You might remember that in December, Rea and I made a trip out to Baltimore after visiting our Ohio family. She had such a great time at the swim camp she attended and learned a LOT - so she asked to go back to the summer camp they offered. Well, with David leaving for Germany in a few months, it seemed like the perfect way to spend time with him while also giving Rea more swim opportunities. And this time Miss Ni'ke got to tag along! We flew out Saturday night - make that Sunday morning at 0059 AM! Eek.... This was after waking at 0500 Saturday morning to take the kids to Napa for the fire drill... It was a looooong day! David picked us up in Baltimore, we were able to check into our hotel early (we loved staying in Hunt Valley!), we took a little nap, and then had some amazing gelato at Vaccaro's!
Monday morning we took Rea to her swim camp and got her all settled there. David then took Ni'ke and I downtown to the Inner Harbor to see the sights. Ni'ke was drawn to this hilarious dog on wheels at the visitor center.
Did I mention that it was 97 degrees and SO humid!? Aaahh, California, how you have spoiled this mid-western girl with your lovely no-humidity weather.... So how fun to find this fun, cool and refreshing water feature. Ni'ke literally soaked herself twice and was dry within 10 minutes.
We introduced Ni'ke to Forest Gump at Bubba Gump Shrimp's.
Toured the Ripley's believe it or not museum after lunch.
A little tight-rope walking lesson...
Oh no! It's going to eat me!
Nothing says "I'm a tourist" more than sporting your very own balloon animal hat. :)
This was a highlight of our trip. We went to Fort McHenry where Ni'ke earned her badge and was sworn in as a Junior Ranger. We learned all about the flag, and the inspiration for the Star Spangled Banner written by Francis Scott Key. Very cool!
Strolling along the Chesapeake Bay
Ni'ke was selected to participate in the changing of the flags inside the Fort. What an honor! By order of the president, the US flag is to fly 24/7 in the courtyard of the fort to commemorate the Battle of Baltimore and that the fort was defended.
Tuesday morning was full of sunshine, so Ni'ke and I headed to Beaver Dam, exactly 1.2 miles away from our hotel. It was the nicest little swimming hole where fearless Ni'ke was completely in her element. Jumping off cliffs, standing on rolling logs, diving off the high dive, and a fantastic little rope swing that made me cringe every time I saw her swing out on it, which was no less than 30 times... It was so hot - I'm amazed that I managed to not get sunburnt all day! So it was shocking that later that afternoon, out of the blue clear sky, a thunderstorm/hail storm came along and wreaked havoc on my car ride down to drop in on Rea at camp. Flooding, hail the size of gumballs, thunder and lightning.... It's been awhile since I've been in one of those, let alond driving in it in a city I'm not familiar with! We made it there safely, and David met us there after taking a train up from down town after work, and I was more than happy to let him drive us back home!
On Wednesday, David took the day off work and took Ni'ke to Washington DC for the day. They visited the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the World War II monument, the reflection pool, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. She slept great that night after a long day of walking with her long-legged brother. I stayed in Hunt Valley and had a day of pampering! I went shopping in this awesome little shopping center by our hotel, and then got an amazing massage and facial. The massage was..... weird. I was rubbed and poked more than massaged, really. But the facial made up for it, even though she glued my face shut with a mask. Interesting. Had my first experience with a vichy shower. I need one of those in my house!!
Thursday came, and we went back to Beaver Dam for more fun in the sun - oh wait, it was overcast and drizzled most of the day. Note to self: you are a 41 year old red-headed nurse who has years of experience in this. You CAN get burnt on an overcast day and you know this. Please take better precautions next time.... Thank you.
Ni'ke met some new friends her age, and together they conquered the rolling log.
So this is a picture (and a video below) of Ni'ke jumping feet first off the rocks. This was only after she got an epic scolding from her mother for DIVING head first off of it (into 50 foot waters) just moments before. Yes, it was technically allowed, but still..... Just not very wise.
Friday, I nursed my sunburn, and then we picked up Rea from her last day of swim camp at 3:00 and headed back to the city for more adventures. David took us to eat at an amazing Greek restaurant called Samos in Greektown near his apartment. We were so stuffed! We then got to see the movie we had been looking forward to seeing all summer, Jurassic World! Great night, and we girls collapsed into bed as soon as we got back to the hotel.
Saturday morning we rose to a LOT of rain! We ate breakfast, and I debated about our next adventure and whether we should still do it. We had planned to go to Annapolis to take a tour of Naval Academy, where Rea is determined to go in six years. We were all looking forward to it, but at breakfast, the news was full of reports of severe rain and flash flood watches all over the area, including Annapolis. We were supposed to fly out of Regan airport in DC that evening after toured the campus, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to drag my children out there and possibly get soaked all day before getting on a plane. I called the visitor center and asked the gentleman who answered whether they were still giving tours in the rain. There was a brief pause, and then he said, "Ma'am, this is the United States Navy, we don't cancel ANYthing just because of some water!" OK, fine. Point made. So we went. And I'm so glad that we did. The rain pretty much stopped by the time we got there, and much of the tour was indoors. So it was perfect.
What a great education kids get here - it's pretty amazing. We actually sat in on an admissions talk/slide show that told us pretty much everything you'd ever want to know about attending a school that is essentially the equivalent of MIT.
Rea was especially interested in the Olympic-sized swimming pool where she plans to dominate. I don't know how my 11 year old is so sure of what she wants to be and do when she grows up, but she is, and I am more than happy to help her reach her dreams.
There was a restaurant waaaaaaaay down at the end of this hall/building.
This car was ready to whisk off a bride and groom who were getting married on campus at the chapel, one of the 6 weddings scheduled that day, every hour on the hour.
How would you like a tour from this guy?
This is the house on campus where the current superintendent lives.
We toured the burial tomb of John Paul Jones.
Ni'ke, who wanted to be in every picture I took, kept saying, "This place is great, but I really want to go to West Point." Hmmmm, don't say that too loud! Navy and Army are huge rivals!
How's this for a nice dormitory?! Inside was spectacular - marble and lavish decor. Not your typical place to spend your college years!
Downtown Annapolis was so cool - this was a bed and breakfast that we passed.
The state house.
Aaaaahhhh...... We finally made it to our flight! I absolutely love Virgin America airlines, but after our pretty miserable flight out during the night on NO sleep, we had to make a few adjustments before we flew home. Enter, neck pillows. Yes, I have spent years making fun of my mother, who will not travel without one, but I hereby now confess that I am a true believer! We are big nerds who all got neck pillows, and we love them. Home, sweet home.......
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