James VanHofwegen and Lizbeth Sanchez

This pair shared in the tremendous joy of the Obama victory celebration!

More Pictures From France

Mother and daughters enjoy riding in the Caddy on a warm summer-like night made even better because of the election night victory in the air! Meggie, Julia and Candace say hi to all from France!

Picture From Jeremy Lawson

What Fun!

These three were some of the first riders and they had fun! Oh what a night.

FCC, Pinkertons, Peking

Kathleen Duffy took this pic before the Irish Couple came onboard.

Had the FCC, Pinkertons, and someone in Peking, China checking out the blog this week. I will still play Steve Earle!

Two Phoning Friends

I snapped this picture of you guys on Michigan Avenue and found your blog....Loved the car! Congratulations on our victory! Sarah Jessica Jafari

4pm on State Street

We were walking over to the Grant Park for the Rally around 4pm and spotted Obamalac on State Street!Beautiful car, and what a great advert for Obama! Only wish I had my expensive camera with me instead of a tiny digital. :)I'm assuming the Obamalac will be in D.C. for the Innauguration in January. Go Obama! Deb Paulson, Chicago

French Family Shares in the Victory Celebration!

On an implulse I invited this french family to share the excitement and join in the cruise on Michigan Avenue. They started a night of memories that will live forever in my mind. They sent some pics and a note.

Hi Rich, This is Thierry, the french guy who joined you with Meggie, Julia & Candice on Michigan Avenue on Nov the 4th for the "great day".We will always keep a great souvenir of this day and especially of that cruise into the "Obamalac" across the streets of Chicago. We would like to really thank you for having make this moment possible and for your kindness. The girls have realized how lucky they were to be in your car a such historical day and I am sure they will always remember you and this day. The weather, the people, the happyness, everything has contributed to make this day a special day. I also want to say how proud the entire world is for what the people of America have done on that election. We are sure that your choice and your wisdom will bring you some better days. We cordially thank you again and hope to see you again, God bless America and his people,

From Springfield IL

Hi! We are from Springfield, Il and froze back in February 2007. We traveled to Chicago Tuesday to be a part of the Victory party in Grant park. We were not lucky enough to receive tickets, but we watched with great pride on the jumbo tron on the North end of the field! We were even interviewed and quoted in the Chicago Defender. Today, I looked up http://www.obamalac.com/ and saw I could email you the pics we snapped. Our children and friends think your car is AWESOME! Tell President elect and his family that we have supported and believed in him since the beginning. And what a beautiful portrait of THE American Family. Sincerely, Gabrielle Kilby and Keith Fisher

From the Capitol Fax Blog (One of my Sons)

Ed Scanlan from Chicago sent this pic in.

The following is from my oldest son's blog:

I’m still trying to absorb all of this. There are so many things to contemplate, many of them personal. The fact that I’ve known him for years, even since before he was elected to the Illinois Senate. The private conversation we had long ago when I tried to discourage him from running for the US Senate. Our chance meeting on a public golf course when my then girlfriend swooned and I told her she was nuts. His remarkable primary victory and the whacky season it sparked (Blair, Jack and the Martian). My chuckling at his nickname for my formerly staunch Goldwater Republican and formerly all too white father: “Brother Miller.” My embarrassment at my father’s first words to Obama when I introduced them in January of 2004: “Never change. Never change,” and my concern at how Barack will, eventually change. His call to me during his failed congressional bid wondering why I was being so harsh and his attempt at rapproachment, when I first realized how skillful he could be. The fact that my wife is an Iraqi-American and my concern about what this election will mean for her family and her former nation. On and on. It’s kinda weird “knowing” a president-elect. It makes you think back, as well as look forward.

Wasilla Alaska Watching the Obamalac

Cierra Hall sent in this pic from Michigan Avenue. Just noticed that someone from Wasilla AK checked out this blog! Suppose Governor Palin is checking out President-elect Obama?

Istanbul, Ankara, and Bursa Turkey

Donna Oppolo sent in this picture. Must have been a story about the OBAMALAC in the Turkish press because there's been hits from around Turkey. Welcome!

Grant Park Celebration

I went down Michigan Avenue about 6 pm just to see the people flowing into Grant Park to hear President-elect Obama give his speech. The crowds and traffic forced me to stop and the cell phones came out taking pictures. A couple speaking french approached the car and on an impulse I asked them to join me. (Our kids live in San Francisco, Dallas, Carbondale IL, Springfield IL and Geneseo IL and they all worked and couldn't share this experience.) The couple flew from Paris with two kids to participate in the celebration. We cruised Michigan Ave while the crowd roared with positive response and laughter at the over-the-top OBAMALAC. When I dropped them off three Chicagoans joined me. With the strength of youth, release of 300 years of frustration, and bubbling jubilation they started chanting "O Bam Ma, O Bam Ma...." to the crowd. Arms in the air, smiles on their faces, JOY TO THE WORLD! At some points the crowd was 8 or 10 people deep and blocks long snaking up, then back down and then up Michigan again. The crowd joined in the chants and cameras clicked everywhere. With my CD player and five speakers booming out classic Rock and R & B we had a great time. For a while we had a photographer from the Chicago Sun-Times as a passenger snapping pics. My oldest son has a column in the Times and maybe that precluded publication of any OBAMALAC pics. He used to live at the Doral (151 N Michigan) and that was my northern turn-a-round. We went south to 12th or 14th street and came back. We saw many of his friends and some called or texted him. The combination of victory, fabulous weather for November, slipping schedule, and boredom with an endless, slow moving line created energy that needed release and we gave it to them! For four hours!! Passengers were added and changed all night. A couple from Ireland, more from Chicago, one guy from New Zealand, and such. Reporters from Finland, Belgium and elsewhere grabbed info from us. At about 10:15 the crowd closed in from BOTH sides of the street and stopped traffic from moving at all. On our return trip the cops shut off Michigan Ave by pulling a car and barricades in front of us. The steam left. I'm a great-grandfather and been around for a while but this night was like a dream. A positive, joyous night like no other could ever be again!