Shared Illusions

Hi! We got a pretty early start leaving Tulsa. Neither of us knows what time and it doesn’t really matter, yet still I natter on about it. We missed most of the roadside attractions we’d made note of. After looking them up on line, it just didn’t seem worth the time to traipse about Tulsa to find them. They weren’t that interesting. Meh.

We did manage to see the 50 foot tall Buddha on the way out. It’s on a large Vietnamese temple property. Very peaceful and a soft breeze easing us into the day’s journey.

There were lots of Buddhas: the Ascetic, the Warrior, Dancing Buddha…and more. Didn’t wander the entire property to name each one. My favorite is Homie Buddha. Do you think there is a relationship between gang signs and mudras?

As we are traveling blue highways we’re going through some smaller towns. It’s a great way to get a feel for life outside of cities and the rural areas. The lush, rolling hills and treed expanses are easy on the eyes and spirit. Rolling through Locust Grove, Oklahoma I spied an inviting coffee shop. We stepped into a party. It was the 95th birthday of a local veteran, Doogie or Doozie was his name. A young woman was interviewing him for posterity. He seemed shy at first, but then warmed up to the subject.

People were friendly, but no one offered us cake! The coffee was good, as was the atmosphere. The front half was coffee shop and the back half a bookstore. Coffee tins covered the canister lights. A ceramic cat on a shelf mimicked the often present bookstore cat. Part of an ancient windmill blade decorated a wall.

Next stop – Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR founded by Alice Walton. No admission fee. Quite an amazing collection. Too large for us to see it all in the limited time we had. Should have taken friend Liz’s advice to spend more time! But by then I already had an appointment scheduled for a massage in Eureka Springs that afternoon. So, fair warning – don’t make that mistake. A night in Bentonville would absolutely make sense.

Here are a few photos.

Made it to Eureka Springs in time for my massage – an hour late. Explanation: I thought the appointment was at 5, but it was 4. So thankful she waited for me. It was one of the best I’ve ever had.

That’s all I’ve got for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I’ll catch up so I’m not a day late.

Ciao. A bientôt. Hasta la próxima.