We walked in front of the White House - about as close as you can get nowadays. After we were there about a minute, the security guards ushered everyone away, clearing the area and moving everyone way back. Figuring something may be happening, we hung around for a while. We could see that people from inside the White House were lined up on the driveway. We thought we spotted Marine One in the distance, but after 15 mins or so, it never came. Someone next put 3 square, wooden "X" marks on the front lawn. Then there was a bunch of siren activity and a motorcade arrived at the White House. The motorcade was greeted and a bit later the helicopter Marine One appeared and landed on the front lawn. After a bit of greeting, Marine One took off, flying directly over us and off past the Washington Monument, taking "W" over to Andrews AFB to catch Air Force One for his trip to California for the Reagan Library Air Force One dedication.