Northwest Arkansas

Much has happened since my last post. There's too much; I'll sum up: Tucson, Picacho Peak, San Diego, Solvang, Sonoma, Corvallis, home, Corvallis, home, Corvallis, Redding, Coalinga, San Diego, San Marcos, La Jolla, San Diego, Tucson, Van Horn, Denton. I might get around to filling in some details eventually.

Since the 17th, I have been and am in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, alone while Frank preps for and completes (next weekend) some iaido and kendo testing he really wanted to accomplish. I'm staying in the garage apartment of my friend Karen, an unschooling mom I've known since the beginning of our unschooling way back in 2003. I started off the visit with a bang by coming down with a cold, but it didn't keep its hooks in me long. I walked downtown yesterday and explored a little, and today I really got out and about. Here are my Facebook posts about it, combined into a blog post.

I took a little driving and strolling tour of parts of Northwest Arkansas today. Here are the highlights:

- Veterans Park in Rogers, which is home to a nice memorial for their fallen servicepeople and where I saw Canada Geese that made me miss home and shy turtles that made me miss the bayous of Louisiana.

- Getting a look at Pea Ridge National Military Park. I didn't go in because it would be $15 for just me but will be free when Frank is here (thanks to his much beloved National Parks pass), but I'm counting this as my first visit [that I remember] to a Civil War battlefield.

- Visiting Bentonville, a very pretty little town built around a traditional southern square, complete with confederate memorial. It's the home of Sam Walton's original store, Walton's 5-10, which is now a museum, gift shop, and old-time ice cream parlor. The museum was free, so I wandered through. Pretty interesting and a little poignant. I think I would have liked the guy who ran the 5-10.

- Indulging in a $1 scoop of Woo Pig Chewy (I kid you not). It's a chocolate-brownie flavor, yummy but pretty rich. I think consuming it made me an honorary Razorback or something.

- Getting the grocery shopping done on the way home. Those who know me know that grocery shopping is *not* my favorite thing. But it was kind of fun knowing I had a clean and empty refrigerator to bring it back to. I do love a clean and empty refrigerator.
- Culture shock: I can't buy beer on Sundays. But I have one Ska Blonde left from a six-pack I bought in Tucson, so I'll drink that tonight as an act of conscientious objection.