We met our friends Kent & Kathi in Lake George and toured Fort William Henry on Lake George and Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champagne.  Named Carillon by the French in 1755 and known to the soldiers in the American Revolution as “the old French Fort,” Fort Ticonderoga stood at the center of 2 wars and 5 battles. By 1820, “the old French Fort” had fallen into ruins when William Ferris Pell purchased the land and began one of America’s earliest preservation efforts.   The weather worked out fine as it was clear and warm on Monday and the showers held off until late on Tuesday.  We were at the pavilion marking Fort Defiance overlooking Fort Ticonderoga when a violent thunderstorm came through, but we stayed dry and talked a little longer with the resident re-enactor.  I managed this picture of the fort between rain events.