Predawn, Inauguration Day

Laura took this shot as we arrived at the Iwo Jima memorial before 6 a.m. on January 20th, 2009. It’s funny to think tonight of how cold it was then. The memorial was the vantage point for several paintings of the Inauguration Day sunrise, such as the two at the top of the page here, and several more in the gallery.

Del died May 15th, 2008, at his home in Great Falls, and I visited with him for the last time, three days earlier. I know Del would have enjoyed the inauguration sunrise/sunset project, and the way things turned out. May 2008 was near the end of the presidential primaries. The last words I remember from him: “I’m so sick of all this Obama and Clinton crap!”