Just trying to stay busy.

I’ve had a day to process it, but I’m still unsure of what to make of yesterday. Nothing went well for me, yet at the same time, nothing necessarily went poorly either. Yet, I do feel a little uneasy about it all. It seemed as if all of those small things that could have made my day much easier didn’t go my way. I felt like everything was a struggle. Hopefully, it’s just that kind of day and it won't carry over into the rest of the week.

Again, it wasn’t all bad, though. All things consider, I'd say I broke even for the day. I did manage to finish everything on my must-do-today list before going to bed, which is always good. I don’t want to fall behind! However, I didn't make any progress on anything else. I didn’t get to work on any of my long-term projects, which need some attention. Oh well, I’ll just try to be content with remaining caught up.

The lab testing schedule has picked up this week, which is a good thing. Obviously, it means more work and more time in those labs, but still it also means we're finding potential participants for our study. What can I say, when I’m not randomly roaming around cities and park, I’m a lab geek. In fact, I’m probably a lab geek most of the time and I’m perfectly fine with that. At the moment the new participants are just trickling in, but my guess is we’ll be in full swing with the next phase in August. Prefect timing, as that means this cohort should run through the semester. The final testing phase will be near the end of December and keep me busy through winter break.

Today I had a troubling end to my therapy session. My therapist has decided to lay down the law about my "excessive" walking and told I can no longer go to any type of park. Apparently, she’s concerned after my day wandering lost around Manassas. Then, on top of it, she and my nutritionist think I’m just taking it too far. I went through a phase of over-exercising during my undergrad years, and they feel I’m using this in a similar way. My biggest issue is that she told me as I walked out the door, not giving me an opportunity to argue. That was it. No parks. No National Parks, no State Park, no local parks, until we discuss it further on Friday. Well, not that I’ll have time for such a trip before then. We’ll just have to work that out before the weekend… or I’ll have to assert my independence as an adult and break the rule!

Now, prior to that session, I did fit in a short walk at a park!! Good thing I went beforehand. I went to campus extremely early today, so I’d have plenty of time to finish my paper work before our morning testing session. The plan worked too well. Everything was completed before 6:00 this morning, meaning I was able to leave immediately after our testing was finished. Yayee.

Considering the Fourth of July just passed and I’m feeling all patriotic, I went to the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore, MD. Okay, and it’s kind of on the way to therapy. The park is the only designated National Monument and Historic Shrine in the country. It’s definitely a historic national gem.

Fort McHenry

The five-point star shaped fort was built after the American Revolution on Baltimore’s Locus Point peninsula to defend the Port of Baltimore and served as the Baltimore Harbor’s primary defense until around 1850. It’s most notable for its role in the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The fort endured a 25-hour bombardment from the British Navy warships positioned in the Chesapeake Bay on September 13, 1814 to begin the battle. The ships were unable to pass the harbors defenses and withdrew the following morning, ending the naval portion of the conflict.

View of the Chesapeake Bay from the fort, with some of its guns.

The British Navy warships would have been straight ahead in 1814 during the Battle of Baltimore bombing away on the fort.

The Enlisted & Junior Officers' Quarters inside the Fort.

The fort was used as a Union prison during the Civil War. It was later convert, with the addition of a number of buildings on grounds outside of the fort, as a hospital for troops during World War I. Finally, during World War II, the US Coast Guard used it as a base to defend the port. Some time around 1925, the National Park service took it over and it’s been restored to its original condition.

The Parade Ground and Flag, view from the Junior Officers' Quarters towards the Fort's Sally Port.


The Statue of Orpheus, dedicated to Francis Scott Key on the park grounds outside of the Fort.

Key, an American lawyer, had traveled to Baltimore in September 1814 to negotiate the release of a friend held as a prison by the British and watched the fort’s bombardment from a truce ship in the Bay during the Battle of Baltimore. Seeing the oversized American flag, sewn by local Mary Pickersgill, still flying unscathed the following morning as the fighting eased inspired he to pen the poem The Defense of Fort McHenry. Sound familiar? The poem was later set to music and renamed The Star Spangled Banner. So, this is the home of our National Anthem.

It's very well maintained. This is what a National Park area should look in my opinion. The fort itself was in great shape. The buildings inside the fort were in good condition. Each building housed well done exhibits showing what the barracks would have looked like, giving information on the history of the fort, and of the people serving there. The grounds were kept up nicely. Overall, definitely worth the trip and $7.00 entrance fee.

Here are the pictures from the afternoon.

It seems as if I’ve been stuck on battlefields and forts for a while. I think I am ready to get back to walking around a city or town. I need some variety back.