Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - Day 9

June 16, 2017, was our 33 anniversary. We celebrated with a late start day trip from Annapolis to Baltimore. Scott found Nick's Crab Shack for lunch and it was tasty!

This picture is included because we were

eating outdoors and Scott found my solution

to the bright sun and reading the menu quite amusing. 

The next stop was one that I was really looking forward to and requires a bit of background as to why. There are two pieces of music that nearly always bring tears to my eyes: several parts of Handel's Messiah (especially part 3) and The Star Spangled Banner. My favorite version of our national anthem is linked to the title. It's a bit different but I love it and I love the energy with which Madison Rising sings it.


Anyway, why am I so moved by the song? Because of the story behind it - a story which took place at Ft. McHenry. Every time we get to the line, "Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave", I imagine the anxiety that Francis Scott Key and the men with him must have felt waiting to see if the fort in the Chesapeake Bay was secure. Then, I imagine the relief and excitement after this very important battle for keeping our country was over.

Here she waves.

So there, now you know. Click here for 9 things you might not know about the Star Spangled Banner at History.com. And,  Here are a few pictures:

 

What would make an anniversary perfect? Glad you asked - a Cardinal baseball game at Camden Yards. I know this comes as a big surprise to readers who know me, but the Cardinals happened to be on the east coast while we were. I'll save most of the details for the baseball park blog I hope to do someday, but I will tell you that Camden Yards did not disappoint. It's the 16th stadium that I've been to and it makes my top three.

 First, a view of M&T Bank Stadium

Home of the Baltimore Ravens

Even the walk from the parking lot

to the stadium was nice. 

This is Eutaw Street from inside

the stadium. It is working alive

before, during, and after the game. 

 The "Iron Man", Cal Ripken, Jr.

He played in 2632 consecutive games

His number and his statute.

  You might also recognize Babe Ruth and Jim Palmer. The Babe was born in Baltimore and first played minor league ball for the Orioles.

 Picnic area inside the park:

Waino signed quite a few autographs

before the game. I tried, but I think you

needed to be under 15 or over 80. 

Our original seats were in the outfield

but if you know me, you know we didn't

end the game there. 

 After the game, there was a little

"Rocket's red glare."

And bombs bursting in air!

Sparks were flying on this anniversary! 

(some homes have "dad jokes" - ours has "mom jokes")

NYC - Day 1 
NYC - Day 2 
NYC - Day 3 
NYC - Day 4a 
NYC - Day 4b 
NYC - Day 5 
NYC - Day 6 
NYC - Day 7
NYC - Buildings 
Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - Day 8
Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - Day 9
Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - US Naval Academy
Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - The Last Days including Ocean City, NJ, West Point Academy, Flushing Meadow-Corona Park

Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - Day 8

Last time I posted NYC was in the rear view mirror. We moved down the New Jersey Turnpike towards Annapolis, Maryland. Have you ever heard of highway robbery? That's basically what you run into on the NJ Turnpike! As I recall, it costs nearly $40 in tolls to get to Annapolis. At the first toll bridge in NY, we had no idea that we really needed to either purchase E-Z Pass or activate it on our rental car. This would have saved time and some money (not a lot). The non-toll option would have taken us deep into Pennsylvania, another 50 miles, and an extra hour of driving. If you are back east and use Google Maps, make sure to check the options button and look at avoiding tolls in the route options.

What I did like about the route was the bridges such as the Delaware Memorial Bridge taking us from NJ into Delaware:

And the mile and half Baltimore Harbor Tunnel under the Patapsco River:

Here's the 6 second video we made for our grandsons. I thoroughly enjoyed all the bridges on our trip!

That's pretty much it for the rest of Day 7. My apologies if you feel misled from by the blog title but I did have to end Day 7 and it really wasn't part of the NYC blogging! Besides, Day 8 was mostly laundry day so there's only a few pictures. You did need to know this - on a long trip, be sure to work in one laundry day!

I was a teenager last time I was in Annapolis and this was Scott's first time there so it was mostly new to us and we were very pleasantly surprised. Our main purpose was to see the US Naval Academy and to use Maryland's capital for a base to visit a couple of places in Baltimore.

Our photos of the harbor don't do it justice but here you go anyway:

 
And, we ran across a marker about America's favorite Frenchman, again, the Marquis De Lafayette. Just want to keep you up on your history.

This is taken at the Maryland State House. I'm sharing Lawyer's Mall  with the first African American to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Thurgood Marshall served our country as a justice from 1967 to 1991. The Maryland capital is in the background.

 The Maryland State Capital Building

 The Maryland Inn with a view of some

of the shops in the background. For some

of you who are from our area, we described

downtown Annapolis as being kind of like

St. Charles, MO, on steroids.

I loved how close to the street these old houses were. You had to be careful driving because at some of them, someone could step straight out of the house and onto the street!

That wraps of laundry day. Stay tuned for Day 9, June 16, 2017 - which happened to be our 33 anniversary.


NYC - Day 1 
NYC - Day 2 
NYC - Day 3 
NYC - Day 4a 
NYC - Day 4b 
NYC - Day 5 
NYC - Day 6 
NYC - Day 7
NYC - Buildings 
Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - Day 8
Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - Day 9
Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - US Naval Academy
Sabbatical Trip Part 2 - The Last Days including Ocean City, NJ, West Point Academy, Flushing Meadow-Corona Park