Arkansas - Day 3

We didn't rush to get up this morning, which felt pretty good.  Hank fixed us a wonderful breakfast of fried eggs, sausage patties, bacon, biscuits with red plum & peach jelly, and fruit.  After breakfast the four of us headed into Bentonville to the Museum of Native American History. The museum contains a collection of authentic Native American artifacts with exhibits arranged in chronological order, starting with the early Paleo and moving through the Archaic, Woodland, Missippian, and Historic Periods.  The museum contains one of the largest and most diverse displays of stone tools and arrowheads.

I was excited to see the extensive collection of Central American, South American, Woodland, and Mississippian pottery.  Because I have taught clay units that deal with pottery effigies, these were the items that I was drawn too.  It seems as if every time period and every culture displayed had some type of effigy or animal container, many in forms that I had not seen before.
I also enjoyed the historic rooms which featured rare treasures the Apache, Cherokee, and other tribal heritages. 

This is where I was able to admire the intricate beading and handwork involoved in the making of clothing, moccassins, toys, and other artifacts.  It was a wonderful museum and I was glad to have the opportunity to glimpse at what life was like for America's first inhabitants!















After spending a few hours at the museum, we drove into Rogers, Arkansas for lunch at Back Yard Burgers.  We each enjoyed a delicious burger and french fries.  When we were finished, we drove back into Bentonville so that we could drive by the homes where Edna usde to live, including the home that Rainy remembered the most from her childhood.  We also drove by the future sight of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which hopefully will be completed by the next time we come to visit.  It was pretty hot and muggy outside, so we went home to get out of the sun.  This gave us time to nap, or for me, time to work on the previous day's blog!

For dinner, Hank made another terrific meal of crock pot pork chops with gravy, oven fried potatoes, green bean casserole, and fruit salad.
After dinner, out came the Sequence game board, the deck of cards, and the poker chips.  The four of us played Sequence until after 10:00 pm with Julie and Hank winning 5 out of 7 hands.  We had a blast, playing and laughing the evening away!