Baltimore is celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812 and the attack on Ft. McHenry with one mega-celebration. There are over 40 tall ships from all over the world scattered all around the Baltimore Harbor area. Ft. McHenry has many special events and there are more events scattered over the general area. The Blue Angels performed today and will do so again tomorrow. I really wanted to go, but the reality of a healing but gimpy hip limits the length of time I am comfortable walking or just standing around, and I don't want to undo the good that has been happening. So....
I compromised and went to Annapolis where only one tall ship is docked. I figured at least I could get close enough to that one to try some pictures. From the time I got there I had some nice surprises. Between me and the Bounty (the ship that is docked there) was a Corvette show, with some really classy vehicles. One of the license plates said it all.
Here are a couple of my favorites:
Shiny, aren't they? And the engines were as clean as a whistle. After all, this was a competition, and cleanliness counted.
On to the Bounty, which is a replica of said ship and was created for use in the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty". She has three masts, but one of them had communications gear on it, which I considered an anachronism and decided to ignore. I was fascinated by the number of lines it takes to handle the sails and all that go with it.
By some judicious maneuvering onto a side pier I'm not sure I was supposed to be traversing (but there were no signs saying "don't") I got a fairly decent angle of the masthead.
The ship has a long, lean look from the front.
At one point there were canoeists paddling around her for a better look, and they probably had the best look of any of us.
Just as I was deciding I was ready to move on to some errands, someone said, "Oh, look at the heron!" There on the little pier behind me was a black-crowned night heron, a bird for which I had spent a considerable amount of time at Chincoteague searching in vain back in May. Right there--up close and personal!
I know they nest in the area, but not downtown! What on earth was it doing among all the people and boat traffic. And honestly, I wouldn't want to eat anything that lives in the waters around the dock. Yuck! His destination became apparent when he flew over to MY pier. Just as I was refocusing for a closer shot, a man who was crabbing yelled "Shoo!'', and off it flew! The bird was heading for crabs the man had caught and had stowed in a bucket on the pier. The night heron had to look elsewhere for brunch.
The trip was fun, it was just the right length, and I had side experiences I wasn't expecting. Very satisfactory. I'll wait till the Blue Angels fly over the Naval Academy again to watch them and be glad not to have had to fight the throngs I saw on TV tonight!
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