HOLIDAY FUN- Ft.McHenry Candlelight Tour

Jose, Jeff, Tom, Yolie, Shelly (Rob took picture)

On Saturday, December 3, we were joined by our friends Jeff, Jose, Yolie and Shelly and went to Fort McHenry in Baltimore for an historic Candlelight tour of the fort. The holiday tour was free (usually there's a charge) for the holiday and it featured various actors that explained Christmas-time traditions during the 4 wars that the fort was active (Revolutionary War, War of 1812, World War 1 and World War 2). The fort was at times a hospital during WW1 and WW2. The giant flag flying in the fort was the inspiration for Francis Scott Key's "Star Spangled Banner." 

  - The tour was really enjoyable and educational. We had a fun Park Ranger tour guide named Vince who was extremely educated, very enthusiastic and animated. He made the whole adventure fun!!  Here are some photos from that adventure.

The Star Spangled Banner Waves over Ft.McHenry

Actors portraying WW2 vets,nurses

Tour guide holding candlelit lantern

Candlelit entry way into the fort

Building that housed officers

The group listening to the tour - Tom, far right

Actors playing cards, portraying 1812 soldiers

Revolutionary War soldiers outside-Ranger Vince (right)

Tom and Rob trying to stay warm

Jeff and Jose enjoying the tour

Basement cell of the fort where a soldier committed suicide (he haunts it)

Hammond- Harwood House Tour- Annapolis, Md.

This weekend we went to Annapolis to visit an historic home that we had not yet toured.

The Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis, Maryland, United States, is one of the premier colonial houses remaining in America from the British colonial period (1607–1776).   The house was designed by the architect William Buckland in 1773-74 for wealthy farmer Matthias Hammond of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. 

Rob and Tom headed to Harwood House

   The tour was interesting- we've learned a LOT about the furniture. Most of it was crafted by a furniture maker named "Shaw" who had a business in Annapolis. The architecture of the house was interesting (although it smelled musty in there). What's interesting is that the guy that built the home never lived in it and died in his 30s. It was last owned by three elderly sisters that never married and when the last one passed in 1924, the house went to the state of Maryland. 

  - There are NO GHOSTS in the house. I felt nothing through the entire tour. Of course, I was still getting over a cold/congestion etc. but I know that didn't interfere with my sensitivities to ghosts. There wasn't any residual energies there either, which I thought was really odd.  

 - Following are some of the pictures of our adventure (we couldn't take pictures in the house, only the gift shop), and we were joined by our friend Jeff. 

Rob Waiting for tourguide to start

Tourguide giving Rob & Tom a brief introduction

Jeff, Tom and Rob Enjoying Annapolis on the weekend.

This was the weekend weather... Overcast and cool.