YES, I am a city boy, born and raised in the great city of Paris, France… actually, that’s not all of it… I was also raised in Northern France, eight miles away from the Belgian border, in the French Ardennes, where my mother’s parents showed me what it was like to live way back when… I spent my first sixteen summers in a small village of no more than two… Continue reading

Today was very different, and by that I mean more interesting, from yesterday. We started off from Muskogee, Oklahoma. When we woke, my brother was very dizzy, and slightly nauseous. He had to lie down for a while in the car, which means that he needed the front seat. After a while, he felt better, and then we started driving faster. An hour after his recovery, we came across a… Continue reading

Tags: Inaugural Road Trip

We started off extremely late today, around 10:10. We ate breakfast in the hotel’s main room, then left. At about 12 o’clock to eat lunch. Then we hit the road, into Arkansas. We kept driving, and driving, and driving. It took us 8 hours to reach Oklahoma, where we became quite tired. As we continued, we found that there were no hotels near us… Continue reading

Tags: Inaugural Trip

Only the first day of his term as president Obama has already started the much hoped for and expected change. To think we were in Washington for his inauguration and now we are on our way home and he has already begun work. We now have the trouble of the return journey to our warm and sunny California. This has been incredible, not just seeing Obama finally achieve the highest office in our nation, but getting to see the changes in the landscapes and people as we moved east and now we see it again as we move west. I am personally feeling a little homesick. I miss the warmth of the valley instead of the below freezing temperatures of Baltimore and Washington D.C… Continue reading

Tags: Inaugural Trip, Obama

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009 I finally felt, in a tangible way, a part of “We The People” as my family and 2 million other souls made our way to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to witness a historic inauguration of the 44th president of the United States, a man of great character and intelligence who is truly a product of this diverse nation and the answer to one of Dr. King’s most fervent prayers made so long ago that laid to rest at last racial barriers that have long oppressed our nation’s full potential… Continue reading

Tags: Humanity, Inauguration trip, National Mall, Obama

We wanted to spend more time in the East, but we knew that we needed to return home. As you should remember, yesterday was the inauguration of president Obama. We left at 10 o’clock the morning after the event. We were well rested and prepared to set off. We waved goodbye to our relatives, and began the trip home. I became carsick within the first hour of our return… Continue reading

Tags: Inauguration trip

Yes, Obama did it, he broke the racial barrier, and even more than just that he gave the people of our nation hope that no matter their ethnicity, their religion, their family’s background they can reach for something greater than before. This land is one of equality as it should have been since long before its creation. Even though it was not so Martin Luther King Jr.’s hard work… Continue reading

Tags: Inauguration trip

It was the Big Day, Obama’s Inauguration. We awoke with light heads, in disbelief that the climax of our journey had come. We worked slowly, but we had awoken early, so that we would have plenty of time. As we all dressed up in layers upon layers of thick, warm clothing, and eventually set off to get to D.C. When we arrived at the Amtrak station, we made quick… Continue reading

Tags: Inauguration trip

After crossing the Tennessee border and the Blue Ridge Mountains of western Virginia under light snow flurries, we arrived in Baltimore, MD, at 5:00pm yesterday, at my sister’s doorstep, and were greeted with smiles, warm hugs and a wonderful dinner of a Navarrin d’Agneau, a delectable lamb dish lovingly prepared for the family reunion, paired with a… Continue reading

Tags: Inauguration trip

This morning we awoke in Russellville, Arkansas. The journey to Washington D.C. is still 1000+ miles long. Also, after yesterday’s 16-hour drive from New Mexico to Arkansas Mom and Dad are both sleep deprived. Neither one wants to admit that they are exhausted even though they are both obviously pushing their limits. We had trouble this morning finding a place to eat breakfast. The funny thing about that is the… Continue reading

Tags: Inauguration trip

Saturday, January 17, 2009
By George Martin

Today we began the final leg of our cross-country trip, from Arkansas to Baltimore, where my aunt, Flo lives.  As we left on in the late morning, we concluded that we had to skip breakfast.  As the time flew by, my parents decided that we would have a brunch and save some time.  We filled our bellies, then left to continue our… Continue reading

Tags: Inauguration trip

With all the driving, I have barely read any news in the last three days and don’t even know if any progress towards a ceasefire has been made in Gaza. In contrast with news from so many troubled areas of the world, this trip humbles me as it underscores the quality of our life, here in the US: being able to go anywhere at any time, not having to constantly… Continue reading

Tags: Inauguration trip