George Washington. We had two hours to do with what we wanted, so we headed up the hill for a tour of his mansion.
There was a long line, about an hour's wait we were told. So to keep us entertained, Stephanie Lombardo had the great idea to get everyone doing the wave. We were at the very end of the line and so Eliot and the rest of our group called ahead to the others and asked them to join in. After approximately 20 tries, we had the whole line doing the wave. I would estimate that there were at least 200 people in line, from states around the country, joined together doing the wave! Our group was in line for an hour and forty five minutes. During that time we did the wave, took pictures, cracked jokes, and listened to Jess and her bottlenose porpous imitation.
After touring the house, which was interesting for its brightly colored, tiny rooms, we headed to the hotel where we got ready for the ball.
We arrived at the "Camelot" reception hall, girls dressed up in cute dresses and the boys in suits. Since the weather was so cold, the boys graciously gave up their coats for us on the bus because we'd been told we couldn't bring our coats because we wouldn't be able to check them. We danced with students from all around the United States, including our famous Flannel Gary. That night was long and tiring, but full of fun and excitement. It was a night that all of us will never forget.

The Final Morning

By Jessica Minton

After Tuesday's activities and chaos, there was nothing Wednesday could bring that we could not handle. Looking back on our first day of long walking tours and information overloads, we had all come a long way in four days. Wednesday morning we were allowed to sleep in. That meant we did not have to get up until seven. Compared to three am. wake up calls, it seemed like a treat. The morning was just like the other two, except this time, we wouldn't be returning. We packed our suitcases and loaded the bus for our routine journey into D.C. We passed by monuments that had once been so new, but now seemed so familiar. We dispersed from our Florida friends, as we both went on to explore the many things the city has to offer.
Our final museum was the Newseum. A place dedicated to the first Amendment only seemed fitting to finalize this patriotic trip. Inside this six story building were exhibits dedicated not only to the news and people who provide it, but also to the people who have fought for that right. That would be the right to freedom of speech. There were sections dedicated to Supreme Court cases that argued the first amendment. We saw the actual black armbands from the Tinker v. Des Monies case along with other artifacts and stories.
Other sections of the museum are dedicated to specific events in history and the way they were covered. The 9/11 exhibit contained the front pages from newspapers throughout the country and the world. Not only are there papers, but video from the attacks are streamed with commentary from reporters who were there. A part was dedicated to a photo journalist who had died while trying to capture the moment. All that was left was his camera that was found in the rubble and the photos that were on he film. Just below was an area containing giant pieces of the Berlin Wall. Being able to see the actual wall that separated that country for so long was something I didn't even know people could still do.
A big piece of journalism is photography. The pieces we saw were important moments in history that were captured by people who risked so much to show the world their first hand accounts. A section held all the Pulitzer Prize winning photos. Some pictures were recognizable, well others were new. All were breath taking.
On the day after the Inauguration, the neatest display was the headlines from newspapers all over the world. Some ranging from small town Gazettes, to national newspapers in writing we could not read, but we could understand. They all spoke of the change that was coming, or not so much coming, but happening. Looking around at all of the events that had been covered, and the events that were significant enough to be on display, made us realize something. We were in the midst of a major event. Just like the displays in the museum, the inauguration we had just witnessed is a defining piece of history. And like the journalist we had just learned about, it is our job to report to those who could not be there, just how important this event was.






Here's a link to the Newseum's wrap-up of its own inauguration coverage.