Abigail's Lace (for all of us 1776 fans!)

It took me awhile to find all the photos but my perseverence (read: stubbornness) paid off! Actually at one point I had found everything but the photo of Abigail's lace and was feeling pretty despondent when I had the sudden urge to look in one of the soup tureens in the dining room. Why did I look in the soup tureen? Beats hell out of me but I did and guess what? Yep. The photo was in there. (Along with one of the hot air balloon that landed in front of my parents' condo years ago.)

Without further ado, I bring you my beloved Adams Chronicles. (For non-US readers: John Adams was the second president of the United States. Abigail was his beloved wife. The letters exchanged during the course of their marriage are an amazing window into the 18th century, into their passion for freedom, into a partnership based on love and respect and shared goals. Abigail wasn't just his lover and wife, she was his intellectual partner--something very rare in the late 18th century.)

Abigail's lace:



When I snapped this photo I had no idea that the guide would actually let me hold this beautiful piece of history in my own hands. When she did, I was crying too hard to take a photo of anything but tears!I wish I'd asked more questions . . . and remembered the answers to those I did ask. It was such an emotional experience that the sense of wonder and connection dwarfed everything else.

These are photos of John's desk and chair. If you look closely, you can see his spectacles. Again, if I remember correctly, I believe he died on July 4, 1826 while sitting in that wing chair. His last words (I'm paraphrasing) were, "Jefferson still survives." In truth, Jefferson died that same day.



John's library and the dresser that held the lace, followed by a photo that speaks for itself.