Missouri Trip

Warning: Lots of photos. I have them on FB, but Mom doesn't check FB, so I am putting them here too.

 Miss Meredith and I hit the ground running in Kansas City. We picked up a rental car, and after a quick hello to my folks, we headed to Missouri Town 1855.

 I know Meredith is a fan of Little House on the Prairie, so I thought she'd enjoy seeing what it must have been like living back then (the Laura Ingall's story is actually set in the 1870s).

 The sheep liked being close to Miss M, but when I went closer to have my picture made, it scooted away.

 My best pal at Mo Town its Dusty the horse.  He is always looking for a treat, but there is a sign right next to him saying "Don't feed the horse," so of course, of course, I did not feed the horse.

 After spending a lovely evening (think half-price appetizers during happy hour and a classical music trio playing on the patio under the stars) at the landmark boutique hotel Raphael, and getting a great night's sleep, we drove (maybe 2 miles) over to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. We viewed most of the World's Fair exhibit, but since it was Saturday, the hall was more crowded than I found comfortable. Photos were not allowed in the special exhibit, and there were adults aiming camera phones all over the place ( I get tense when people aren't following the rules). The museum staff must have been worn out at the end of the day.  (Photos of the regular collection are allowed, and that's what I have here.)

AND there were small children. PLEASE! I don't mind children when they are in places appropriate to them, but I saw a 5-6 year old girl lean her whole body against this landscape canvas.  Her mother asked her to move, but the docent was calm and horrified at the same time as he ran across the gallery to shoo her off. The canvas will be tagged and examined by a museum professional to see if it was damaged and if repair is required. AND that was not the only child misbehavior I witnessed. It was too much. 

The reason I took the two photos of this lovely work of art is to show how the entire landscape is composed of spots of oil paint. It makes me think of single-colored mosaic.

I view art emotionally. I enjoy those pieces which make me sigh in wonder at the artist's vision and execution.

And this one because it was the only quilt-ish item I saw. Not a fan of the colors, but love the geometry.

This huge wall installation was composed of three-dimensional pyramid-ish (I am sure there is a proper geometric term for them, but since I didn't read the description, I don't know what it is) parts with one colored side. The color bounces off the white wall surface and creates this wonderful experience of motion and color as you walk past it.

We cut our trip to the Nelson short to go to Mom and Dad's for early dinner.  Dad made a cherry pie.  He asked what I wanted and, following his spaghetti and salad (homemade salad dressing), cherry pie was perfect.

Random family photos follow:

Dad, Mom and Meredith

Dad and Tasha

We had a great time. Meredith is a lovely young woman and we are overjoyed she is joining our family.