First, before I talk about Fort McHenry I have to say...."All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"!
“O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,” a large red, white and blue banner? “Whose broad stripes and bright stars . . . were so gallantly streaming!” over the star-shaped Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, September 13-14, 1814. The valiant defense of the fort by 1,000 dedicated Americans inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 
It was really cool to see this fort. It stands pretty much how it would have looked when Francis Scott Key wrote those famous words.
You could look out over the water and imagine the British surrounding the fort with their multitude of ships. You could feel what the American soldiers must have felt as they looked up at the flag and stood their ground behind the grass mounds and cannons of Fort McHenry.
You could also picture what Francis Scott Key must have been feeling as he sat out at sea, helpless as he watched the battle taking place all around him. You can feel his joy in his words when he saw the gigantic American Flag still waving free after a full night of constant battle. According to the odds that flag should not have been standing, but it was, and because of Francis Scott Key's ability to express his overwhelming emotion. We are amazingly, blessed with an incredible National Anthem.
After a great afternoon at Fort McHenry, we went to downtown Baltimore and had Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Here is my thoughts on the Cheesecake Factory. The menu drives me nuts!!! There is way too many choices! I can not decide what to eat when I have a million things to choice from. I like In-n-Out. Pretty much one choice with a few variations. When I go there I know I'm going to have a burger..simple! Anyway, after a hour of deciding what to eat I gave up and ordered a appetizer from the first page. I was then disappointed about what I ordered. Not because it wasn't good, but because I kept wondering if it was the best choice or if I should have ordered what the waiter just carried to the next table. As you can see, Cheesecake Factory stressed me out. Then to top it off, we decided not to get Cheesecake (I actually am not a huge Cheesecake fan) but why go to Cheesecake Factory if you don't get Cheesecake! It's the freakin Factory, at least one person in the party should be forced to get Cheesecake!
After that undecisive meal Dave was very sweet to volunteer to take the boys to the Science Museum next door to see the K'nex exhibit since there was a Filene's Basement across the street that was calling my name...CINDI SHOP HERE! I found a really cute dress and a few shirts and the boys had a blast building everything they could think of with K'nex.
