Trip into the Capitol in DC last evening

Hi All,
We got back from the Capitol in Washington DC at 11:45 pm. last
night. I live just south of the city in northern Virginia. I went into
the city with a friend and her husband. We drove to a metro stop and took
the Metro to Capitol Hill. The weather was great ( overcast , with just a
few rays of sun shining through). It only took us four hours to wait in
line ( and they had bottled water and health technicians walking around
the line to see if anyone needed anything) . We did have to go through three
security checks at different points ( no cameras, cell phones on, (
in the actual Capitol building) etc... & they had a "coat check"
system earlier in the line to check these items). & the final one was set
up in the visitor welcome center of the Capitol ( like they have at
airports). It all went fairly fast and smoothly. We got to talk to and
meet others from all over the country.
They did have a "changing of the guard " ceremony in the Rotunda of the
Capitol every 1 1/2 hours ( and the visitors in there at that time got to
witness the changing of the guards . ( we got to see this at 10 pm ).
Also, when President Bush & other dignitaries came to view the flag
draped casket, the visitors in there just had to stop where they were &
the President and Mrs. Bush were led up close to the casket.
We left home at 5 pm , got to the Capitol line by 6:15 pm & came back
out the exit of the Capitol at 10:15 pm ( received a Remembrance Card &
signed the condolence books that will be sent on to the Reagan Library in
California).
It was all very formal and somber and I'm glad that I went & the
line
moved continuously, so it didn't seem long.


Kris ( in northern Virginia)

Kris,
I am glad you got the chance to go. If i lived closer, I would have loved to
do that too. Thanks for the report!

-- kellie
bergerk at sbcglobal dot net

"Kris" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
We got back from the Capitol in Washington DC at 11:45 pm. last
night. I live just south of the city in northern Virginia. I went
into
the city with a friend and her husband. We drove to a metro stop and took
the Metro to Capitol Hill. The weather was great ( overcast , with just
a
few rays of sun shining through). It only took us four hours to wait in
line ( and they had bottled water and health technicians walking
around
the line to see if anyone needed anything) . We did have to go through
three
security checks at different points ( no cameras, cell phones on, (
in the actual Capitol building) etc... & they had a "coat check"
system earlier in the line to check these items). & the final one was set
up in the visitor welcome center of the Capitol ( like they have at
airports). It all went fairly fast and smoothly. We got to talk to and
meet others from all over the country.
They did have a "changing of the guard " ceremony in the Rotunda of
the
Capitol every 1 1/2 hours ( and the visitors in there at that time got
to
witness the changing of the guards . ( we got to see this at 10 pm ).
Also, when President Bush & other dignitaries came to view the flag
draped casket, the visitors in there just had to stop where they were &
the President and Mrs. Bush were led up close to the casket.
We left home at 5 pm , got to the Capitol line by 6:15 pm & came
back
out the exit of the Capitol at 10:15 pm ( received a Remembrance Card
&
signed the condolence books that will be sent on to the Reagan Library in
California).
It was all very formal and somber and I'm glad that I went & the
line
moved continuously, so it didn't seem long.


Kris ( in northern Virginia)

I watch on TV, and wished I could be there. Thanks for going and reporting
to us.
Barbara in SC & FL PM (X3) OES

Thanks for sharing with us Kris. I have been really amazed at the
class that Nancy Reagan has shown through this week. My heart goes out
to all of their family. I think it has been years since the formal
atmosphere around government events has been of a caliber that it is
due. I don't know that my young adult children have ever had a chance
to witness this sort of thing.

This whole election time has been so nasty. I sure hope some of the
patriotic optimism that Reagan had for this country touches all Americans.
Taria

Kris wrote:
Hi All,
We got back from the Capitol in Washington DC at 11:45 pm. last
night. I live just south of the city in northern Virginia. I went into
the city with a friend and her husband. We drove to a metro stop and took
the Metro to Capitol Hill. The weather was great ( overcast , with just a
few rays of sun shining through). It only took us four hours to wait in
line ( and they had bottled water and health technicians walking around
the line to see if anyone needed anything) . We did have to go through three
security checks at different points ( no cameras, cell phones on, (
in the actual Capitol building) etc... & they had a "coat check"
system earlier in the line to check these items). & the final one was set
up in the visitor welcome center of the Capitol ( like they have at
airports). It all went fairly fast and smoothly. We got to talk to and
meet others from all over the country.
They did have a "changing of the guard " ceremony in the Rotunda of the
Capitol every 1 1/2 hours ( and the visitors in there at that time got to
witness the changing of the guards . ( we got to see this at 10 pm ).
Also, when President Bush & other dignitaries came to view the flag
draped casket, the visitors in there just had to stop where they were &
the President and Mrs. Bush were led up close to the casket.
We left home at 5 pm , got to the Capitol line by 6:15 pm & came back
out the exit of the Capitol at 10:15 pm ( received a Remembrance Card &
signed the condolence books that will be sent on to the Reagan Library in
California).
It was all very formal and somber and I'm glad that I went & the
line
moved continuously, so it didn't seem long.


Kris ( in northern Virginia)

I was so moved with emotion while watching the funeral service this morning.
The music and musicians were superb! The speeches were balanced with just
the right blend of humor and reverence. A very special day.

"Taria" wrote in message
...
Thanks for sharing with us Kris. I have been really amazed at the
class that Nancy Reagan has shown through this week. My heart goes out
to all of their family. I think it has been years since the formal
atmosphere around government events has been of a caliber that it is
due. I don't know that my young adult children have ever had a chance
to witness this sort of thing.

This whole election time has been so nasty. I sure hope some of the
patriotic optimism that Reagan had for this country touches all Americans.
Taria

Kris wrote:
Hi All,
We got back from the Capitol in Washington DC at 11:45 pm. last
night. I live just south of the city in northern Virginia. I went
into
the city with a friend and her husband. We drove to a metro stop and
took
the Metro to Capitol Hill. The weather was great ( overcast , with
just a
few rays of sun shining through). It only took us four hours to wait
in
line ( and they had bottled water and health technicians walking
around
the line to see if anyone needed anything) . We did have to go through
three
security checks at different points ( no cameras, cell phones on,
(
in the actual Capitol building) etc... & they had a "coat check"
system earlier in the line to check these items). & the final one was
set
up in the visitor welcome center of the Capitol ( like they have at
airports). It all went fairly fast and smoothly. We got to talk to
and
meet others from all over the country.
They did have a "changing of the guard " ceremony in the Rotunda of
the
Capitol every 1 1/2 hours ( and the visitors in there at that time got
to
witness the changing of the guards . ( we got to see this at 10
pm ).
Also, when President Bush & other dignitaries came to view the flag
draped casket, the visitors in there just had to stop where they were
&
the President and Mrs. Bush were led up close to the casket.
We left home at 5 pm , got to the Capitol line by 6:15 pm & came
back
out the exit of the Capitol at 10:15 pm ( received a Remembrance
Card &
signed the condolence books that will be sent on to the Reagan Library
in
California).
It was all very formal and somber and I'm glad that I went & the
line
moved continuously, so it didn't seem long.


Kris ( in northern Virginia)

In article ,
"Kris" wrote:

Hi All,
We got back from the Capitol in Washington DC at 11:45 pm. last
night.

snip

Kris, I *so* wish I could have done that! I've been glued to my TV most
of the day to watch the funeral in D.C., and I'll be waiting to see if
any of the California portion is also televised. I've been so impressed
with Nancy Reagan's dedication over the course of the past decade;
theirs was truly a storybook romance. The ceremonies I watched today had
me tearful at several points, but there was always some reference to
President Reagan's sense of humor to ease the mood. It was wonderful to
see so many international figures in attendance -- people who obviously
truly cared about being there, rather than putting in an appearance just
for political reasons.
--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
http://home.earthlink.net/~sfoster1

Thanks for sharing that, Kris. I wish we lived closer and could have had the
opportunity to visit. I've been so impressed this week with the class and
dignity of Mrs. Reagan as well as the outpouring of support expressed by so
many current and past world leaders. There's no doubt that President Reagan
touched many people during his life. Most of all, I'm glad we're seeing a
respect for the office of the President and the man who served his country
for eight years in that position. Unfortunately, I think we see way too much
nastiness and spite from both sides now, and it's sad to think our leaders
have sunk to that level. But then, that's another OT post!!!
--
Louise in Iowa
nieland4 at mchsi dot com
http://community.webshots.com/user/louiseiniowa

"Kris" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
We got back from the Capitol in Washington DC at 11:45 pm. last
night. I live just south of the city in northern Virginia. I went
into
the city with a friend and her husband. We drove to a metro stop and took
the Metro to Capitol Hill. The weather was great ( overcast , with just
a
few rays of sun shining through). It only took us four hours to wait in
line ( and they had bottled water and health technicians walking
around
the line to see if anyone needed anything) . We did have to go through
three
security checks at different points ( no cameras, cell phones on, (
in the actual Capitol building) etc... & they had a "coat check"
system earlier in the line to check these items). & the final one was set
up in the visitor welcome center of the Capitol ( like they have at
airports). It all went fairly fast and smoothly. We got to talk to and
meet others from all over the country.
They did have a "changing of the guard " ceremony in the Rotunda of
the
Capitol every 1 1/2 hours ( and the visitors in there at that time got
to
witness the changing of the guards . ( we got to see this at 10 pm ).
Also, when President Bush & other dignitaries came to view the flag
draped casket, the visitors in there just had to stop where they were &
the President and Mrs. Bush were led up close to the casket.
We left home at 5 pm , got to the Capitol line by 6:15 pm & came
back
out the exit of the Capitol at 10:15 pm ( received a Remembrance Card
&
signed the condolence books that will be sent on to the Reagan Library in
California).
It was all very formal and somber and I'm glad that I went & the
line
moved continuously, so it didn't seem long.


Kris ( in northern Virginia)

I live about 25 miles or less from Simi Valley. I was able to see part
of the motorcade, even saw the plane before it landed, and heard the
fighter jets after the flyover.

The grace and dignity of the whole week has been wondrous. Nancy has
been a model of bravery. Eight years ago this past May, my mother
passed from Alzheimers, also a ten year struggle to say good-bye, not
unlike the Reagans.
The ceremony tonight just hit so close to home. I was so tuned in to
the whole thing i could hear the birds singing in the background, and
the horse whinny just before the flyover.

The "Western White House" as Reagan's ranch was known (true name
Rancho Cielo) is very close to where I grew up. We used to go shooting
on the land adjacent to his ranch, and would share the firing line
with his secret service guys.

We'll be visiting the Reagan Library before the year is out.

Have a peace-filled/piece-filled day,
Ginger in CA

"Kris" wrote in message ...
Hi All,
We got back from the Capitol in Washington DC at 11:45 pm. last
night. I live just south of the city in northern Virginia. I went into
the city with a friend and her husband. We drove to a metro stop and took
the Metro to Capitol Hill. The weather was great ( overcast , with just a
few rays of sun shining through). It only took us four hours to wait in
line ( and they had bottled water and health technicians walking around
the line to see if anyone needed anything) . We did have to go through three
security checks at different points ( no cameras, cell phones on, (
in the actual Capitol building) etc... & they had a "coat check"
system earlier in the line to check these items). & the final one was set
up in the visitor welcome center of the Capitol ( like they have at
airports). It all went fairly fast and smoothly. We got to talk to and
meet others from all over the country.
They did have a "changing of the guard " ceremony in the Rotunda of the
Capitol every 1 1/2 hours ( and the visitors in there at that time got to
witness the changing of the guards . ( we got to see this at 10 pm ).
Also, when President Bush & other dignitaries came to view the flag
draped casket, the visitors in there just had to stop where they were &
the President and Mrs. Bush were led up close to the casket.
We left home at 5 pm , got to the Capitol line by 6:15 pm & came back
out the exit of the Capitol at 10:15 pm ( received a Remembrance Card &
signed the condolence books that will be sent on to the Reagan Library in
California).
It was all very formal and somber and I'm glad that I went & the
line
moved continuously, so it didn't seem long.


Kris ( in northern Virginia)

I am still awed by having friends in this group from all around the world,
what a special time to be living. Today, I was so proud to witness friends
from so far away, to single just one out is difficult, but I was
particularly impressed by Margaret Thatcher. If I only got to describe her
in two words, I would use class and grace. What a beautiful woman. Polly

"Louise" wrote in message
news:2Qryc.11200$2i5.8224@attbi_s52...
Thanks for sharing that, Kris. I wish we lived closer and could have had
the
opportunity to visit. I've been so impressed this week with the class and
dignity of Mrs. Reagan as well as the outpouring of support expressed by
so
many current and past world leaders. There's no doubt that President
Reagan
touched many people during his life. Most of all, I'm glad we're seeing a
respect for the office of the President and the man who served his country
for eight years in that position. Unfortunately, I think we see way too
much
nastiness and spite from both sides now, and it's sad to think our leaders
have sunk to that level. But then, that's another OT post!!!
--
Louise in Iowa
nieland4 at mchsi dot com
http://community.webshots.com/user/louiseiniowa

"Kris" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
We got back from the Capitol in Washington DC at 11:45 pm. last
night. I live just south of the city in northern Virginia. I went
into
the city with a friend and her husband. We drove to a metro stop and
took
the Metro to Capitol Hill. The weather was great ( overcast , with
just
a
few rays of sun shining through). It only took us four hours to wait
in
line ( and they had bottled water and health technicians walking
around
the line to see if anyone needed anything) . We did have to go through
three
security checks at different points ( no cameras, cell phones on,
(
in the actual Capitol building) etc... & they had a "coat check"
system earlier in the line to check these items). & the final one was
set
up in the visitor welcome center of the Capitol ( like they have at
airports). It all went fairly fast and smoothly. We got to talk to
and
meet others from all over the country.
They did have a "changing of the guard " ceremony in the Rotunda of
the
Capitol every 1 1/2 hours ( and the visitors in there at that time got
to
witness the changing of the guards . ( we got to see this at 10
pm ).
Also, when President Bush & other dignitaries came to view the flag
draped casket, the visitors in there just had to stop where they were
&
the President and Mrs. Bush were led up close to the casket.
We left home at 5 pm , got to the Capitol line by 6:15 pm & came
back
out the exit of the Capitol at 10:15 pm ( received a Remembrance
Card
&
signed the condolence books that will be sent on to the Reagan Library
in
California).
It was all very formal and somber and I'm glad that I went & the
line
moved continuously, so it didn't seem long.


Kris ( in northern Virginia)

The moment that touched me most, I think (apart from seeing poor little
Nancy, as she followed the coffin all the places it had to go) was
seeing Mr Gorbachev - solemn, with head bowed and hand resting for a
moment on the coffin. That was truly a moment to go down in history.
The solemnity and dignity, and affection from 'ordinary' people has been
heart warming to see.
..
In article ,
Sandy Foster writes

Kris, I *so* wish I could have done that! I've been glued to my TV most
of the day to watch the funeral in D.C., and I'll be waiting to see if
any of the California portion is also televised. I've been so impressed
with Nancy Reagan's dedication over the course of the past decade;
theirs was truly a storybook romance. The ceremonies I watched today had
me tearful at several points, but there was always some reference to
President Reagan's sense of humor to ease the mood. It was wonderful to
see so many international figures in attendance -- people who obviously
truly cared about being there, rather than putting in an appearance just
for political reasons.

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill