Patriot's Day 2011

It has been a fantastic week to say the least. Today, April 18th we celebrate Patriots' Day, a civic holiday in Massachusetts and Maine (Maine was once part of Massachusetts).
Patriots' Day celebrates the first day of conflict between the American rebels and the British crown at the start of the American Revolution. Many are familiar with "the shot heard round the world"-Well this is where it happened!

We spent Sunday and Monday in Lexington where every year a reenactment of the day's events unfold. I took lots of pictures so I'll try to share some of the best.

Of course you know of Paul Revere's midnight ride. Here you can see him warning the local minutemen that the British regulars were on the way.

 

This statue commemorating the minutemen sits on the 'Battle Green' where the skirmish took place 235 years ago on April 19, 1775. It was here that Captain John Parker famously said, "Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon. But if they mean to have a war, let it begin here!"

 

The British regulars were marching under orders to confiscate Rebel munitions they believed were stored at Concorde. The Americans received advanced warning of this plan and were prepared to organize at a moments notice, thus the name 'minutemen'. The battle is reenacted every year on the battle green. Here you can see the British regulars advancing but none of my gunfire shots turned out due to my poor photographic skills.

 

 The Colonial dead and wounded as the British advanced on to Concorde.

 

 Kenzie was a good sport despite the musket fire....did I mention the event started at 5:00 AM?

The British regrouping....

 

 We couldn't pass up the chance to have a pancake breakfast with some Red Coats. They were pretty nice despite their loyalty to King George III.

 One of the beautiful colonial era homes in Lexington, now the Visitor's Center.

 Between events Kenzie had to stop for a snack and a nap....

 After the reenactment, the city held a parade. It was the best parade I've ever seen and Kenzie loved it-especially the bands. Here you can see a group of militia....

 A couple of tanks...hey is that General Patton?

Look at the size of those horses standing alongside that man....Enough said!

 I liked this float a lot...

 There is something special about the bagpipes.

 

My favorite picture from the day! I'm proud of my little Patriot!

  

Genealogy research has really sparked my interest in cemeteries. We couldn't help but take a tour of the "Ye Old Burying Ground". 

Many of these headstones mark the graves of men and women who lived during the Battle of Lexington. John Hancock's grandfather is buried here.

 Look at this headstone. Notice the hourglass with wings...simply amazing.

 The headstone belongs to a surgeon who attended the wounded Rebels after the Battle of Lexington.

 Here's a great shot of Jen and Kenzie in Lexington....

and outside our hotel.

 Earlier this week we got to have an evening picnic on the Boston Common. Here's Kenzie before heading out...

It was great to see signs of Spring and the ducks on the pond! Kenzie enjoyed playing in the grass...

 

 and looking at a beautiful pair of Mallard ducks.

 

There are signs of life again in Boston!

There is only so much Revolutionary reenactment and parading that a little girl can handle. Despite the sound of horns, musket fire, and colonial bands, Kenzie decided that enough was enough.

And that was the end of our fantastic week! We had a great time celebrating the brave men that stood strong and gave our Country its first step toward freedom.

Ashley