Around Town, a Civil Saturday

Just a regular Philadelphia Saturday.  It rained.

There were two other guys and a tree in the photo, I didnt like them.

After Sumter was shelled, Lincoln sent out a call for troops to defend the nation’s capitol.  A capitol that moved to the Virginia border some years before to appease the same states who were now in rebellion.  Philadelphia answered the call then, and this morning we ventured out to watch the troops muster 150 years later in commemoration.

If you knew your history, then you would know where I’m coming from, and you wouldn’t have to ask me, who the ___ do I think I am. I’m a buffalo soldier.

Some years after that initial call, black men were allowed to enlist.  The first and largest training ground for these troops was just outside Philadelphia.  In honor of those who trained there, this was the battalion who led this mornings parade.

It was cold and wet.  So much so that Mrs. Hammas wouldn’t get out of the car, Littlehammas 2.0 slept in the car seat, and Littlehammas1.0 wouldn’t even wave back to the guy on the horse as it would have somehow interfered with her whining about the cold.

I once saw General Meads stuffed horse in a row house not far from here.

Having failed at my attempt at sewing the seeds of history nerdiness, we moved on to plan B, which was just plain nerdiness.

Childrens Science Festival

There was a man throwing a bucket of liquid nitrogen onto the wet street, allowing kids to stomp around in the clouds it created, a woman making tornadoes in 2 litre bottles, and jugglers.  I think the jugglers wandered over from the library’s children’s book fair that was going on 20 yards away.

2.0 learning about the solar car.

For some reason this sort of nerdiness is more fun than the guys playing dress up, carrying guns, and riding horses.  I will add this to my list of things beyond me, and do my best to get on board.

It won’t be that hard as I think the long term pay off of science geekdom is far above that of history buff.  Sure Ken Burns is great but he’s no Bill Gates.

Then again, maybe Princess trumps them all.

1.0 at the Rock School