Year 2 - Day 224 - August 13

For quite some time we've been hearing about the Baltimore Grand Prix which is coming on Labor Day weekend. To a non-race watcher like myself, it has been hard to comprehend the idea of race cars zooming around the inner harbor at high speeds. The race course has been paved and surfaced for almost a year which has made traffic worse than normal, trees have been uprooted to make sure people paying to watch the race cars can see them, and now they're putting up grandstands and race walls. This is a long term project. The race weekend is still 3 weeks away and already streets have these walls installed. The concrete portion was just about to my head level as I sat in the car and then the cages go many feet further. My friend worded it as Baltimore looking like it's in jail, and I agree!

I was downtown to take the SeaDog speedboat tour thanks to a groupon we got recently. We boarded near HarborPlace and went slow all the way to Ft. McHenry. Then they opened up the engines and bounced us around out past the Key Bridge and back before hitting the no wake zone again. I think I learned some facts about landmarks that I didn't know, but I heard him make mistakes about things I DO know, so hopefully I don't have incorrect knowledge. :) For example, he said the Key Bridge was made instead of adding a 3rd tunnel, but the 2nd tunnel is much newer than the bridge.

This afternoon we were going to swim but the weather changed our plans to an indoor cookout and board game day. At one point, the power went out. For those of us playing cards, a simple flashlight worked. But the boys playing Risk were more creative - they turned on their iPhone light and hung it in the chandelier over the table. :)

Day 121 - May 1

Today was the "Black Eyed Susan - Celebrate Reading" cruise.  They announce the winners of the Black Eyed Susan award and an author speaks at lunch while we take a ride on a paddleboat around the harbor, Fells, Canton, and Ft. McHenry.  Last year it rained, so today's beautiful weather was a nice change!

Mike is finally starting to feel more human, but he was advised to continue to avoid people til today so he stayed home.  He was going to at least let the garage door opener fixer dude in, but since the guy didn't show, he didn't have to.  I was going to go to the outdoor movie party without him, but decided that'd be a little mean. :)