The rocket's red glare...

If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, then you’ll know that we’ve been to a few battlefields and forts. I honestly don’t know what Becky’s obsession with historical sites is, but she is constantly searching the maps to find new, off-the-wall places for us to visit so that she can take pictures of the boys by cannons. I don’t get it, but that’s what she’s into I guess. Ok, maybe it’s me who finds these places and drags them along, but someday when the boys learn American history then I can say, “Yeah, you’ve been there!”

So last weekend we went to arguably America’s most famous historical fort. We took the short drive up to Baltimore to see Fort McHenry, site of the failed British invasion in 1814. Because of the dauntless courage of the fighting Baltimorons, the harbor and the American dream were preserved. It was here that Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner about the massive flag that flew above the fort. At times they still fly a 40 foot flag, but the day we went the wind was too strong and it would have wrecked the flag pole, so they had a much smaller one flying. But the fort was still, well… a fort, much like the others we’ve been to.

Yep, looks like an old fort, has red bricks like an old fort, smells like an old fort... must be another old fort.

Adam took some time to beat on a loaded barrel of gun powder. Then we let him play with a lighter and a sharp object.

Paul would have rather been playing his Leapster... but too bad, it's time to learn valuable information about history so that he can be smarter than a 5th grader when he's a 1st grader.

Adam enjoyed the warm weather. The wind was brutal atop the ramparts where we watched the flag so gallantly streaming.

Behind Paul is the harbor where Key was on a British ship when he wrote the anthem. You can't see it in these photos, but the so aptly named Francis Scott Key Bridge crosses the harbor where they say he watched the battle from. Of course, they try to ruin the legend by saying he couldn't even see the flag from that distance, but whatever.

And here we are, Rebecca. You got your photo of us by a cannon. I hope this makes you happy.

So Fort McHenry was as exciting as any fort could be, and what's better, we got to use our pass again so that saved us the $15 it would have cost to get in! And now we can say... yeah, we've been there! Next up... Fort Sumter, Fort Ticonderoga, The Alamo, Fort Knox, the Bastille, the Great Wall of China, Wolfsschanze, and Lolo's Fort Fizzle!!