TripLearning

Independence Hall Being residents of Texas, it has been important to learn about Texas history.  Washington on the Brazos is the Birthplace of Texas and an important part of that history. So, one Friday afternoon we drove up to the park.  It was a nice drive from Houston.  We drove past Lake Conroe, numerous ranches and even a Cowboy Church.  Getting out of the city was a nice change of pace for our family. We left later than planned, so by the time we arrived it was late afternoon.  Following Davy Crockett This meant we didn't have enough time to do everything there.  We went in the Visitor Center & Gift Shop first.  There they told us what attractions they had and the cost for the various activities.  They also had a small, interactive exhibit with pictures, artifacts and history facts about Washington on the Brazos. After leaving the Visitor Center we walked over to Independence Hall .  This is where Texas became a Republic, declaring their independence fr

I am not a morning person.  Mainly because I love to stay up late at night.  And I love to sleep.  I am addicted to the snooze button and have multiple alarms set on my phone with various sounds, so I finally wake up enough to get out of bed. So, when I suddenly woke up this morning almost an hour before my alarm, I wasn't sure what to do.  After laying in bed for awhile and realizing I was not going to fall back to sleep I got the notion to get up and take a brisk walk before starting my day. After getting dressed and lacing up my tennis shoes, I headed downstairs with my phone.  At the last minute I decided to leave my phone and keys in the house and told my oldest son that I would just knock when I got home.  Normally I throw my phone, keys and water bottle in a light, canvas drawstring backpack, but I left the house without everything.  I even forgot to put on my watch. It was a wonderful morning for a walk.   It was cloudy and cool (for Houston).  I decided to walk

The REAL Huck Finn's House (Tom Blankenship) Hannibal , Missouri A small town north of St. Louis , MO is the boyhood home of Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain.  The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum offers several buildings to tour with displays, interactive exhibits, the Norman Rockwell gallery and treasured Clemens family artifacts. Mark Twain's Boyhood Home The kids got to meet "Mark Twain" "Painting the fence" revealed artifacts in the museum Mark Twain based Tom Sawyer on his own childhood in Hannibal and some of his characters off of people in town.  Huckleberry Finn was based on his friend, Tom Blankenship.  Becky Thatcher was his childhood friend, Laura Hawkins.  Sam Clemens lived in Hannibal from age 4 to 17.  If you love the stories of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, a visit to Hannibal will make you feel like you have stepped into the books. We enjoyed walking through the

I love architecture.  Especially old, historical buildings, forts, monuments, etc.  So when we visited Texas for the first time in February 2011, we wanted to see places like the River Walk, the San Antonio Zoo and the Alamo.  But, we also wanted to get out of the city a little and see more of the Spanish history of the area.  So, we decided to take a road trip to the four other missions in the San Antonio area.  They are all FREE to visit and with a break for lunch at a local BBQ joint, we had a lot of fun and saw more of the history of the area. Of course, we had to visit The Alamo first.  We were blessed with a wonderful condo on the River Walk right around the corner from The Alamo, so we were able to go by it during the day and at night. This is the part of The Alamo most people would recognize from pictures, but this is just the church.  The rest of the mission is around it.  Some of the walls are still intact and some of them are pieces across the street that you can c