12-26, Fort McHenry, Baltimore

I don't know why the tune, "We're off to see the wizard...." (you know the rest) pops into my head when I see these photos. Maybe it's those "shiny, happy people...." (there I go again....). Anyway, here we are, in the car, driving up the BW Parkway to Baltimore. Look at those smiles! Pretty amazing considering Nikolas has turned into (not PHYSICALLY but behaviorally) that girl on the commercial where she never smiles, then her parents catch her smiling, then she stops and glares at them....well, that's Nikolas these days in front of a camera. He smiles, but it sure is hard to catch! =) Boy, do I cherish this photo!!

Why summarize when you can cut and paste?! Thanks Wikipedia for this "get to know Fort McHenry" synopsis:

"Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812 when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in the Chesapeake Bay. It was during this bombardment of the fort that Francis Scott Key was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," the poem that would eventually be turned into the national anthem of the United States, set to the tune of a British song "To Anacreon in Heaven"."

Miss Atlanta seems to have a pained, numb expression on her face..... guess it's a little colder in MD. =)

What did I tell ya? Nikolas refused to pose inside this little cubby, so mom did!

Below is the inside of one of the enlisted men's quarters. In another room, the men even shared the beds. Talk about tight on space. I can't even imagine how cold it was back in the day. We were freezing with all of our modern clothing. Brrrr!!

This is the view across the inside of the fort towards the CO's quarters. A tad bit different. He had a whole HOUSE!

You know, history has never been my strong point (on the otherhand, Sven loves it and is so knowledgable). As much as we don't care for a lot of this east coast living and lifestyle, the incredible amount of history that exists here is mind-boggling. Maybe I'll have all those assorted wars and people figured out (at least somewhat!) by the end of this tour. Nikolas will have a way better start to learning all this stuff than I ever did. Pretty amazing.