Celebrating Defender's Day 2006

Yesterday, a friend and I went to Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, MD to celebrate Defender's Day. Ft. McHenry, as we learned, is not only a national monument but also a historic shrine. Defender's Day is a state holiday which celebrates the defeat of the British in the War of 1812. As well, the Star-Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key here.

We spent most of the day at the historic site. We arrived about 11:30 am and wandered around the fort and walked around the point. We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed it under a tree. We then went back into the fort and watched as the reenactors practiced for the evening show. During this time, a speaker told the audience about the battle that took place and the tactical procedures of the day.

We also watched a demonstration by the musicians. We sat up on the hill for a while watching everyone and everything go by enjoying the sun and breeze coming off the water.

About 4, we went back to the car and gathered the blanket and picnic stuff and headed to the lawn for the evening activities. They had lots of speakers, a tactical demonstration, a concert by the U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus, a ship to shore "bombardment" of the fort using fireworks, hoisted the 30 x 42 foot Star-Spangled Banner and played the National Anthem, and had a great fireworks display. It was a nice evening with the exception of the family beside us...

The family consisted of three young children likely between the ages of 2 and 5 and grandparents. The grandmother did nothing but yell at the children because she had no control of them. We witnessed her spanking (sometimes it seemed to borderline on hitting) them several times. She even lost one of them at one point. But, he was found. One of them even slammed into my friend. The grandmother just picked him up and spanked him. Never apologized. Needless to say, we felt they needed some intervention work. Guess that is what happens when you sit next to two mental health workers. Maybe it is a good thing they didn't know that.

It was a great day overall. It was nice to get away from the craziness of school. It was quiet and peaceful. Just a good day for relaxing and enjoying the company of a good friend.