From Donna Damon - 1/19/09

Well, the Chebeague delegation has settled in at our dear friends' on Capitol Hill. We have been on the go since we arrived on Friday night. We spent Saturday morning watching and listening to the the sound checks at the Capitol. We took photos with a clear shot--no crowds. The sound was great and I called Doug who was driving on the Maine Turnpike--he hummed along to hail to the chief. We then went to the Museum of the American Indian--a must see in DC. We saw Hawaiian dancers celebrating their native son. We had dinner at Legal Seafoods in Downtown--just as good as Boston!

On Sunday after Bev arrived we spent 6.5 hours at the newly renovated Museum of American History. Wow!We only saw half of it and plan to go back on Wed. morning before we fly out. The Lincoln exhibit was fabulous as were the reinactors of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Martin Luther King. Washington was taken by the fact that I was one of the few women to wear a dress! When we left the Museum we joined the throng that had just left the concert at the Lincoln Memorial. THe streets were closed and people walked shoulder to shoulder down Constitution Ave. Getting back to Capitol Hill was a challenge. We almost took a bike taxi, but our friend found her way down to 7th street and saved us from the hike up the Hill. Today we plan to go to the Portrait Gallery andend the day at a reception at the Cannon Office Building hosted by Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud. We are cooking Maine Shrimp for our hosts tonight and then early to bed and we'll be heading out about 7AM purple tickets in hand to cue up for the big event.

What an exciting time!