Constellation

Constellation
Originally uploaded by jacquichris.

So, for those of you familiar with Baltimore, the three mast ship I previously made reference to was the USS Constellation. It is the last remaining wooden ship commissioned by the Navy. The ship played a critical role in disrupting the slave trade during the 'war of Northern aggression.'

A number of things, like this dolphin, have been named in her honor. This Constellation we met at the Baltimore aquarium. She is generally a member of the dolphin show, although her participation was quite limited when we were there as she is profoundly pregnant. Had I been her trainer, I would have been concerned that one misplaced jump would cause her to explode and shower the crowd with dolphin bits. As a result, at the end of the show, Constellation still had a lot of sass which she shared in repeated 'drive-bys' round the aquarium. Although I considered the dolphin show somewhat half-heartedly and out of place, the Aquarium itself is spectacular with multiple award-winning exhibits. Of particular interest is an impressive program for poison dart tree frogs.