Fort McHenry

After a full day in D.C., we had a good night’s rest and woke up to a beautiful day on the Chesapeake Bay.

We spent the day at Fort McHenry with Aunt Greta and Cousin Irene.  These young men had fun completing Junior Ranger workbooks.

The original copy of Francis Scott Key’s poem, which is our national anthem.

Learning about the War of 1812.

This was printed in The Yankee Boston newspaper in 1814.

We were blessed with a beautiful day to tour the fort.  Fort McHenry’ earthworks reminded us of Fort Moultrie in South Carolina.

We watched a very informative film on the battle for Baltimore.  This battle took place on land as well as on sea.

The inner buildings of the fort contained many interesting exhibits.  The rest of the fort was primarily earthworks.

Inside a bomb-proof magazine underground.  Philip is probably exploring under the stairs:)

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

On this whole trip, we have been blessed with beautiful places to stay.  It was chilly down by the shore.

Monkey in the middle:)

On Saturday, we left the Chesapeake and headed toward Virginia.  Stay tuned for our next destination…

Our visit to Washington D.C.

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.”

~ Colossians 1:16 ~

We drove up to Maryland on Wednesday  and were up bright and early Thursday morning to explore Washington D.C.  Our day began with a game of carpet soccer!

We took the train from New Carrollton to D.C.  Right after we snapped this picture, we met a missionary family on furlough that we enjoyed talking to.  They were going to go to the Creation Museum in a few weeks.

Our first stop was the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  This was one of our favorite stops of the whole day.

The Spirit of St. Louis.

A replica of Sputnik, the first object launched into space.

We really enjoyed seeing all the spacecraft.  This is Apollo 11; the carrier of the first men to the moon.

A Gemini spacecraft.

Miss Clara sketching John Glenn’s space capsule.

Philip taking a closer look where John Glenn first orbited the earth.

A bicycle manufactured by the Wright brothers.

Then…

…and now.

It was really interesting and encouraging to read how these two brothers worked together so well.  Their personalities complimented each other and they could not have accomplished what they did on their own.  This is the original plane that the Wright brothers flew in Kitty Hawk, NC.

A house on the moon.

God’s masterpiece.

Enjoying lunch while figuring out our next destination.

The clouds were in and out but the Lord blessed us with a perfect day.

In a week or two, the mall will be in full color.

Philip working on pressing some pretty leaves.

Journaling as we go:)

The Supreme Court was under construction so a printed sheet was hung in front:)

On our way to the other side of town.

We took many beautiful pictures of the Washington monument.

We didn’t have much time in the Museum of Natural History, but we did enjoy looking at lots of fossils.  What incredible evidence for the flood!

Dinosaurs are always fascinating!

Looks like Leviathan!

Philip’s favorite.

There were some beautiful photos that I couldn’t resist snapping myself.

Curious George:)

Weeeee.

The White House.

The memorials were pretty when evening came.

We enjoyed the WWII memorial.  There were many quotes on the walls.

We found a good friend of my grandparents on the Vietnam memorial.  He was the best man in their wedding.  Mr. Eliason was a helicopter pilot who was killed before the war officially began.

The Lincoln memorial was one of our last stops.

By the end of the day, we had probably walked about 6 miles and were very tired.  Even our socks were ready for a rest:)