We spent most of spring break in Northwest Arkansas. We stayed in Bella Vista, but went to Bentonville, Rogers, Eureka Springs and went though Pea Ridge (a Civil War battlefield).
One of the big reasons we went down there was to check out the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. We hiked the trails around the museum the first day we were there, had lunch in the museum cafe, and then went through the museum in the afternoon. The collection is amazing – even if you don’t know much about art, you’ll see pieces you recognize, and artists whose names you recognize. I think it took us about three hours to go through all of the galleries, starting with the 17th century works, all the way up through the modern galleries.
This observation point is where the top photo was taken from. You can get a sense of how high up the hillside we were on the hike.
This picture was taken through “Big Red Lens” by Frederick Eversley. It’s installed so that you can view people in the courtyard outside, basically like a giant, red contact lens.
Some pieces you might recognize:
Rosie the Riveter, by Norman Rockwell.
The Reader, by Mary Cassatt.
And, of course, as a fiber artist, I was floored by this:
After the Last Supper by Devorah Sperber. More than 20,000 spools of thread are installed on the wall, an upside-down version of the “Last Supper.” Then, the viewer looks though the glass lens, and you see it right-side up. Amazing.
We enjoyed beatiful weather the whole week while we were there – spent some time on the back deck, hiked the Tanyard Creek nature trail, and biked around Crystal Bridges.
I also finished one of the socks I’m making for Hubs. Look for a post on that later this week. I’ve already started the second one, in an attempt to ward off “second sock syndrome.”
The day we went up to Eureka Springs, we bummed around town for a couple hours, checked out some shops (the yarn store, alas, was closed), and then headed home. We drove over the “Little Golden Gate Bridge” in Beaver, Arkansas. It’s an 11-foot wide suspension bridge, one lane. Luckily, there was no oncoming traffic, because I don’t think I could have backed down the bridge. I might have gone into vapor lock.
I did find a yarn store in Bentonville that must be pretty new, as I don’t remember finding one there in the past. If you find yourself in Northwest Arkansas, do check out Mockingbird Moon – the owner was very nice, and she has a nice selection of yarn, needles, fabric and patterns and more.
It was a much-needed break from reality, and we’ll be going back there soon.
