Still in Missouri

Well it was a bright shiny morning and I got an early start.  Off I went to Hannibal, the childhood home of Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain.  Hannibal has changed as little as possible from the early days when the  Clemens' first moved there.  It is quite charming though filled with antique shops and other stores named for characters and events out of Mark Twain books.  I did take the Mark Twain House and Museum tour.  It went through his boyhood home, his father's law office and courthouse, the home of his best girl friend who became Becky Thatcher and both the new and old museums.  The new museum has 15 original Norman Rockwell's, that he did as illustrations for the first edition of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.  The sketches for the painting were so much better than the paintings I couldn't believe it.  The paintings were dark and drab, so unlike the usual Rockwell.

After Hannibal I was off to Independence to see the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.  I forget that everything is further away than I think and is going to take longer than I plan. I arrived at 4:30 with the library closing at 5:00.  So I will return tomorrow.  Luckily I am very close to Kansas City, Missouri and can get want I want to do there done tomorrow as well.  Fingers crossed.

I think I'm going into Kansas after that but I won't decide until tomorrow at breakfast.  I'll surprise myself.

Since beside a travel blog this is a trip of personal discovery anyone not interested can stop reading now.

I have discovered I am not much for planning which gets me into a lot of trouble and wastes time.  It also frustrates me which is not good.  I don't handle the frustration well and become self-destructive.  I need to pay more attention to instructions and details.  Right now I'm driving myself crazy.  I seem to be too early or too late for everything.  Tours start on May,  night hours start in May, I'm a day off here.  I'm just sloppy.  If the trip is to be a success I need to clean up my act!