Days 102 & 103 - Paul Revere's Ride

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

If you have read this poem, you know there is a LOT more to it. In fifth grade we all had to memorize the entire thing and recite it in front of the class. This weekend I got to spend the day in Boston with a friend, without children or husbands! Lorienne was so great helping me to scope out some nice shots for my project! This one is our favorite! I also stopped in Faneuil Hall and bought the book for my kiddos! 

Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.

Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

My friend Lorienne and I went back into the city this morning after a crazy long and much needed night out! So much fun! We went to Mike's Pastry where I did not buy any pastries, but Lorienne did. We also found Paul Revere's house and did a drive-by viewing of the USS Constitution. This summer I am taking the kids back to walk the Freedom Trail. We are so lucky to live right near this city so rich with history!