Mark Twain

Being an Aunt is a job I take seriously. When my nieces and nephews were small, I enjoyed planning "Aunt Rita Adventures". They never knew in advance where we were going -- it could be a play, a juggling class or a plane ride (yes, some adventures were better than others).

Lucky for me -- those kids grew up and HAD kids -- so I have a whole new generation of great-nieces and great-nephews to adventure with...

These six belong to my nieces Amy & Nicole (who live near me) -- Parker (12), Cale (10), Garrett (7), Landon (5), Cash (3) and Memphis (2).

There was a Mark Twain show up on the Clinton Showboat on Tuesday night. I wanted to take the four oldest boys -- but I just didn't have time for the lobotomy...(yes, that's a joke)...

So, I decided to do something a little different and take one boy from each family. On this night -- I picked up Cale and Landon and we were hanging around the house, trying to make a YouTube video when Elliott arrived -- I love this picture of Elliott with the boys...

It was a stormy day...the boys still had NOOOOO idea where we were going or what this was all about...
I read Huckleberry Finn to my boys every night for a year. So I could hardly wait to take a couple of BOYS to this show...

This Mark Twain was terrific. Besides telling the usual stories of a boy growing up in Hannibal, Missouri -- he also sang, played the guitar AND the banjo. It was a wonderful show. We sat in the front row -- and he talked to Cale and Landon as if they were a couple of his boyhood friends the entire time.

Here's a link for the show -- and the full schedule of the Clinton Showboat...

Mark Twain and The Laughing River

Mark Twain said that his childhood was “the wellspring of [his] clearest inspiration.” Jim Post took Twain at his word and wrote this delightful family show, joyously recalling Hannibal, a boy’s paradise with a buckskin spirit of adventure. One-hour-and-forty-five minutes of Twainian wit and wisdom plus the brilliant, jubilant music you’ve come to expect from Post.

“His songs and monologues, whether serious or witty, fell as natural on the ear as everyday conversation” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

“Jim Post is a one man tour de force—part musical, part drama and thoroughly entertaining” WASHINGTON POST

During the intermission -- Mark Twain brought them up on stage and put his guitar and banjo on them...!!

I hope the boys had half as much fun as I did...