THORNCROWN CHAPEL and BEAVER LAKE, near Eureka Springs, AR

25 Sep 2021 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

  • Thorncrown Chapel
  • Beaver Lake and Dam
Last but not least were the last stops of my Eureka Springs / Bentonville adventures. Just outside of Eureka Springs sits Thorncrown Chapel. The glass and wood chapel has been open since July 1980. It sits in a wooded setting and is 48 feet tall, has 425 windows and 6000 sq ft of glass. It is a beautiful and quiet place to sit and reflect. Close by is Beaver Lake and Dam, with 28,000 acres of beautiful clear water. A beauty of the earth with a vastness that reminds us of just how small we are…….. Thanks for reading! Hope you Enjoyed!
“Make your heart like a lake with a calm, still surface and great depths of kindness.” by Lao Tzu

THE WALMART MUSEUM in Bentonville, AR

25 Sep 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

  • Same building in 1950
  • Sam Walton’s office
  • Sam’s truck
  • Packaging from the 1950s.

The Terry Block Building in 1950 was occupied by a traditional drug store and it’s ice cream soda fountain on the Bentonville town square. In this same building, on May 9, 1950, Sam Walton opened up his original Walton 5-10 store – the forerunner of Wal-Mart Inc . This location is now the Walmart Museum. Visitors will find the 5-10 store complete with the original floor tiles, tin ceilings, an exhibit/artifacts gallery, “The Spark Cafe Soda Fountain” and many interesting tidbits about Sam Walton’s life and the start up days of Waltons 5-10 / Walmart. The Soda Fountain sells Yarnells ice cream, which is the first ice cream that Sam sold.

After Sam passed away in 1992, workers carefully photographed, catalogued, and removed the contents of Walton’s office, even the wood paneling and carpet! The office was reconstructed in the museum exactly as it had been for all to see and reflect. Sam’s dog, Ole Roy, is as famous as Sam Walton and the namesake for the Walmart brand dog food even today. Admission is free.

Humble beginnings can flourish like you can hardly imagine……..

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!!

THE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF ART in Bentonville, AR

25 Sep 2021 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

  • Crystal Bridges
  • Hanging Heart by Jeff Koons,
    9 1/2 feet wide & weighs 3000 lbs.
  • Depression Bread Line
    by George Segal
  • Daylight at Russell’s Corner’s
    by George Ault
  • Off To Auction
    by Doris Lee
  • Tobacco Sorters
    by Thomas Hart Benton
  • I love this little face!
  • Portrait of Martha Graham
    by Marisol
  • A New Jersey Village
    by Oscar Bluemner
  • Angels Watching Over Me
    by Sister Gertrude Morgan
  • Rio Grand Casino Landscape
    by David Bradley
  • Rooster
    by Gustov Dentzel
  • Niijima Floats
    by Chihuly
  • Turquoise Reeds
    by Chihuly
  • Narcissus Garden
  • 900 mirrored spheres
  • by Yayoi Kusama
  • Crazy but Absolutely Beautiful!!
  • It’s all about preceptive.

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American art was founded by Alice Walton ( daughter of Sam Walton) and opened in 2011. Free to all. The museum was named after, and built around a natural spring, Crystal Spring. Just a short walk from the museum’s south entrance, Crystal Spring bubbles up from under a rocky overhang in a deep hollow. This beautiful, natural spring has been a source of fresh water for more than 100 years. The water pours forth at a rate of 100 to 125 gallons per minute, at a chill 52 degrees.. This spring is the living heart of the Crystal Bridges’ grounds.

Along with the astounding Crystal Spring feeding the pool of water around the museum and the amazing art collection, the grounds also have 3 and 1/2 miles of trails. The trails include outdoor sculptures and an amphitheater. These trails and the scenery themselves are magnificent – like a continual work of art as you walk along the paths.

When I first arrived, I wasn’t so sure how I felt about the crazy, unique design of the buildings that made up the museum. But the more I saw and walked through the different sections, the more I fell in love. I loved all aspects of the museum, but I especially noticed that almost every gallery had a window showing a different ” snippet of scenery” of the museum buildings and setting. The more window scenes I saw, the more it revealed that each window’s scenery, was in itself, a work of art. These “works of art” tied all the buildings together. All the different photos of the museum in this posting were taken from these windows. I have been in dozens of art museums, but I have never seen this done before. It is sheer genius!

If you add this museum to your travel list, and you should, be sure to allow a whole day to see it all and wear good walking shoes. Otherwise, you will leave disappointed and saddened for you are sure you would have loved what you missed. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!!

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” by Thomas Merson

BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS – A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!!

25 Sep 2021 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

  • 1st Walmart
  • A must do!
  • Courthouse
  • One example of the beautiful old homes
Bentonville is known for being the home of Walmart. Yet, knowing that, I still didn’t know what to expect . Bentonville’s location is just an hour from Eureka Springs, so, it was a no brainer to do a day trip from my Eureka Springs visit. What I found was an absolutely beautiful, clean as a whistle, bustling town with beautiful homes everywhere I looked. The old town square, showed no signs of being old except for the architecture. Every building was pristine and every store front filled with shops, restaurants, businesses and one old fashioned soda fountain ( which was great!). Blooming, well kept, flower gardens were everywhere along with brightly colored murals. Bentonville dates back to 1837 and has a vast, interesting history – way to much to add here. There is quite a bit to see, but being limited to just the one day, I chose the town square, the Walmart Museum and the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art. Next time – I will plan for 3 days so I can see it all! Blogs to follow on the Walmart Museum and the Crystal Bridges. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!!

“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.”

BASIN SPRING PARK and TIN CHICKENS in EUREKA SPRINGS, AR

25 Sep 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

Basin Spring Park is a great place to smell the flowers, people watch and see the amazing rock formations up close. Health seekers camped here in 1879 for they believed the spring waters had healing powers. The park has 2 levels. The bottom level has benches for today’s
weary shoppers and also a stage for live performances. The top level has a dirt path lined with rock formations. The statue known by the locals as the “Basin Spring Goddess” actually sits on private property but is enjoyed by the park’s visitors. The mosaic statue is 10 feet tall , smiling and is holding a heart in her hand. She was created by Lee Roberts and Bruce Anderson and is officially named ” Aza Beloved One Created of the Stars” and was built on site. The statue was commissioned by the former owners of the property who asked for the sculpture to have the message to ” Love people. Be Kind to Them.” The face was created from the faces of 3 of the kindest people Anderson had ever known.

The chickens are homed at the “Metal Feathers” shop in Eureka Springs and all are ready for adoption. I loved them all at first sight!! A wonderful shop to spend money in!!!

We need more statues today that would send a message to “Love People. Be Kind to Them.”

Thank you for reading!

Hope you enjoyed!!

HISTORIC DOWNTOWN OF EUREKA SPRINGS, AR

25 Sep 2021 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized

  • Common limestone walls
  • Whimsical yard art.
  • Many steps from one level to another
  • Shop mascot and helper
  • 4-story Bath House built in 1889
  • : )
Exploring the streets of downtown Eureka Springs was another fun day. There are many interesting and eclectic shops, galleries, hotels and restaurants which are always a buzz. There are beautiful potted plants, decorations built into the walls and fun, playful art displayed in residential yards to delight. The entire downtown area is on the National Register of Historic Places. The mural, by Louis Freund, was designed in 1979 and displays 100 years of Eureka Springs history. Thanks for reading!!! Hope you enjoyed!!!

EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS ADVENTURE !!

25 Sep 2021 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

  • Tree Art !!!
  • What a great porch!!
  • One of several Grottos around the town.
  • I need one of these for my garden.
  • Bavarian flavor at the Matterhorn Hotel
  • Bird of the day!
  • I don’t usually boost about hotel pools but this one was great at the Best Western Eureka Inn!
    A very relaxing place to sit and relive the days adventures! I highly recommend!
Eureka Springs is a great getaway for instant fun. My first adventure was to take the Tram Tour which was a great introduction to the town, the architecture, the history and the wonderful humor of the Tram Narrator. Eureka Springs dates back to July 4, 1879. The tour took us through the historic downtown district and parts of the residential areas where there is a mix of Victorian homes , tiny cottages and fancy mansions. The ground , I learned , is largely rock, so the homes had to be built with that in mind. Most homes are either build up or down to accommodate the rocky ground. Many homes may look small from the front, but, at the side view – they would have 2-3 more usable levels beneath!! Sometimes the rock is incorporated in the home’s design. Sixty eight miles of 100 plus year-old hand stacked limestone walls line the town. Eureka Springs has a mountainous terrain creating winding, up and down paths and streets. I also especially loved the rock formations seen throughout the town! The grottos were interesting also. The grotto pictured goes back to 1890 and it was believed that the water from an underground spring had healing powers. On the outskirts of town are many hotels, shops and restaurants. The Rockin Pig Salon was my favorite place to eat. The burgers and mashed potatoes were the best ever!!!

Thanks for reading! Remember – you can clip on any photo to enlarge it.

Hope you enjoyed!

PRETTY SUMMER BIRDS from my KITCHEN WINDOW

17 Sep 2021 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized

  • Flicker woodpecker
  • Cardinals feeding
  • Cardinal showing off his color.
  • Juvenile cardinals
  • with their spotty ,
  • and blotchy color.
  • Look at the tongue on this Red Bellied woodpecker !
  • Song sparrow
  • Not all birds can be pretty.
  • Finch taking time to smell the flowers.
  • This little guy is resting in an ant moat for the hummingbird feeder.
  • Sing birdie sing!!
  • The Nuthatch spends a lot of time upside down.
  • Downey woodpecker
  • America Goldfinch
  • Zinnias are good for perching,
  • eating the seeds and making
    a mess .
  • Hummingbird having a quiet moment.
  • This finch found a handy place to take a nap on the feeder.
  • Orange emigrant butterfly (I think)
  • Zinnias offer easy to access nectar for butterflies.
  • Red Tailed Hawk looking for lunch.

Despite the forecast – Live like it’s spring! By Lilly Pulitzer

Just a reminder – you can click on each photo to enlarge it.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!

A DEMANDING JOB – EURASIAN SPARROWS FEEDING THEIR BABIES

05 Sep 2021 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized

You gotta love the feeding frenzy of mother birds feeding their demanding, ever hungry babies. These Eurasian sparrows are decedents of their ancestors that were brought to St. Louis, Missouri from Germany. Twenty of these birds were released in Lafayette park in south St. Louis in April 1870. Other European birds were also released but only the Eurasian sparrows successfully established a breeding population. They can be found in some areas of St. Louis, along the Illinois River in parts of Illinois and along the Mississippi River to southern Iowa. I have been lucky enough to have a handful of Eurasian Sparrows in my back yard, in south St Louis county, for the last 8 years. Year after year, they regularly raise their many families in my bluebird nest boxes, come to my feeders and drink from my bird bath. Just a reminder – you can always click on an individual photo for an enlargement. (You may have noticed the extra brace on the nest box door – these birds will literally stuff that box with so much nesting material that the door will bulge open.!! Also, sorry for the annoying shepherds hook in every photo – poor placement on my part)

( Pic and quote borrowed from the internet)

BLESSED are the BLUE BIRDS and their Babies in Summer 2021

01 Sep 2021 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized

  • Daddy Bluebird has big news….
  • Day 1
    3 Baby Blue Birds hatched
    with 1 more to go
  • Later on Day 1
    All 4 babies !
    Thanks Mom for cleaning up the egg shells
  • Day 3
    After 3 more days of checking the nest box, when they just looked like a big lump of fuzz – there was no more peaking. Mom and Dad were just too busy feeding these critters.
  • I am hungry….
  • Mama Bluebird takes just a quick break but still ever vigilant when it comes to her babies.
  • Feeding these babies is
    a never ending task.
  • We are hungry….
  • Dad forever on the watch
    to chase off any dangers.
  • The babies grow up so fast – 18 days after hatching
    and regrettably, I missed the first leaps.
  • Good Job Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird!!!
“I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear. And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.”
– Terry Tempest Williams, ‘Refuge: An Unnatural History Of Family And Place’.

Thank you! I hope you enjoyed!!