Friday 4th October

 Got up late this morning. We decided to have an easy day and this was taken at brunch.

This was very much a highlight of the DC trip for me - a tour of President Lincoln's Cottage.

President Lincoln's Cottage is a national

monument on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home, 

known today as the Armed Forces Retirement

Home. It is located in north-west DC. He first 

visited the grounds 3 days after his 

inauguration and was there the day before his 

assassination. He lived at the cottage for 13

months from 1862 - 64 and it was here that he

developed the Emancipation Proclamation. We got

to walk through the same rooms that he lived in 

and we all found it very moving.

The stories we heard reinforced what a great man

he was. 

We were only allowed to take photos of the outside areas.

Hey Mum, two running squirrels. 

I took this photo because, if you look very carefully between the gaps in the trees, you can see the top of the Capitol Building. In Lincoln's time, he could look over the whole of Washington, including his troops camped on the Potomac River, from the cottage.

He rode his horse to the White House daily and refused an escort. He was a man of the people, by the people and for the people.

 A Civil War cannon. 

 Hey Mum, here are two more.

 A lot of flags at the front of houses in this area.

 Hey Mum, the piece de resistance - a black squirrel!!!!!!!

The neighbourhood we walked through to get to the cottage was a poorer area of DC that is predominantly populated by African Americans. I love the streets of DC.

Off to New York tomorrow.