This morning in Bentonville

Benton County Solid Waste District

Not the most exciting post, but I finally found a place to dump our glass bottles for recycling. In case anyone else in Benton County wishes to recycle their wine and beer bottles that were purchased across the state line, directions to the recycling center can be found here: http://www.bcswd.com/.

This can't be good

So everything has been great with the pool at the house we're renting here. It's been wonderful to be able to take a quick swim when the temperature hits the mid- to upper-90's.

However, last week there was a tremendous amount of rain in Northwest Arkansas which resulted a bit of algae build-up in the pool. I didn't think much of it at first; in fact, I tried to clean it a bit one Sunday morning. A few days later, I awoke to find the pool looking like this. My neighbor advised me not to swim in it.

Creative Visualization

The other morning we woke up to find Bentonville draped in fog. It reminded me, in a way, of those many foggy days in San Francisco.

Cows

Never had the pleasure of seeing this on my way home back in SF. The cow in the first few images was particularly curious and outgoing towards myself and my daughter. I think we'll bring her back a few apples next time.

Bentonville Tigers

So I was driving in Bentonville the other day with my daughter when I noticed a football arena to my left. What surprised me was that this is the field for Bentonville High School. High school. (http://www.bentonville.k12.ar.us/bhs/) I know this would not surprise a lot of folks, but growing up in California, we had nothing close to this at the public high school I went to. Our football field was used for all sports, including P.E. classes. The bleachers were basically wooden planks on metal supports. Again, I know a lot of people may not care or be impressed by the fact the high school has a dedicated football arena, but I have to say I'm pretty fucking impressed.

Notice the dark seats in the center? Those are individual cushioned seats. I'm not sure how much they cost, but I'd like to find out. There is a varsity game on Friday, September 11 against Ft. Zumwalt West; I'll see if I can find out how much tickets are if anyone wants to go with me. I know the Yankees have seats like that in their new stadium that they sell for $1,250 per game. Another thing that struck me was the structure above the seats. What is up there? Press boxes? Luxury suites? Condos? I never thought I would say this, but this place makes me want to be in high school again, at least this high school


Below are a couple of shots of the training complex which I won't even comment on.

More Subdivision Love

Not to be a hater, but we went for a walk today in our subdivision and two questions stood out for me. First, with regards to the house in the first image, I can't help but wonder what the discussion was like during the design process: "Should we do traditional brick design, something with a Tudor influence, or faux stone facade? I know, let's do all three!"

The remaining images only serve to beg the question: "How are you supposed to find your house if you're drunk?"

Compton Gardens and Crystal Bridges

On Sunday, I took a walk with our daughter on the new pedestrian path that leads to the construction site of the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

To get there, we drove to Compton Gardens, which is a few blocks from downtown Bentonville, where the paths of the garden lead to the museum's path (www.comptongardens.org/). Once home to Dr. Neil Compton, Compton Gardens has been preserved as a native woodland. It's mission is to "create a peaceful, enjoyable and enlightening experience of nature....by continuing the efforts of the late Dr. Neil Compton to promote and conserve the natural environment of Arkansas through preservation". The first two images were taken on our walk in the garden. The remaining images are from the pedestrian trail that leads to the museum that is currently under construction (www.crystalbridges.org/).

Before moving here, I hoped it would be opening soon. According to the website, the museum "is an innovative, one-of-a-kind project. An undertaking of this significance and complexity takes time and must be done well. We are encouraged with our progress to date and expect to have a much clearer picture of a projected opening in the coming months".

Earthquakes in Arkansas?

And the hits just keep on coming. Just when I was starting to worry about tornadoes, I find out that earthquakes do in fact occur in Arkansas. According to the Arkansas Center for Earthquake Education (http://quake.ualr.edu/), the Northeast section of Arkansas is located in the New Madrid seismic zone. According to the map below, Benton County (the county we live in) does not contain an earthquake epicenter. All things being equal, I'd take a few epicenters in exchange for the ability to purchase alcohol.