Homeward Bound - by way of New York and Tulsa, Oklahoma

As our journey nears the end, we went our separate ways at the Northwest Arkansas National Airport. Jessica and Erica were taken away on the Great Silver Bird and three hours later landed at LaGuardia Airport. Eric got back in the car and three hours later arrived in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    A lifetime ago, Rick and I lived in the same boarding house in Madison, Wisconsin, home to the University of Wisconsin. We made lots of good trouble during our shared time in Madison. Rick is a highly creative guy who has been actively pursued music, writing, photography and more. He is a master gardener, managing his 1.5-acre patch in the middle of Tulsa. You can read Rick's story here.

    This large property has its own story, being a tiny residual of the 64-thousand-acre Perryman Ranch. Benjamin Perryman voluntarily moved from his Alabama home and relocated to Indian Territory in Oklahoma around 1828, ahead of the 1830 federal Indian Removal (Trail of Tears.) The Perryman family is widely considered Tulsa's founding family. Below are pictures Rick took in his garden. You can find many more at his website here.

Rick has written several books and has a long history as a musician. You can check out his books here. Over 50 years ago, Rick played bass in a band based in Macon, Georgia. A sampling of their original music can be found here. Rick is center-left playing the bass on the website photo.

Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, Arkansas

Alice Walton, daughter of Sam Walton who created Walmart, founded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The museum opened on November 11, 2011 as a nonprofit charitable organization. The Walton Family Foundation provided $800 million for the project. A $20 million gift from Walmart was given to support free admission.

The architectural masterpiece blends into the 120-acre ravine and the surrounding streams, lakes, and is incorporated into the native trees of the surrounding Ozark forest. The museum consists of eight interconnected pavilions, including suspension bridges, covering approximately 200,000 square feet.

We spent one full day exploring the museum, not nearly enough time. Rather than listing facts and figures, what follows is a sampling of the artwork that we saw.

Rosie the Riveter

Norman Rockwell

note the sandwich and Mein Kamph under her right foot

Tobacco Sorters

Thomas Hart Benton

Bring me all of your dreams,

You dreamers

Bring me all of your

Heart melodies

That I may wrap them

In a blue cloud-cloth

Away from the too rough fingers

Of the world

LANGSTON HUGHES, FROM "THE DREAM KEEPER"

Maman

Louise Bourgeois

over 30 feet tall, nearly 12 tons

Our Town

Kerry James Marshall

Purple/Amber Sliced Descending Form

Harvey K. Littleton

Basket of Resillience

Kelly Church

woven with black ash and Michigan-sourced copper

Enassamishhinjijweian

(hope of good things to come)

Tom Uttech

Caged Horn

William Morris

Glowing Balls Infinity Room

Yayoi Kusama

Mountain Landscape

Agnes F. Northrop, designer

Tiffany Studios, manufacturer

Time

Max Ferguson

Untitled (Lidded Sphere)

Ralph Bacerra

We the People

Nari Ward

(shoe strings)

Flying Backbone

Georgia O'Keeffe

Blast Furnaces

Elsie Driggs

Pewter Blue Basket

Dale Chihuly

Alice Walton

Founder of the Crystal Bridges

Museum of American Art

The Marshals Museum, Fort Smith, Arkansas

Our road trip activities and travel time impede my ability to provide as much detail to my entries in the blog as much as I would  like. Therefore I am creating abbreviated placeholders with the intent of finishing them later. This is one of those placeholders. Since the museum was on the way as we drove from Little Rock to Bentonville, we decided to make the stop.

The Federal Marshals Service came into existence in 1789. Their primary function is to serve as the enforcement arm of the federal  judiciary. They function in the background, mostly unknown to most Americans. The Marshals played a key role enforcing desegregation of the schools.

Until I get back to this entry, you can find out more here.

Ruby Ridges escorted by US Marshals, 1960

Memphis

 Our road trip activities and travel time impede my ability to provide as much detail to my entries in the blog as much as I would  like. Therefore I am creating abbreviated placeholders with the intent of finishing them later. This is one of those placeholders.

The current Peabody Hotel first opened its doors in 1925. An early version opened in 1869. Although segregated, Louis Armstrong did perform at the Peabody in 1931. Of note, he dedicated the song I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You to the Memphis Police Department after his arrest one night earlier for the audacity of sitting next to his manager's white wife on a charter bus. Many celebrities have frequented the hotel dating back to Confederate leaders in the hotel's early version.

The hotel remained segregated until its close in 1973 due to financial hardship. After a $25 million major renovation, it reopened integrated in 1981. In addition to its landmark status, it is known for its parading ducks which swim in the fountain in the lobby during the day and march on a red carpet to the elevator which takes them to their night home on the roof.

The duck theme has carried over to manic marketing in the extensive lobby of this luxury hotel. Everything from T-shirts, sweat shirts, $150 canes, rubber duckies, hats, decoys, pillows, and even wine have taken on the duck theme. You will NOT find duck on any of the menus of the fine restaurants at the hotel.

Our view and the hotel photographer view

Birmingham

 Our road trip activities and travel time impede my ability to provide as much detail to my entries in the blog as much as I would  like. Therefore I am creating abbreviated placeholders with the intent of finishing them later. This is one of those placeholders.

On September 15, 1963, a bomb exploded under the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church as Sunday services were about to begin. The congregation was knocked to the ground. Four young girls in the basement died. The investigation by the FBI was put to a stop by J. Edgar Hoover. It would take years before the perpetrators were brought to justice with life imprisonment.

Do not forget their names:

Addie Mae Collins

Denise McNair

Carole Robertson

Cynthia Wesley

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is located on the block across the street from the church and across the street from the statues of the little girls. This was another highlight of our travel. I plan to write more about it later.

The Legacy Museum, Montgomery, Alabama

 There is simply not enough time for our road trip activities while keeping the blog up to date. Therefore I am creating abbreviated placeholders with the intent of finishing them later.

The Legacy Museum consists of multiple sites in Montgomery connected by shuttle buses that run every 15 minutes. The main site is the Museum building. The may by the most poignant part of our Civil Rights trip.

I had taken a few pictures at the sculpture garden before I realized that photography was not allowed. I am planning to add additional images later.

Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in the Whites only section of a City of Montgomery bus when no seat was available in the back of the bus. 7053 was the booking number at the time of her arrest.

The Tuskegee Airmen

 There is simply not enough time for our road trip activities while keeping the blog up to date. Therefore I am creating abbreviated placeholders with the intent of finishing them later.

On our drive from Atlanta to Montgomery, Alabama, we stopped at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, the location of Moton Field where black airmen learned to fly during World War II. Before them, there were no Black military pilots.

The pilots trained initially in Piper Cubs

Later, the trained Tuskegee Airmen flew the
P51 Mustang in European combat

Our Last Full Day In Atlanta

 After careful consideration of the options, Jessica and Erica commandeered an Uber driver to take them to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. This is a 30-acre urban oasis that features an amazing indoor tropical collection of Orchids, an enchanting canopy walk, and an iconic 25-foot sculpture of an Earth Goddess. The staff and volunteers were busy installing scarecrows for Halloween. 

Eric stayed close to the hotel and spent most of the time catching up on entries to this blog.

On our final evening, we went to 9 Mile Station, a funky restaurant on the roof of a nine story building. We wandered in a maze for 15 minutes until we finally found our way to the restaurant's first floor gatekeeper. We got in line behind ten other people, and then was informed we had to sign a consent (!?) to ride to the roof. We and at least ten others entered a freight elevator large enough to hold a small city, and up we went. Even when we reached the roof, the restaurant was difficult to find due to the many other rooftop activities.

All that said, it was wonderful to dine on the roof. The drinks and dessert were great. The rest of the meal was forgettable.