CRYSTAL BRIDGES

Such a very small piece of Crystal Bridges

Crystal Bridges, among other ventures was founded by Alice Walton using her inheritance from Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart.  Please read her story at the Crystal Bridges website - https://crystalbridges.org/ - hers is a very interesting story.  The museum and grounds are totally free.  Someone told me that occasionally there is a special exhibit that they do charge for, but I don't know that for a fact.  

We started our visit with a stroll down a couple of walking trails trying to find the Frank Lloyd Wright house.  They had run out of detail maps the weekend before so we were trying to use an overview map and even Apple maps on my phone took me the wrong way.  But we did see some pretties along the way.  Italics are direct quotes from placards.

Dale Chihuly
Niijima Floats
2014-2018
Blown Glass

 Inspired by a visit to Niijima, Japan in 1989, the Niijima   Floats symbolize both the classic and unique aspects of  Dale Chihuly's approach to studio art glass.  The complexity of creating such a simple shape is something  that intrigues Chihuly.  The artist notes that, although a sphere is the most natural form you can blow, it becomes  a different kind of challenge when scaled up.

George Segal
Three People on Four Benches
1979

Bronze figures with white patina, aluminum

benches, and paint.  A gift of the 

George and Helen Segal Foundation.

You are invited to sit on these benches, but please do not touch the figures.  A important artist in the Pop art movement, George Segal engaged with popular culture by examining the people who

inhabit the modern world.  Segal designed Three People on Benches to both facilitate public

interaction and to comment on the loneliness of Modern life.  Placement of the sitting humans

sculptures ask viewers to question the interactions, or lack thereof between the figures.

Is he sleeping, bored, mad or what?  What's your guess?

My Best Friend:
Good Friday Walton

On his namesake day in April 2006, Good Friday Walton wandered up to the home of Crystal Bridges founder Alice Walton.  They shared 16 years of friendship and memories.  This actual-size statue captures Friday's smart, intuitive, and pleasing personality--and invites all dogs on the trail a drink of water from the fountain.  In Alice's own words, he's  great reminder that, "if we could all listen and be as sensitive as dogs are to our needs and emotions, the world would be a better place."   Under the statue on the ground was a small fountain and bowl with fresh water for visiting pets.

From cute little doggies to scary Daddy Long Legs or maybe it was a Allosaurus.  Hard to shoot but very impressive standing guard.  (Carmie, don't look).

I did, and I admit I did, go on a wild goose chase to the Frank Lloyd Wright house, as opposed to my 4 year old great-granddaughter who knew exactly where to go.  It was a good mix up because otherwise I would have missed a fabulous display of quartz.   I should have added something for scale but trust me, this was one big mama.

Very impressive but then you get up close and your jaw drops.

krustallos, was the ancient Greek word for quartz, meaning "ice," because philosophers believed the clear mineral was a form of supercooled ice so cold it could never melt. 

Fascinating to me, at least, to see such a quantity up close.  When looking at the photos at the end of the day I had to laugh a bit at my first thought on the next photo..."someone needs to see a dentist".  I can't unsee it now.  What do you think?

We finally made it to the Frank Lloyd Wright house and had a very interesting self guided tour with little recordings.  Built in 1954, this house was moved to this location and restructured to its original design.  It is one of Wright's Usonian designs, meant to be affordable and accessible housing for middle class Americans.   I found it to be fascinating in design, but too small and dark for me to live in.  No photos were allowed inside the home but was able to grab one outside.

This impressive and unusual display was around the next bend.

Yayoi Kusama 
born 1929
Narcissus Garden
1966-present
Stainless steel
Gift of Olivia and Tom Walton in honor of Monique Knowlton

Comprised of nearly 900 mirrored spheres, Narcissus Garden reimagines the story of Narcissus.  In Greek mythology, the self-obsessed hunter Narcissus is lured to a pond where upon gazing at his own reflection in the water, he falls in and drowns.  Yayoi Kusama's Narcissus Garden encourages us to look past our own unique reflection to see those of other people and the natural surroundings, becoming part of one greater sphere -- that of an interconnected universe.

Bacon anyone?

Andre Harvey
1941-2018
Stella
2007, cast 2009
Bronze

Andre Harvey worked from direct observation to create portraits of his animal subjects, capturing the character and disposition of each creature.  Stella was sculpted initially in clay, then cast in bronze for a mold, and weighs in at a hefty 560 pounds.

As beautiful and interesting as it is outside, lets get out of the heat and go inside.  There is not enough space here to show you all the beauty I saw once we hit the galleries, but I'll share a few to whet your appetite to go and visit someday.  Highly recommended.  Same deal as above, italics is direct quotes off the placards they have by each display.

Immediately we were greeted by this cute guy.   This is Thinking Man by Viola Frey.  I didn't snap a shot of the placard so asked AI and this is what I was given.  It is a ceramic structure standing nearly 8 feet tall, part of the Bay Area Funk movement.  The sculpture's imposing, cartoonish aesthetic reflects her personal quest to deconstruct standard historical representations of the thinker.

Personally, I know nothing about this artist and am not familiar with his works, but he sounded like a big deal so I took a photo of the car he painted which was sorta cool.

Keith Haring

1958-1990

Untitled (Buick art car)

1966

Enamel on 1963 Buick Special

Collection of Larry Walsh

Keith Haring is one of America's best-known artists, famous for his graffiti-inspired paintings.  Keith Haring in 3D, on view in Crystal Bridges' brand-new North Exhibition Gallery, is the first exhibition to look at his work as a sculptor, including existing objects that he animated with his instantly recognizable figures.  This Buick Special is a great example.  It was already more than twenty years old when Haring painted it, treating it like a big shaped canvas.

This mural, if you will, was hanging on the wall in the same room.  Some dumb photographer was so enthralled by the construction she didn't get the details.  The mural was huge and made up of these little flowers (look closely and you can see the photographer isn't only dumb but uncoordinated as proven by her finger photo bombing).  :)   

The details

The finished project

So so so many beautiful sculptures and paintings in the galleries.  I am going to show you my three favorites so not to go on and on and on.  My number one piece of art was fabulous as 3D art, but being an Army brat it struck a cord with me.

The reason it touched my heart, each dog tag represents a soldier who went to war, maybe stayed state side, was gone for birthdays and holidays, or maybe was stationed in the same post his entire career, but each of them was working not for the Army, not for the Congress, not for the President, he or she was working for you and for me.  Thank you.

Do Ho Suh

born in 1962

Some/One

2004

Stainless steel military dog tags, nickel-plated copper sheets and steel structure.

Loan from the collection of Candace P. and W. Michael Humphreys

Thousands of overlapping military dog tags make up Do Ho Suh's looming robe-like sculpture.  Each meant to symbolize a unique identity, the dog tags converge as a single united structure, highlighting how a collective is only made possible through individual participation.  Intentionally positioned looking away from visitors, the front of the work offers a surprise reveal.  When your own image is reflected in the mirrored interior, the artist claims "You truly become a part of the piece."

The back is open, the end of the sleeve has a mirrored surface that I did not photograph.

My second favorite was chosen because of the lines of the sculpture.

William Morris
born 1957
Caged Horn
n.d.
Glass and bracket
Gift of Merle and Michael Orlove

Another favorite because it touched my heart.  I lived in Houston during Hurricane Katrina and the news was filled with stories that broke my heart.

David Bates
born 1952

2006
Oil on canvas

While we don't know exactly who Buddy is, this larger-than-life portrait from David Bate's Katrina series is one of many emotional elegies to the people and places reshaped by Hurricane Katrina.  More than 1,300 people died in the tragedy in New Orleans in 2005.  Those displaced weren't allowed to return for more than a month.  Many never came back.  Bates, who had a long history of painting Gulf Coast subject matter, felt compelled to respond to this epic disaster and its dire aftermath.

There was a small enclosed garden in one of the galleries that I stepped into.  Beautiful flowers and a couple of statues.  A tranquil place to catch your breath away from the crowds.  We were greeted by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth's Roses of Yesterday.  A beautiful lady holding a bouquet of flowers.

Too soon it was time to head back to the farm to listen to the birds as the sun set.  Supper was light that night because we were full from our lunch at Crystal Bridges.  Delicious, generous portions, and reasonable prices.  If you go be sure to stop for lunch (I recommend the BLT).

Keep listening as you travel the backroads, keep your eyes open and enjoy the whispers those roads provide.

Exploring Eureka Springs

Warning:  Lots of verbiage.  I find the history of these places fascinating.  If you don't, sail on by.

Second day at the farm we headed into Eureka Springs for lunch and a quick look-see.  It may need further investigation in the future.  As we drove in this young man beckoned, so we had to stop and get acquainted.  Meet Rocksberry the Tall.  Although reminiscent of the works of Danish sculpturer Thomas Dambo, his creator is a local sculpturer, Stephen R. Feilbach, based out of Eureka Springs.  He is known for his large imaginative sculptures and his gnomes.  Check him out at stephenrfeilbach.com.  Later in the day we found another of his works in Basin Park - Humpty Dumpty.  

Rocksberry was located at a trolley stop as we came into town.  

Humpty Dumpty was sitting on a wall downtown in Basin Spring Park.  This is from the sign in the park.

"Nestled in the heart of downtown, Basin Spring Park marks the very spot where Eureka Springs began.  After discovering the spring in 1856, Dr. Alvah Jackson used its waters to treat hundreds of patients, including wounded Civil Wars soldiers.  In 1879 he persuaded his hunting companion, Judge J.B. Sanders, who suffered from a crippling illness, to visit the spring.  After experiencing a marked improvement in his health, Judge Saunders used his considerable influence to promote the spring's healing qualities.  Word quickly spread, and visitors seeking cures for a variety of ailments traveled by wagon and rail to this Ozark hillside  Tents and boarding houses appeared almost overnight, and the City of Eureka Springs was born.  

Throughout the 1880s, thousands flocked here, believing the cool, clear waters could restore their health and vitality.  Basin Spring was eventually enclosed and improved, walkways were constructed, and the surrounding hillside was landscaped to accommodate the growing crowds. While other springs were discovered throughout the area, Basin Spring remained the cultural and social center of the town.

After a series of devastating fires swept through Eureka Springs in the late nineteenth century, and as enthusiasm for health resorts declined nationwide, the community was forced to adapt  Wooden structures gave way to more permanent improvements, including paved paths, stone retaining walls, and ornamental features reflecting the City Beautiful movement of the era.  In 91915, the iconic bandshell was erected, which hosted concerts and community events, reinforcing the park's role.

Today, Basin Spring Park stands as both the birthplace and enduring symbol of Eureka Springs -- a place of renewal, resilience, and connection for generations past and present.  Residents and visitors alike continue to gather here for celebrations, rallies, and everyday conversation, ensuring the spring remains central to the community's identity."

We had lunch at the Basin Spring Hotel and split a fish and chips meal with an appetizer of fried mac & cheese.  Finished off the delicious meal with huckleberry pie with a scoop of huckleberry ice cream.  Based on the photos I took I think you can figure out the star of the meal.  Grin.  The first photo is the ceiling of the elevator.  It is translucent and each mosaic piece shines.

With no apparent rhyme or reason, this is some of the things we saw roaming around.

The great Blue Heron standing guard outside the ticket office for the trolley system.  I tried to find out who was the sculpturer but got three different answers.  So enjoy it and hope the artist that built it gets full credit elsewhere.

This yummy old building is the Old Eureka Springs Icehouse.

Originally it was the Ice Factory and Electric Light Plant of Eureka Springs and in 1904 belonged to the Citizens Electric Company acting as the city light and power plant, ice factory and cold storage.  The building has been for sale for many long years and has deteriorated so much the estimate to renovate and save it is estimated into the millions of dollars.

One of Eureka Springs many springs and a formation of table rock.  The table rock, according to Mr. AI: 

The andesite of Table Rocks is a gray to black, glassy rock.  As the flow cooled, it contracted to produce the distinct pattern of columnar jointing.  These cracks are the result of the lava flow shrinking while it was cooling down.  (the photo of the table rock doesn't show the layers like I wanted, but you can see a bit of it in the spring photo.)

And last of the miscellaneous photos is Puff the Magic Dragon I snapped as we drove past.

The trolley took us to the Crescent Hotel where we walked their beautiful gardens.

The Crescent Hotel and Spa was opened in `1886 and is considered the Arkansas's symbol of hospitality and as America's most haunted hotel.  When it was new it was considered the "finest hotel west of the Mississippi".  Over the years it fell into disrepair, even losing a roof in a 1967 fire.  Marty and Elise Roenigk visited the area in 1997 and decided to purchase and restore the building.

 

It has several resident ghosts, not surprising since there was a morgue in the basement and for a time it was a cancer hospital (a fraudulent one but....).   Some of the famous ghosts that still roam the halls and the morgue are: 

Michael:  One of the construction workers killed on site after plunging to his death.  Most commonly found in Room 218 moving things around, touching guests, and crying out loud.

Norman Baker:  The white suited operator of the "cancer curing hospital" in the 1930's.  You can make his acquaintance in the lobby or in the basement morgue.

 Breckie:  A four year old boy who plays with a red ball on the second floor and is reported to appear as an orb in photographs taken by guests.

Theodora:  A very polite spirit that likes to help people.  She was an unfortunate patient of the cancer curing hospital and hangs around Room 419.

And finally but by far not the least....

Morris:  The general manager of the hotel for 21 years, buried out back but still is seen roaming the halls on occasion.  This was on Findagrave but I couldn't find a name to cite:

"Morris was the resident cat at the BEAUTIFUL, historic, famous (and haunted?) Crescent Hotel in wonderful Eureka Springs, Arkansas. While wandering the grounds of the hotel, I happened upon Morris's grave in the garden area, and was touched that he was such a beloved and important part of the hotel's history. There is also a memorial plaque in the lobby of the hotel, with a tribute to him, that reads, "In Memory of Morris, the Resident Cat at the Crescent Hotel, He filled his position exceedingly well,The General Manager title he wore, was printed right there on his own office door, He acted as greeter and sometimes as guide, Whatever his duties, he did them with pride, He chose his own hours and set his own pace, The guests were impressed with his manners and grace, Upstairs and down he kept everything nice, They might have had ghosts, but they never had mice, Due to the fact he was growing quite old, he'd doze by the fire when the weather got cold, His years were a dignified twenty and one, when at last he retired his nine lives were done, He filled his position exceedingly well, the Resident Cat at The Crescent Hotel. I also had the pleasure of meeting the hotel's new resident cat, Rufus, at the front desk. RIP, Morris"

Truly the highlight of the trip to Eureka Springs, with that Huckleberry Pie ala mode a closer second, was our visit to Thorncrown Chapel.  A beautiful, quiet, spiritual chapel in the woods.  In 1971 Jim Reed purchased the property to build his dream retirement home.  After several visitors stopped to enjoy the tranquil views of the Ozarks Jim decided to welcome them instead of  "fencing them out".  He and his wife decided to build a glass chapel for inspiration.  After meeting architect E. Fay Jones, a former apprentice under Frank Lloyd Wright and native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas the architect was eager to build the chapel.  

Funds ran out about halfway through the construction an it looked like the couples dream would not come true.   After several failures to raise the money to complete the project, Reed was about to give up.  Not a religious man per se, he nevertheless walked down to the half completed chapel one evening and prayed like he had never prayed before.  Several days later a woman from Illinois loaned them the money to complete the project.

Specifics:  

48' tall

425 Windows

6000 sf of glass

sits over 100 tons of stone and colored flagstaff

Over 7,000,000 people have visited (that SEVEN MILLION since 1980)

My advice if in the area is to go!!!!

A magical day in a beautiful little town with friendly people and something to see every time you turned around.  It definitely needs to be visited again soon.  Oh, did I mention that the Basin Springs Hotel has excellent Huckleberry pie ala mode??  

Heading out to listen to more whispers along the backroads.

Down on the Farm

With time on our hands and a few pennies in our pockets my "road dawg" and I took off for some peace and relaxation for a few days at the family farm.  The first afternoon we just hung around relaxing and admiring the beautiful flowers blooming and listening to the birds sing - I think I picked up 7 or 8 new birds on my Merlin app that day.  I can't let you hear the birds but I can show you some of the pretty flowers.

"Welcome to the Family Farm"

The home is surrounded by beautiful flowers, many in full bloom with lots of varying colors.

We even had a couple of visitors, luckily friendly and not intrusive.  Well the stupid fly decided he was invited to arts and crafts day - we even put him out a dish of wine but he must have been a tee-totaller because he just wanted to hang around seeing what marvelous masterpieces we were creating.  (update: RIP-hehehehe)

  

And we do have to include the tree that from above I thought looked like a dog in my weirdo mind.

Come back for Eureka Springs next...another fun day!  I'm heading down the road a piece (my attempt at being country) for some yummy BBQ.

(Very) Tacky Tuesday

 Stick with me, baby, and I can show you a good time.  My sweet indulgent friend has done that for more years than we have fingers and toes combined to use to count them.  So she trusted me when I told her to be at my house at 9:30, bring water, go to the bathroom, and wear a jacket.  No question she was ready to go, no questions asked.  So off we went to................

The Hornsby Bend Waste Treatment Plant 

Well, as fabulous of a job as they do here, we did not come for the Dillo Dirt, we came for the birds.  Knowing we were a month or two early I decided we would see some "winter Texans" hanging out on the ponds at least.  It would also give us a chance to check the place out before the crowds descend in late February/early March when the migrations begin.

Unfortunately the light wasn't wonderful, the birds were beyond my camera range for good images, and there were only a few varieties.  But here are the birds of Hornsby Bend on this cold January day.

A young birder from Austin was visiting relatives near here in 1959.  He noticed that some ducks were flying across the Colorado river and being brilliant he figured there were ponds nearby and went looking for them.  He found the waste water treatment center and saw a bunches of birds including a couple of rare to the area ones.  The next day he came back with friends and birding at the center began.

This little lady was swimming all by herself, making me wonder if she was young or maybe she was on one of her last swims and had headed to the edge of the village to die a peaceful death.  Soft hearted me is going for the first idea, just young waiting for Prince Charming to find her and make her his.

This group obviously were all mated up - equal males and females hanging out on a beautiful day.

On the other side of the dike were the marshlands that attracted the little brown birds you can see sitting along the stripey looking images.  I called them Killdeer but no guarantees.  They were hunkered down trying to stay warm.

The same marshlands had a flock of somethings (don't you love it when I get educational) swarming over the marsh.  Too far away to identify, and too fast to really get a good shot, but were still fun to watch.

Take your choice of Cedar Waxwings, Great Tailed Grackles, or American Goldfinches.  That is who Uncle AI says are swarming birds that frequent the Austin area in January/February.

Later in the year the Purple Martins will arrive and be welcomed here at Hornsby.  The Purple Martin colony began in 2001 when the first gourd rack was hung.  It 2002 the second 12 gourd rack was added.  The nests are maintained by a great group of volunteers who make sure they are clean and welcoming when the birds return.  

and I loved this -

In 2025, a young Girl Scout made the Purple Martin Colony the focus of her Girl Scout Gold Award project and made signs and erected them outside the Environmental Center (great picture of the young lady with big boy tools erecting the signs herself  on the web site) and provided information for the web page.  Read all about Hornsby and the Purple Martins at 

https://www.hornsbybend.org/

Could this be the Prince Charming our single little lady was waiting for????  A good friend and one who knows all kinds of wonderful nature things said this is a Shoveler Duck.  I captured a Shoveler on Merlin, so she is probably right (although I never doubt her anyway).

Could someone please identify this bird for me??

All I know is that he says his name is Newt, and he lives here.  I was a bit suspicious of this shady critter so I went to Uncle AI again and this is what he had to say. Nutria are large, invasive rodents often confused with native beavers (or muskrats) but differ by their long, round, rat-like tails, prominent white whiskers and bright orange front teeth. How could our uncle call this cutie pie a swamp rat?  I would take offense if I were he.

That's it for the birding center but we look forward to returning during the migration season to see and hear a wider variety of our feathered friends and weather warmer so we can walk the trails to look for and hear land birds.  Pat and I both highly recommend you visit.

So how do you top a waste treatment plant for a Tacky Tuesday???  You go to a graffiti park!  What's tackier than seeing our highways and by ways spray painted? Maybe tacky on the highways but when it is confined to an outdoor gallery it is interesting and amazing.

HOPE Outdoor Gallery

You can read all about the HOPE Gallery at their website https://www.hopeoutdoorgallery.com/ but the short version is the 2005 original gallery was located just west of downtown at a failed condo development.  With some walls up they turned them into canvases where everyone could become an artist for the day.  "Progress" took over and the gallery closed in 2015 but it has reopened south of town for all to come visit.  This is a YAY!!!!

Fair warning there will be lots of pictures and little verbiage (I know that just saddens you).  I will tell you that in the above photo the grassy area is a ditch between the parking lot and the displays.  To get to the displays you walk through a storage container that has been repurposed and of course graffitied.  On the far side the walls surround a circular courtyard where curated art is displayed.  As you can see by the this picture the outside walls are an open canvas to all.  Bring your spray paint when you visit!! 

Don't be a good artist and crappy citizen, take your empties with you.

What are you waiting for?  Come paint!

The fabulous inner circle where the art is curated.  Such wonderful talent.

Didn't I tell you these were artists??  Look at the details, wow, just wow.

 

 Tucked back in a corner behind  staircase and where there was some equipment/necessary items/whatever that keeps the place running were these - I think it is by the front door and we went into another door to get to the restroom.  At any rate, nice for sure.

And my two favorite ones - the Panda was in the little nook, the sea serpent was on a wall leading into a "no paint" area.

Thank you for a grand day, HOPE.  And thank you for clean restrooms and a touch of whimsy even in there.

We will not discuss the restaurant I chose.  I am hoping it was just a bad day for them, the menu was fantastic, the variety even better however the service was poor and the food cold.  (I NEVER send back food - I've watched too many reels).  But despite that the day was absolutely wonderful and the company even better.

We have been inspired.  Next Wacky Wednesday will be art day at Pat's, creating masterpieces of our own.