Dr. Samuel Mudds's House in Waldorf

When we first moved to DC several years ago we rode through the Maryland countryside retracing the steps of John Wilkes Booth's escape route to his demise. Yesterday we had business in Waldorf, Maryland. On the way home we saw the sign for Dr. Samuel Mudd's house and took a detour to see his homestead. As it was then, the site was closed. But I jumped out of the car to read the signage about Dr. Mudd - the unfortunate and unsuspecting (?) soul who patched the assassin's leg. It so happens we saw Roger Mudd, the CBS anchor, at an event in Virginia last year. He is related to Dr. Mudd. The good doctor was pardoned a few years back, removing the ugly blemish from his family's ghosts. Just seeing the place makes one reflect on what it must have been like back in 1865 - starting at Ford's Theatre - just a few blocks from where we live - across the Navy Yard bridge, and down in to Maryland. We are surrounded by historical buildings and stories and places. A Civil War hospital was once on the site where children play in a park a block away. Capitol Hill is rich in drama and personalities. It's a lot different than Milwaukee in so many ways. So as we ponder places where we think we might want to live, my husband always says it would be hard to leave this place. In so many ways he is right, if these are the things that matter to you. 

An Abraham Lincoln Day - a Waffle House, Ford's Theatre, and Freedom's Song

It started with an Uber ride from our house to the Lincoln Waffle House. We chose this place for breakfast because it was right across the street from Ford's Theatre. Our neighbors are visiting from Milwaukee and we planned to see the musical Freedom's Song. The Waffle House was a treat in an of itself - a real greasy spoon. We had plenty of time before the show started to walk around the block and take in the sights and the long lines for everything this time of year. The spy museum was packed. We had an opportunity to visit the Lincoln Museum in the lower level of Ford's Theatre. We've been there twice before, the last time in the 1980's. John Wilkes Booth boot, the life mask of Lincoln, and other memorabilia were all on display. But the most unexpected surprise was how great the musical was about Lincoln and the Civil War. I have always been a civil war fan and belonged to the Milwaukee round table. The show was really well done - set on the stage and below the box that Lincoln was shot by Booth. One can only imagine what happened there that day 150 years ago. On the way home from dinner that evening we drove by the Lincoln Memorial. It was a very Lincoln Day.