Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Twain

I've been fighting a cold, am feeling tired and lonely since we just dropped off Matt at the airport after 4 great days with him, the reality set in that we will not see him for a month. Leaving him at the Springfield airport was kind of sad.
As we pulled away, the car was rather quiet and I was welling up, but if I let on I was sad, the kids would let on that they were sad, so we settled on not talking for a while.

Aside from the Lincoln library and Museum exceeding my expectations, the town of Springfield is very depressed. Buildings in disrepair, no one walking around, no funky cafes or cute shops. With the exception of the capital, nothing particularly noteworthy in the way of architecture. And like many larger towns a Subway (sandwiches) or Walgreens seem to be on every corner.

It is hard to believe that this was where Lincoln lived for a good portion of his life. We saw the train station where Lincoln gave his farewell speech from the back of the train the day he and his family headed to Washington D.C.

"My friends, no one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.

A little over 4 brutal and war ravaged years later, a funeral train brought his body back to Springfield. He is in a very large tomb with his wife and 3 of his 4 sons, in what struck me as an ordinary cemetery.

For some reason because of Lincoln's connection to Springfield, I thought the city would look more quaint or well kept, preserved or something. Not that I thought people would be walking around with stove top hats, but you get my drift.

The library and museum were top notch. Painstaking research, and many everyday scenes and famous moments brought to life with life-size figures that look eerily real - down to the hair on Lincoln's arms.

In many of the exhibits, photography was prohibited. But the images were better than any history book I ever had in school. Two movies, displays about Lincoln, his boyhood, a replica of his cabin, the tragic death of the 3 of his four children, The Civil War, his assassination,the complexities of the times; all were explained very well, I could go back every day for a year and learn something new each time. The kids no doubt have an amazing base knowledge now. Although Wyatt was wondering where the big statue was of him sitting. (Ahhh - that's in Washington D.C. we told him)

Anyway,
Here are some more photos from Matt’s birthday weekend. We were able to spend it with two of the greatest Americans that ever lived – Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain. Below are the pics from Hannibal, Missouri.

I took this photo in Mark Twain's boyhood home in Hannibal, Missouri. Between his boyhood home and Museum there were endless quotes I wanted to sear into my brain. Some familiar, some new.
Much of the purpose of this trip is to remind us that everyone has a story. I think my kids are learning that, if nothing else.

Heard a story teller in character as a slave telling stories and teaching us a song.

A perk of homeschooling: You can eat ice cream while you learn...

Wyatt enjoyed his corn cob pipe along the banks of the Mighty Mississippi. We half expected to see Tom and Huck appear.

This warmed my heart - Payton fully engrossed in learning - no homework, no test, no grade, just pure self motivation fueled by curiosity. That makes me happy!

We all took our turn "painting" Tom Sawyer's fence.

Sally on Jim and Huck Finn's raft which doubled as a movie theater to watch excerpts of Huckleberry Finn - there is a sign next to it that says ..."Huck eventually realizes he must oppose society's values to help Jim. In doing so, Huck goes against his upbringing and follows his conscience. Join Huck on the raft as he realizes that Jim is indeed a human being and equal."


Matt's birthday dinner at the famous Strouds in Kansas City. All fried chicken made to order, served family style and with fresh, warm cinnamon rolls. Strouds is housed in an 1829 log cabin and farmhouse. It is off the beaten path, navigation wont get you there, but it is worth the extra effort to find it. One of most delicious and most memorable meals we've ever had.

After our weekend, like I said, we dropped off Matt at the Springfield airport and headed back onto the Interstate towards Indiana. The sun, a huge Bigstick Popsicle colored ball set behind us. I caught glimpses of it in my side view mirror.

Although I know the next month promises to be filled with more discoveries and adventures, while the day ended, I was eager to get settled for the evening. So after only an hour, we stopped in Champaign, Illinois for the night.

I wasn't in the mood to force everyone to write in their journals, brush their teeth or read. Maybe part of me knows its Sunday. Maybe part of me felt like we had our fill of learning the last couple of days and we needed to veg, especially with fighting a cold and missing Matt.

As I write this, the kids are eating popcorn and M&M's and watching Disney Channel in the hotel room. Can that count as dinner?

I will let a lot of this sink in for now, but I am eager to see what they remember about Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Twain.