— the nation’s capitol, that is. Heading into town, we drove right by the Pentagon, caught a glimpse of the 9/11 memorial, whizzed by the back side of the Lincoln and into town, waved at the White House and the state department and landed at G W, otherwise known as George Washington University. Soon discovered that my best work could be as easily done, and without the distraction of sightseeing opportunities at my desk at the Homewood Suites. I partook of the catalogs of the Library of Congress and the National Archives in search of material for the project, but found little worth the trek into the city to get paper copies. In fact, I am making more progress here at home, at trip’s end. More on that later. But the stay in Washington was fruitful, nonetheless, for I collected many conversations and shared stories, some of them regarding underground railroad and slavery days near my own home town. All fodder for the mill, Then it was the weekend, and time to catch the train to Boston, or nearby.

-m