Poem for Thursday, Antietam, National Treasure 2

The Duties of the Wind Are Few
By Emily Dickinson

The Duties of the Wind are few —
To cast the Ships at sea,
Establish March,
The Floods escort,
And usher Liberty.

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It wasn't as warm on Wednesday as it was on Tuesday, thankfully. We had kind of a slow morning -- Daniel was still recovering from his overnight at the University of Maryland, I'm not sure what Adam's and my excuses are -- then my father took the kids to Hamburger Hamlet and I ate a bagel with melted cheese and had to wipe a cat's tail after she jumped on the table and got cheese on it. (At least it wasn't a cereal bowl with milk this time.)

In the late afternoon I took Adam to tennis, which is a very small class this time, semi-private lessons. It's great for him and great for me because the temperatures in Cabin John Park by the creek under the trees are much lower than on the sunny neighborhood paths. I walked up to Shirley Povich Field, where the Big Train was working out before a big game tonight. Young baseball players look good stretching. *whistles*

A friend of mine sent Daniel Helen Mirren's University of Maryland coffee mug from National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets that the friend had won in a prop auction, so we decided to watch that tonight in her honor. Imagine my delight not only to see several places at the University of Maryland that we saw in person just the other day, but to realize that Buckingham Palace in that movie is clearly played by the same building as Buckingham Palace in The King's Speech -- both the hallway where Ben and Abigail sneak with the flowers and the Queen's private study, which is the same room where Bertie was rehearsing with Lionel.


Musicians at Antietam wait outside the Dunker Church to perform for visitors.


Here I am with my family and my father-in-law at the monuments near the visitor center.


Visitors can drive through the park or take a ride in a horse and cart.


The site of Joseph Poffenberger's farm.


The state of Maryland's monument at Antietam, ringed with plaques honoring different brigades.


A grasshopper in the cornfield.


Sheep on one of the farms reconstructed at the battlefield.


The dorm is one of the closest to the department of agriculture, which has a Silent guns.