Last weekend

So last Saturday was perfect weather for waterfalls: rainy and foggy. And I was even up in the Ozarks, but alas not out in the woods. Instead, my girlfriend and I were up in Fayetteville visiting my brother. On Saturday afternoon, we drove up to Bentonville to visit the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. There is a temporary exhibit with Norman Rockwell paintings there that we wanted to see. But the line was extremely long, snaking through the lobby of the museum. A worker there told us that we could try to see it, but with the wait, we probably wouldn't make it before the museum closed for the day.

So we looked through the main part of the museum, which after three visits is still impressive (although they still don't have any photography). Along with the artwork, I'm still amazed by the architecture there...



On Sunday, we left Fayetteville. I wanted to take the long way home, which meant a long drive over to the Buffalo River. The cloudy weather was gone, replaced by a brilliant sunny sky with not a cloud in the sky. Not exactly ideal conditions for pictures. But we were traveling towards Boxley Valley, one of my favorite places in the state, so I couldn't resist taking a few pictures...



Boxley Valley is a historic district within the Buffalo National River, filled with numerous old barns and homes. One of the stops we made was the old Boxley Mill. The mill was built in 1870, replacing an earlier mill that was destroyed during the Civil War. The old mill operated until 1950.





From Boxley, we headed east to Steele Creek, another favorite spot along the Buffalo River.



It was still really sunny, so the light was still a bit harsh. But it was getting late in the day, and the I stopped the car to get this shot of the light hitting this tree along the river. In the background is Roark Bluff.



It was about this time I was starting to get a little nervous. I had an ulterior motive in making a visit to Steele Creek. Besides hopefully taking a few pictures, I had the plan on proposing to my girlfriend there. It is a beautiful area, and I knew it would provide a perfect background. I just had to worry about not messing it up.

So we walked past the campground and followed a trail down to the river. My heart was beating fast, not from the walk along the river, but from nervousness. But I found a good spot on the river, and popped the question. And she said yes!

But then of course, I also took the time to take a few pictures. This is the view of the Buffalo River, near the spot where I got engaged...



And one last shot of the Buffalo River, from what will be one of the most memorable visits I've had there...