Leaving Baltimore

Cory & Kai Learn about long boat whaling at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut

Cory & Kai Adjust the Elevation of a Naval Deck Gun in Groton, Connecticut

Cory & Kai check out the cannon at Gettysburg

Hawkins Family Reuion on Lake Champlain Vermont

Our two months in Baltimore have been wonderful with visits from my colleague in research, Barbara Laster from Towson University, our cousins Lisa,  Muff and Bill Jenkins, Brett Gleitsmann (long time friend), Nancy King (from Ft.Benning days), and of course our grandsons, Cory and Kai.  With the   grandboys we traveled to Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Niagara Falls, Lake Placid, Lexington and Concord, Ma, Plymouth,Cape Cod canal, the Groton Submarine base,  and Mystic Seaport.  The family reunion in Burlington, VT was a highlight of the summer over the 4th of July where we enjoyed the family at the Miller and Gillman homes on Lake Champlain, meeting the governor of Vermont, and attending the 4th of July activities in Burlington.  The grandboys each worked on two Boy Scout/Cub Scout badges with us as we tried to help them understand the progression of our American history from the Pilgrims in Plymouth, through the French/Indian War, Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and the Civil War.

Baltimore has been a wonderful home for two months, even with the heat.  There is a wonderful nautical map store and lots of resources for boats.  We loved the shops, restaurants, and museums (Frederick Douglas) in Fells Point, the food in Little Italy, and the Visionary Art Museum along with the famous aquarium.