Feb 6, 2013 Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, Arkansas

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art was founded by the Walton ( Walmart) Family.  I heard about it on NPR and we stopped in Bentonville, Arkansas to tour it.  The modern sloped architecture is mostly cement colored buildings with horizontal wooden beams centered around a reflecting pool and wandering stream and forested ravine.    Here are just s few of the interesting views

Tour de Tree stainless steel sculpture at the entrance

We had lunch at the restaurant named  "Eleven" because the museum opened on 11/11//11

Abstract Sculpture

I love holly trees.  We cannot grow them in WI

Crystal Creek

There are bench seating here for viewing the sunrise/sunset colored light

This building has a circular opening at the top that catches sunrise and sunset  light

Here are a few of my humble attempts at camera photos of the wonderful pictures.  

There are many portrait type picture.  You can take camera pictures  without flash

Chicago World Fare

I participated in a guided tour called "Strong Women - Celebrating Women Artists"  The tour included "The Reader" by Mary Cassatt, Georgia O'Keeffe's "Small Purple Hills", Louise Nevelson's "Night Zag Wall" and the Joan Mitchell's action painting "Untitled" white canvas brush strokes and colored drip lines.   There is so much to see.  A Norman Rockwell Exhibit will be there in March.

2013 Winter Walsh Wandering

Feb 4, 2013
Looking south on 5th Avenue, Kenosha

Light snow was falling as we left Kenosha at 9:30am.  It was 24 degrees with extra wind chill.  We waited till the tollway was well traveled to thaw any icy spots and hoped we could drive out of the snow.  We took I-55 toward St Louis and amazingly, the snow decreased, the roads dried up and we even found some blue sky south of Joliet.   Watching the weather radar gives some hints but you cannot always be sure how the roads will be.  Gradually, off came the coat and even the sweater as the sun warmed up the car.  We're on our way!!!

Missouri has some lovely rolling hills and forests.  I'm always surprised how different the landscape is from our flat prairie land.  Add a gorgeous sunset with lingering pink, purple sky and it is a special memory.  Our only drama was 10 miles outside of Rolla, Missouri(our first overnight) as an 18 wheeler began throwing sparks from a rear wheel. followed by small chunks of rubber.  We backed off and another 18 wheeler pulled in in front of us and deflected the larger and larger chunks of rubber as the tire disintegrated.  We kept wishing the trucker would pull over or get off the road, but we got to Rolla before he did got off the road.

March 20-22, 2012 almost time to go home

Wanderings
March 20, 2012
Titan II Museum - Peace Through Deterrence.     As a child of the Cold War who practiced "drop and cover", visiting this site fills in many questions about how the USA would respond to an attack.  All titan missiles have been destroyed and this is the only silo that remains open as an example.  The rest have been blown up, filled in and the land has been sold.  There is a Methodist Church on the old missile site in Catalina, AZ.

Watch out for rattlesnakes, a common sign whenever we're outside.    We never saw any snakes at the national parks or along the hiking trails.
Lovely blossoms on the prickly pear cactus.

The control room where 2 technicians stood at  the ready to respond if we were attacked.  Our guide explain how a 6 digit secret code would be transmitted and then 2 more steps would be required to actually fire the missile

Lovely Golf course in Tubac, Arizona

Pima Air and Space Museum - so many airplanes

One of 6 whimsically painted airplanes

My favorite - the Super Guppy use to transport space capsules

We signed up for a special bus tour through the "Bone Yard" off to the side of an air base. 

 This is where the B52 airplanes(the large planes that carry atom bombs) are destroyed as part of the nuclear weapons treaty.  The Russians come here and the USA goes there annually to  inspect each other to be sure the big see the planes are being destroyed.   Spare parts for just about any type of airplane are kept here.  The dry heat and firm sand are a perfect warehouse.                                   

How strange to see rows of airplane parts.

This is picture of the super secret stealth bomber.(It is a joke- you know, an invisible bomber)