Thanksgiving with Hans and His Family

Last Tuesday I flew to Washington, D. C. to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Hans, Rachel, Joe, Anni and William. It was a clear day as our plane descended to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Just before landing, the Pentagon came clearly into my view. I hadn't realized its close proximity to the airport. After deplaning, I walked to the street exit and sent a text to Hans informing him I was outside. Within minutes he picked me up and we started out toward his community. We stopped for lunch and then he drove to Rachel's employment where we met her and picked up a grocery list. I haven't grocery shopped with Hans for a very, very long time, so this was fun.

Once at their home, we waited for the kids to come home from school. It amazes me how much they change in the months since I last saw them. Joe is growing taller, his voice is getting deeper, and I detected the starting of a mustache on him!

Hans worked on Wednesday morning and picked up Chic-fil-A sandwiches on his way home. After eating, he made arrangements for Uber to pick him and me up to take us to Ford's Theater in downtown Washington, D. C. Once inside the theater, we picked up our tickets at Will Call and then began touring the theater's museum in the lower level.

On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary, along with guests Maj. Henry Reed Rathbone and his fiance, Clara Harris, arrived at Ford's Theater to see a performance of Our American Cousin. Lincoln enjoyed the theater for it gave him some relief from the burdens of the presidency. During the play while one actor was on the stage and the audience was laughing, John Wilkes Booth (also a famous actor at Ford's Theater) entered the presidential booth and shot Lincoln. Booth stabbed Major Rathbone in the left arm, then jumped to the stage, getting entangled in the decorations for the presidential box and landed off balance on the stage, breaking a bone in his left leg. He ran off the stage and into an alley and mounted a horse he had waiting there and escaped from the city.

Ford's Theater from our seats in the fourth row. The presidential box is in the upper right.

After visiting the museum, we took our seats for A Christmas Carol. A few minutes later, the theater lights dimmed and the music began. City folk began entering the stage and some made their way down the aisles of the theater. One well dressed woman stopped to speak to us. "You must know someone important to have gotten such good seats," she remarked. The play was great! I enjoyed the sets, costumes, acting, and the singing of carols throughout.

Included in our tickets was a tour of the Petesen House, directly across the street from Ford's Theater. This was a boarding house run by William and Anna Petersen. After Lincoln was shot, the crowd in the theater noisily dispersed, causing Mr. Peterson to step out on his balcony to inquire what had happened. He indicated having a spare room and urged them to bring the President there. A young doctor who had been in the theater cared for Lincoln. He found the wound in Lincoln's head and removed a blood clot, which released pressure and allowed the unconscious president to breathe on his own. Lincoln died at the Petersen House the following morning.

As with the theater, the Petersen House had a museum and a gift shop. There is a stunning display of all the books written about President Lincoln. You can read about it here.

This display of books stands more than three and a half stories high.

Thanksgiving Day Rachel prepared a delicious dinner: turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, steamed carrots, mashed potatoes (Hans did the potatoes!), rolls, and a cherry and apple pie for dessert. The post-it notes on the wall were written by each member of their family. Each note lists something that person is thankful for.

L to R: William (now 8 yrs), Anni (now 11) and Joe (now 13)

Anni with their new kitty, Rhett

While I was there we went on a couple of mile plus walks around their community. I couldn't have done it without the aid of my cane. The weather was beautiful—in the high 60s—and there were gorgeous fall leaves on trees and bushes. Also, I played video games with the kids and we watched some old episodes of The Great British Baking Show. One afternoon we went to the new Pixar movie, Coco.

Awaiting my departure on Saturday, I could see the Washington Monument directly out the window of my gate. Once on the plane, awaiting our turn to take off, my view was the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, and our nation's capitol building with the dome illuminated. Washington, D. C. is a wonderful city!