Little Rock: Last Day in Arkansas

Today was a nice mellow wrap-up to our time in Arkansas. We hit a few of the thrift/antique shops we'd missed after breakfast with Jill's mom. Then, we met her dad for lunch and I met him for the first time. He was very nice, more talkative then I envisioned and it was clear that he really loves his daughter.

We hit the traveling Andy Warhol exhibit which featured all of the super-cool Warhol pieces that were missing from the Pittsburgh Andy Warhol Museum we visited in January. They even had a little version of the cloud room! (If you've been, you know what I speak of...). Next up was a drive-through of the Air Force base, which I'd never been on before. Jill grew up here and I got to see the two houses she lived in, along with the services they offer on base. I did not know what this was like at all, and somehow missed the face that Jill lived on base from the time she returned from Germany (grade 7) through graduation.

Our day wrapped up with dinner out downtown for Anita's, Jill's sister, birthday. We had good'ole southern food - fish & chips & boiled shirmp & hush puppies and a variety of other fried things. YUM.

All in all, I really liked Arkansas. Jill did a bang-up job of planning us a really nice, varied trip. The weather was amazing, we saw several parts of the state, I met lots of Jill's friends and family, and had a nice time visiting more with her mom. Aside from the lack of Bikram yoga (or ease of exercising at all) along with the bevy of unhealthy but tasty food, I have no complaints! It was fun to experience something different, see a piece of Jill's life.
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Seriously, Palin Power shirt! Oh my. Andy Warhol exhibit; A "Herk"; And dinner... Above, Jill's family.

Fayetteville to Little Rock: Day 8

Today was gorgeous. We started out going to visit the University of Arkansas where Jill went to school. Here, they etch each and every graduate's name into the sidewalk...so we found 1992 and her name, and snapped the requisite photo. I learned a lot about the culture there - and the fact that due to a lack of professional sport's teams, the Razorbacks are all that to the folks of Arkansas. The amount of paraphernalia in the gift shop dedicated to this funny looking little pig was off the hook. I learned the little chant at games is "wooooo-pig-sooie" though Jill would not perform it with gusto (that is, no inflection, associated arm movements or enthusiasm) - she simply said the words and I still have no idea what this means nor could she explain it to me. However, I picked up a subtle sale-priced Razorbacks top at the shop, as a souvenir.

We wandered campus and enjoyed the nice day, before heading on to Devil's Den State Park, where we took a nice hike and saw two really cool fractured sandstone caves, along the woodsy path. It was one of those perfect temperature days for a hike, and we both really had fun taking photos and getting some exercise. I somehow spotted a walking stick on the path (look closely below)- and the Devil's Icebox, one of the two outdoor caves, was freezing cold when you approached it.

We drove the 3 hours back to Little Rock and went to Jill's sister's Anita's house to say hello as it was her birthday. She wasn't feeling well so we didn't go out, but rather just visited before heading back to her mom's house. It was a really nice day :)

Fayetteville, Arkansas: Day 7

What a stunning day! Today was just gorgeous - perfect, fall sunshine. We had coffee on the patio and enjoyed the view some more, and then headed into town for lunch with Jill, and then a little bumming around.

At 3:00, we went to the dedication of a piece of outdoor art for a family who died while on vacation in Mexico (one member of whom Jill A. was very close with). They all were very active community members; the father was a sculptor and this sculpture was found, restored and made public art on the newly unveiled 4-mile wooded trail in Fayetteville. The dedication was lovely - Jill and I both almost teared up - clearly these folks were loved by their community and many people in it. The mayor spoke, the arts council director, and various others - also providing a nice sense of the community here.

We then headed off for a yoga class at the Arkansas Yoga Center. It was a nice class, though the teacher spent a way-too-long time on the first batch of warrior type thingys. I did do my first ever handstand (wall-assisted, of course) and we went outside on the grass along the Koi pond to do the final tree and savasana. It was nice, but we both can't wait to get back to the hot room for some Bikram!

Dinner with Jill and Chris followed, and then Jill played with some of Chris' photography lights - and is now hooked on the idea of getting her own. :)

Little Rock to Fayetteville, AR: Day 6

Today we headed to Fayetteville, AR, home of the University of Arkansas where Jill went to school. It is a very "blue" town in this red state, and Jill's most favorite town. She lived here twice - once in college, and once when she was running a Hastings (a southern chain like Borders) in her 20's.

The drive there was really lovely, as the foliage here is in full bloom. Fayetteville is nestled in the Ozark National Forest. We arrived and stopped at Hugo's, a pub that was a favorite of hers when she lived here. We wandered around too - Fayetteville is a super cute college town. After, we headed to her friend Jill A.'s house (for the purposes of keeping the two Jill's straight...), and her boyfriend Chris, and their dog, Hoover...and their FOUR cats! We felt soooo at home :)

Their house was super cool and we just hung out with Chris, enjoying their stunning view of the hills and trees. When Jill got home, we headed out to dinner and to see Slow Dancing - an outdoor public art installation with three giant outdoor screens, each featuring a famous dancer doing a 5-second set of movements, recorded at 1000 frames/second, and then projected in super-slow, amazingly detailed 10-minute segments. It was really lovely to watch, and we were excited to catch this exhibit (it's also showing in NYC, LA, and Venice). Jill and Jill go way back, so they spent time catching up and visiting as well.

Little Rock: Day 5

Today Jill, her mom and I bummed around a multitude of really cool thrift shops and junk
"emporiums" - we got some serious holiday shopping done. It's always fun to see 'junk' from a different part of the country. No photos, but here is one of my favorites from the trip thus far...a little bit Halloween; a little bit true.

Mountain View, AR: Day 4

We had a morning 'on the farm' today - you know, gathering eggs, milking cows and shooting guns. Good times! Seriously, it was fun. I was a natural milking the cow, while Jill wasn't quite getting it...and she hit the target shooting the gun, and I just created some new divots in the grass.

Next we went Blanchard Springs Caverns - a really amazing, unexpected cave in the Ozarks. We took the one-hour tour, which was quite well done (Becky's daughter Shelly had worked there during the summer while in college, giving tours and caving). After, we went to the springs and the nearby campgrounds, lakes and creeks. Jill snapped some good photos of me, and we had a few of she and I and her and her mom. From there, we headed back to Little Rock.

Mountain View, AR: Day 3

Beanfest 2008 was a trip. All the folks gather at noon for a bowl of beans with corn bread, and an onion. They fire up the pots at 8 a.m., each making up their best effort for winning the coveted first place. We hopped in line and ended up trying 3 different batches of beans - they were all a bit different but I had a definite favorite (the spicy one). Jill's mom drove up to meet us, as her best friend Sharon had surgery the day before and she had stayed to be with Sharon's husband.

Becky and the boys were also at the fest, but mostly Jill, her mom and I wandered around town, checking out the various junk shops (really nice, well-organized ones with super good stuff). We also caught the Outhouse Parade, lasting a mere 3 minutes, featuring a variety of mobile commodes. They went on to 'race' but we opted out of that in deference to the shops.

We headed home and ate two roosters that Eddie had "prepared" (that is, killed'em and cooked 'em) for dinner, and then we all just visited. Below, photos from Beanfest, and my favorite in-store sign...