A Visit to Baltimore

I just returned from a trip to Baltimore to visit my aunt who has been kicking cancer butt for over a year now. Since she’s been doing so well, we felt a girls celebration was in order—my mom (her big sis), my big sis, and one of my cousins all traveled to her home to spend a few days together. I hadn't seen my aunt in almost three years, and it was really good to visit with her and the other family members. It had been too long between visits, that's for sure!

Now, it was excruciatingly hot and humid in Baltimore—even though I’ve lived in the desert for most of my life, I’d forgotten how unbearable humidity can be. It’s the kind of weather where even lounging directly in front of the air conditioner is tiring—not to sound too cliché, but I’d take our 100+-degree dry heat any day!

We did get a chance to visit the Inner Harbor on one of the days we were there--of course, after approximately five minutes outside, we were dying from the aforementioned humidity. Seriously, we were wilting as soon as we stepped out of the car! (Note: Leaving the house at noon during the summer is probably not the wisest choice. Thank goodness for well-placed ice cream stands!) After wandering around for a little while, we decided to check out the Baltimore aquarium, since it promised not only fantastic fish, but also fantastic air conditioning. This proved to be a good move, although we were surrounded by what seemed like thousands of children running around. (Note: Visits to aquariums are probably more enjoyable when not going during school vacations ;-))

Anyway, here’s a couple of pics from that day (taken by my sis)—the first is with my lovely cousin, hamming it up in front of the USS Constellation, and the second is front of the USS Torsk, a WWII-era submarine. I dressed for our waterfront adventure in a blouse made from a 1940s pattern and WWII-era nautical print seersucker. I'm totally okay with thematic dressing!

And for fun, here’s a photo of the local “wildlife”!