Boats and Battlefields

Day 2 May 9

Today was Mother’s Day, and we started the day going to church at the local LDS ward. It’s nice to be in a familiar place so far from home. They honored Mothers in the usual way with the Primary children singing “I Often Go Walking”, and the youth handing out flowers to the mothers in the congregation. We now have a beautiful rose adorning our hotel room.


After a nice Mother’s day brunch (we never get to do that!), we toured the USS Constitution, or “Old Ironsides”, which is the oldest floating battleship in the world. It got its nickname during the War of 1812, when a British battleship engaged the Constitution in a naval battle, and the cannonballs either became embedded into the thick oak hull without piercing it, or bounced off of it with barely a dent. The ship reminded us so much of the 18th century ships featured on such films as “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Quite impressive. It also happened to be Marine Week, and we saw a lot of US Marines walking around in uniform, and bands playing to honor them.

Old Ironsides

On the gun deck (on ships, cannons are referred to as guns)

Topside

At the helm

When then took a short walk up to Bunker Hill, where the Americans held of the British for quite some time before the British finally overtook them, but with great loss to the British. That battle gave the Americans encouragement that they could stand on their own with the British Regulars.



Later in the afternoon, we drove to Lexington, where Paul Revere traveled to warn the Americans that the British were coming, and where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired.

Minuteman Monument at the Lexington Green


The Lexington Green

From there, we traveled along the battle trail to Concord, where the British attempted to raid an ammunition supply, but the Americans, being forewarned, moved the supplies elsewhere. The two sides engaged in a battle at the North Bridge in Concord, and, with the British retreating to Cambridge, the Americans fired on them all the way back.

Memorial to British Soldiers who died that day

The North Bridge at Concord

The Minuteman Monument at the North Bridge


Famous poem at the Minuteman Monument

All in all, it was a great Mother's Day for Marilyn. She talked to all of her children on the phone, and that meant a lot to her. Thank you to all of our children for being so thoughtful.