Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inaugural Ball!

This is a day to celebrate! I watched Barack Obama being sworn in at my younger son's school, amidst a group of very happy Berkeleyans, and the Kleenex box was passed around many times--for the tears of joy, relief and sorrow for the sadness of the past. I thought his speech was brave and eloquent and pitch perfect for the times. How wonderful to have a smart, competent leader in the White House for a change.

We know a few people who had tickets to the ceremony, but I'm busy assembling our own private "inaugural ball" for tonight.

We're having champagne from a smaller producer--Nicolas Feuillatte--(plus sparkling cider for the boys) some Camilla formaggio di capra, an almost fluffy, subtly flavored goat cheese, some yummy Beecher's Flagship cheese (which really does taste like buttered popcorn like my cheese store said, but in a good way) and baguette from our local Cheese Board, followed by wild Alaskan salmon with a mustard-brown sugar rub and organic broccoli. Dessert--an encore of my melt-in-your-mouth Finnish spoon cookies by popular request. I was even braver with the butter this time for a richer flavor.

Afterwards, we'll all dance and celebrate.

Here's a toast to our new President!

5 comments:

Jeremy Edwards said...

Clinking glasses!!!!!!

Gina Marie said...

Cheers! To renewed hopes and dreams and a big, bright future filled with dancing, laughing, and the unmeasurable joy of becoming braver with butter!

--KM

Donna said...

It was a great celebration. The salmon, though a very simple mix of brown sugar, cumin, mustard and pepper, was so tasty. And the champagne went down easy!

Anonymous said...

I was on my way home from visiting Kathleen Bradean but since I flew Jet Blue, I got to watch the entire inauguration on the plane. While we were still sitting on the runway, I turned it on and seeing the crowds of people on the mall brought on my first tears. I looked up, and an African American woman a row ahead and across the aisle happened to look back at me (she was watching too). She was as teary as I was and she grinned and reached out for a high five. Those definitely weren't my last tears of the day.

It was an amazing experience and an amazing moment in history. We had been flying for a couple of hours when President Obama was sworn in and when the crowd burst into applause, the entire plane did too! I think, in a way, it was a far better place to be to watch the inauguration than alone, at home. To be a part of the new American social collective felt really special.

And, by the way, this post is the first time I've attached the term, "President" to anyone, other than Bill Clinton, in the past 8 years. I have to say, it feels good to take my country back!

D. L. King

Donna said...

Thank you for sharing, D.L.! I was glad to watch the Inauguration with my community and it sounds like a very powerful experience for you to have found a community among strangers as well, united in this welcome change. I'm glad to be an American again--and that feels SO good.