Couldn’t have said it better myself: a series by Maira Kalman, “The Inauguration. At Last.”
She’s been given a berth the last Friday of the month at The New York Times, “And the Pursuit of Happines,” in which she’ll explore American democracy. I might find myself tempted every now and then to send you over there. If her eye for detail and the moment continue to do such a fine job of conveying what I might have liked to have conveyed, had I been there. Wherever there is. Was.
[By the way: Kalman refers, in the series, to having listened to Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s singing Bach cantatas en route down to Washington. Which makes me want to say: listen to this. Nine minutes six seconds. And also say: here, here’s the second part. And the third. But just a minute sixteen seconds into the first part, that will do. Her voice singing: Ich habe genug, I have enough. (Also: I have had enough? Depends I suppose on what you’re listening for.) Some might have seen her sing this, directed (I think) by Peter Sellars, decked out in hospital garb, indicating terminal illness. When you know that she died quite young — quite, quite in her prime — of cancer. Well.]
It was good to watch that helicopter leave. We live just north of DC and I was getting sick of having him as our neighbor.
Funny story: We watched the inauguration with friends while our various lil ones ran/toddled/crawled around. Our friend’s daughter is potty training, and just as that part began, with the walk out to the helicopter, she brought her little potty out of the bathroom, sat it in the middle of the room and did some very serious business. We thought this very appropriate and tried very, very hard not to laugh.
Hot diggity dog! Fitting, indeed. A story she can be very proud of, one day when she is no longer embarrassed by the idea of hauling the john out into the living room to do the do.