Natural Resources

My plan today was to visit the Museum of Discovery today. I drove by but I couldn't find any free parking. So I drove to the Clinton Library, about 4 blocks away and I parked there. I get to the Museum of Discovery. I am distracted by a sign to the Arkansas Fish and Wildlife Service that says free admission so I go there instead. I stayed there for about an hour and a half. This is a poor picture because of the glare but it shows the difference between a golden eagle and a bald eagle.

I learned all about the deer population, the reintroduction of black bear from Canada in 1980, that there ate 5 species of wild turkey, trapping and hunting, coyote, beaver, fish, mussels, birds, ducks and geese.

After visiting the natural resources building I went walking up the river. I walked across this bridge which Offspring #2 says looks like a robot dog. I had to laugh at that.

Little Rock has a lot of art in their parks.

Oh, fer cute. Someone gave her a real rose to put in her hand.

 

William Kirsch

 I slept in this morning and visited the William Kirsch Nature Conservancy former farm this afternoon. I parked, walked over the railroad tracks, and to the right. I ended up walking along side the Maumette River until the end of the property. I came upon a picnic area with a dock. Later I came upon two kayaks, a canoe and a john boat. The sign said I could borrow one as long as I put it back. I almost did except I did not have a waterproof bag with me. Then I walked the mown paths on the prairie for a couple of hours before returning to my car. I saw six vultures, a tufted titmouse, crows, blue jays and a swamp sparrow. I saw 3 great blue herons and 2 great egrets. After being in the city yesterday, today's adventure in nature was a relief.

Central High School

Today I drove to downtown Little Rock to visit the Central High School National Park. This is a gas station restored to look like 1957 across the street from the Visitor Center.

The high school is diagonal from the Visitor Center. Imagine going to a high school that is also a National Park. I noticed all the students had clear plastic back packs. Visitors can go on the grounds at the school but not go inside. 

This picture represents the 9 students and the National Guard man who helped them get into the school. Bill Clinton had it in his office for years before bringing it here. I was appalled at the racist people in this town. The news coverage was horrifying. The Governor of Arkansas refused to help these 9 kids get into school. President Eisenhower had to call the 101st Airborne to help. I am thankful he did that. I saw interviews with the 9 students later in life. I saw interviews with some white students later in life who did not act to help the black students and regret their lack of action. Any white student who was kind to a black student was mocked and threatened with violence.

This is at the park next to the school and the Visitor Center. There are 9 benches, one for each of the 9 black students.

Before I left I thought I would take a walk around this beautiful school.

Kids were practicing football.

 

One Thousand White Women

 Jim Fergus is the author of the historical fiction novel One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd. The story starts out in Washington, D.C. in a meeting between Native American leaders and President Ulysses S. Grant. They are discussing treaties. One leader from a northwest territory suggests the Native Americans will give the government 1000 horses in exchange for 1000 white brides. Upon hearing this, Grant's wife promptly faints and falls to the floor. This part of the story is true. The rest of the book is about what if this  BFI (brides for Indians) actually happened. Why would a white woman agree to such a plan? In the case of May Dodd, she was locked in a lunatic asylum and her two children were taken away because she had the audacity of marrying below her station. Her parents took the kids and locked her away. So I could see why she went. The story describes another 7 or so women who went with May. Some of the Army leaders and Native American leaders are based on real people but all the women are imaginary. I enjoyed this story. I understand it has a sequel that I will get to someday.

The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules

 I listened to The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules by a Swedish author Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg. Her name is a mouth full. The story is about 5 pensioners living in an assisted living home that is doing all they can to reduce costs. Martha is the ringleader of the group called the League of Pensioners. The group is upset because the quality and quantity of the food goes down. They are not getting fresh fruit nor vegetables. They used to have a work out room but now that room is limited to only the staff. The staff makes them go to bed early. All their meals are wrapped in plastic. Martha manages to steal a master key. One night they break into the offices upstairs and have a grand meal of chicken and vegetables and unfortunately too much wine because that is where the staff finds them in the morning. The League of Pensioners rightly feel they would get better care in prison. So they decide that is where they will go. This was a lovely story and if I was in Martha's position, I might do the same thing.

Two Rivers

I spent most of the day at Two Rivers Park. Today was a hot one in Little Rock. 94 degrees is hot and tomorrow will be even hotter. This was a nice park where the Maumee River flows into the Arkansas River. I saw people fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, and water skiing. I have never tried water skiing but it looks like fun on a hot day. People were walking, running, pushing babies in strollers, and admiring the view. I walked for an hour and half and then found a bench along the Arkansas River to eat my sandwich. 

As I ate my lunch I listened to belted kingfishers chittering. I also heard red bellied wood pickers, blue jays, Carolina wrens, American Robins and crows. I saw a turkey vulture sway above me. This park had fishing docks, a play ground, picnic areas, a huge community garden, ball fields and soccer fields. Little Rock has lots of nice parks. I am starting to really like Little Rock.

 

The Whalebone Theater

I spent 7.5 hours reading The Whalebone Theater by Joanna Quinn. Cristabel Seagrave's mother died as she was born in 1916. When she is 4 her father remarries. Soon she has a sister named Flossie but nicknamed "Veg." Then her father dies and her step-father marries her Uncle Willoby. Soon she has a little brother named Digby. The parents of these 3 kids are irresponsible and the kids are basically raised by the maid and the cook and the estate manager.  When Cristabel is 12 she finds a dead whale on the beach and she claims it for herself. She finds out that the King of England gets to claim all dead whales found on beaches. Eventually the whale is clean up and only the bones are left. Cristabel decides to use the large rib bones to make an outdoor theater. Eventually Cristabel and her siblings decide to put on a Shakespearean play. Flossie is musical and Digby is a natural actor. People come from London and neighboring towns to enjoy the performances. Eventually World War Two comes about. Digby joins up and serves in Nazi-occupied France. Cristabel is a code reader. Flossie stays at the estate and raises vegetables in the whalebone theater. Eventually Cristabel goes to France to act as a spy. She and Digby connect at a theater and reconnect and grow closer. This was a wonderful story about a couple of sisters and a little brother.