Day 2 - Spy Museum and Ford's Theater

Monday, July 19, 2010

We slept pretty well, glad to be all together. Poor Campbell slept near the air conditioner and was pretty chilly. Dad made bagels and fruit for breakfast and we were out the door for the Spy Museum by 9:15. We decided to take a taxi which was nice and efficient. I realized part way there that I had forgotten the tickets to the museum that I had printed out, but it was no big deal. Upon beginning our tour we had to assume a spy identity and memorize the facts about our person…we would be tested later. Dennis was Dimitri Ivanov, from Kiosov, Russia, 48, fisherman going to Boston, MA for 5 days to visit family BUT really he was to go to the Visitors Center at Fenway Park to meet Manny Moaps who would give him a pamphlet with a microdot on it, he was then to return to headquarters. I was Greta Schmidt: 33, an astronomer, from Borstadt, Germany, going to London for 4 days of business, I was to meet Phoebe Ridley at the Royal Astronomical Society, where I would pick up a microdot in a book, then return to headquarters. Erin was Jane Meyer, 13, from Sweetwater, TN, student, going to Dublin, Ireland, for a vacation for 7 days. Daniel was Billy Henderson who was 14, a student, from Albella, Spain, going to London, for 9 days on vacation, he was supposed to find a woman and get a formula to return to Spain. Campbell was John Campbell, 34, born in Mt Pelier, Jamaica, flying to Budapest, Hungary, for business for 14 days. There were all sorts of cool gadgets – cameras, tools, bugs. It was like an Alias set…but better. At the beginning, lots of hands on stuff: identifying dead drops, surveillance options, etc. We learned about different spies, espionage during wars, etc. In one of the short videos on the Cold War spies, a man named Oleg reminded us all separately of Grandpa Jordon. Same mannerisms, voice, etc…could he really be a spy??? Ha ha. They had a replica of the Rosetta Stone, which was neat for the boys since they just read “The Red Pyramid.” They also quoted Numbers 13: 1, 17-20 as it describes the men who went to spy on Canaan: "The LORD said to Moses, 'Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders...When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, 'Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in ? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.." It was also cool to see them describe the Prophet Daniel as the first cryptoanalyst when he interpreted the “writing on the wall.” (Daniel 5) (Our new challenge for the rest of the trip is to see how much scripture we can find this week. We are confident that each day, we can find some reference to scripture in something historical that we see.) After the museum, we headed to the Hard Rock Café for lunch. The food was really good. Dennis and I enjoyed the various 80’s music videos. Daniel and Campbell had a great picture by Bob Dylan for Dan Dionne. We headed off to Ford’s Theater to see where Abraham Lincoln spent his last night at the before being shot by John Wilkes Booth. We took tons of pictures as I’m sure we will throughout the trip, but at Ford’s it was also important because when the Haugen’s came last week they forgot their camera so we will share these with Mike and Denise. There was a self guided museum tour first. The kids had a ball taking a lot of pictures. They especially liked the statues. Either I had forgotten or didn’t know that there was actually a plot to kidnap President Lincoln prior to the assassination plot. After the museum portion we were funneled upstairs to the actual Ford’s Theater. An amazing National Park Spokeswoman gave an excellent and informative speech for 15 or so minutes. Campbell did not move a muscle – totally. Following this presentation, we went across the street to the Peterson House where Lincoln died at 7:22 am on April 15, 1865. We saw the sitting room where Mary sat and waited and the room and bed where the President was laid. It is interesting to think about how that event shaped history. What would have happened had he lived to the history of our country?

Periodically throughout the day, we look at one another and say “Hey, we are in Washington, DC, do you believe it?” We all have pinched one another a few times. The heat isn’t too oppressive today which is nice as well. It is also exciting to hear so many languages and see so many people who are different than we are.

Did you know??? That General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant were scheduled to be in the box with the Lincoln’s that fateful night, but he backed out the last moment. The plot was to not only kill Lincoln, but VP Johnson, Secretary of State Seward, and Grant as well. Booth wanted to take down the administration.