Day 22 Dallas....me and POTUS...or POTI???

WOW!  It really really rains hard here.  Driving into Dallas this morning was a white knuckle float with trucks and cars spinning out all over the place and visibility near zero so I was very glad to make it safely to the Book Depository Building to relive some history....
YOU VOTED RIGHT???? RIGHT???? ok.  On this ELECTION DAY (hey Lincoln was also elected on November 8, 1864 but no, I didn't know him) it seems like I need to review my long and weird history with multiple POTI...sounds a bit illicit?

I was 6 years old at a Catholic school on Nov 22 1963 when JFK was shot.  We were playing on the playground and all of the sudden the bells started ringing like crazy in the bell tower of the Cathedral and the nuns came running out and rushed us into the church.  We could tell they were very upset, some were crying and all I could figure was another world war or something was upon us.  The Monsignor climbed the pulpit and told us all that our POTUS had been brutally shot and that school was closing.  Confused, I walked the 8 blocks home, sure no one would be there (it was early afternoon and mom didn't get off work til later) but mom was home...crying...watching tv.  Scared me.  And so it went for the next few days...mom crying, watching tv. Me trying to figure out what was going on.  (that's me front and center)

Fast forward to 1969.  My amazing mom is National President of Executive Secretaries Inc and she's got to speak at the convention in Dallas.  I had to go. (no one to watch me at home and I was pretty used to being hauled all over the place and how to behave with the grownups....smile and wave and BE QUIET).  The highlight of the trip was going to be meeting LBJ...this was after he'd been president and he was quite ill.  What I remember is this really old guy with longggggg hair in a pony tail....yup, LBJ, who wouldn't do more than wave at us from his porch BUT LadyBird got one look at lil ol me and said "come on honey, let's go in the kitchen...you can help me fix things up for dinner." Of course all I did was stand around and smile and say thank you and yes ma'am.  But she was really nice to me and of course mom quizzed me for hours later.  (that's me, front and left)

Fast forward again to 1974.  Mom is now living in DC as the head writer editor for the BLM under the Carter administration.  I'd embroidered her a levi jacket years before and Ms. Carter decided she really loved that jacket and could I make her one....not realizing that this hand embroidery took YEARS of my oh so busy life....but I did it anyway and got a very lovely letter back from her...it's somewhere in my stuff.   (sorry, no pix)

Fast forward to about 1996, before I was doing ships but playing the harp a lot.  I get this call one afternoon from my agent that he's got a gig for me playing a private birthday party up in Park City and can I do it.  It's SNOWING like crazy but I had studded snows so I said I'd try.  Then he tells me he CAN'T tell me who it's for but it's special...uh...ok.  So I white knuckle it up the canyon and get to this huggggeeee house and there's two very big, very wet and grumpy guys in suits that stop me at the gate.  I have to get out??? Ok.  But when they said they had to take the harp out to inspect it I said NOPE.  NOT IN THIS BLIZZARD!!  So after they checked the whole car, they let me pass.  I set up in a nice room next to a small dining room set for 4 people....small gig indeed.  Still didn't have any idea of who it was for til NON OTHER THAN OUR FUTURE PRESIDENT, HILLARY CLINTON strolls in and says hi, then comes Chelsea and a bit later comes good ol' POTUS himself.   Was I scared?  Actually no.  I was more scared of the drive home.  We had a great time.  Once they knew I took requests...and could play ANYTHING they requested (pretty easy stuff), we started yakking and I even taught Chelsea how to do some wicked glissandos.  It was a fun night and yes, the drive home SUCKED.

Fast forward a few years.  I get a call from said agent who says he's got a gig for me that night playing for a private party Mitt Romney is throwing for GW Bush.  Am I available.  The answer was a very emphatic NO, I HAVE TO CLEAN OUT MY CAT BOX.

Lastly, fast forward to 8 years ago shortly after Obama took office.  I spotted a little blip in the newspaper that he'd appropriated a gob of cash to fix up old houses and make them more energy efficient.  My 1880 house was the poster child for energy INEFFICIENT.   So I called and they came. Long story short, 6 months later POTUS OBAMA has dropped over 70k in my house....new windows, new appliances and one great big new boiler.  I have written multiple thank you notes to him and I have been steadfast in my support (I was before the gift).  I'm hoping some day I can say it in person.

So today is all about POTUS.  And today, standing on the grassy knoll

 and in the street where the X is where Kennedy's brains went flying up in the air

 and up on the 6th floor of the Book Depository Building  where Lee Harvey Oswald took at least one shot (2nd from the top floor, far right window)

and remembering that horror of that day with mom crying, I think I figured it out.
The POTUS is US.
We make them win or lose, live and sometimes die and we ask them to give every ounce of their energy to us so that we can have the best American life possible.  I'm hoping that tomorrow when this horrific election is over, we can all reach out to each other, listen to what works and what doesn't and WORK TOGETHER.  Because really, it all starts with US, not some woman or man in a really tough job but US.....PEOPLE of the United States.    Hugs from the road.