Sunday and Monday

The blogger is back to try to redeem his very thin blog of the last couple of days.

Going back to Sunday (if I can remember, there's so much happening so quickly here), the boys returned from Fort Myer where they sang the Anthem, and they then all went in their groups for sight-seeing in Washington, despite the wind chill. I believe they visited the space museum (I think that's what it is called) and other places of interest. Nearly half of the boys were allowed up to the top of the Lincoln Memorial obelisk, thanks to Mr Reidy (parent of Kyle) who has influence in high places (no pun intended).

We then all met in Clyde's restaurant where the boys had a sumptuous repast and then sang for their supper on the staircase before 500 diners, whose silence while they listened was deafening. Cheers all round and then back to the Marines for lights out and an early start.

Monday morning was an early reveille (truly a trumpet wake up over the speaker system) to get us to the Mall in the darkness at 7am to participate in CBS' Early Show. It was cold, cold, cold with a stiff breeze from the Capitol, but the guys held up admirably and sang very spiritedly a couple of their songs. Ms Clark played gallantly on an electronic keyboard while I conducted and then we changed places for the second piece. Hope you all saw your chaps holding themselves proud in front of 4.5 million viewers. Nothing like an exciting start to the week.

Breakfast on the bus and coffee and drinks at McD's led to a two hour rehearsal with the girls at the beautiful facilities of the Marines Corps Band (they treated us SO well, too, just like the Marines over at Fort Myer.)

Onwards we went to the Capitol, where, after security checks, we assumed our position on the bleachers directly above the Inauguration site. The sound system was checked over and over and the guys and girls sang with gusto! After all of the final chords, the sound echoed and echoed down the Mall and beyond for what seemed more than 10 or 15 seconds. Quite an experience.

Back to barracks for dinner tonight and lights out at 8:30pm. We are all up at 4am for the day to remember. We sing at 9:50am EST. we know you will be watching.

After the ceremony, we will be heading to the airport and home, arriving about 9:30, SF time.

Thanks to all for reading, to Geoff Quinn and many others for the photographs (see link at right) and to you all for your enthusiasm!

Over and out!

Ian