Abigail's Day Out

Don't self-portraits always look a little funny?

Today I did something completely unprecedented: I spent the whole day (9:30 AM-7:30 PM) in town by myself! This is wild and crazy, let me tell you. The fact that I've never done this and I'm 19 years old should tell you that I don't get out on my own very often. As I just finished my first college semester, I decided that I needed a treat. This was a "grand adventure" for me--a chance to spread my wings and get outside my comfort zone, proving to my family and myself that I am capable of driving, eating, touring, and navigating without creating a five-car pileup, being robbed blind, or taking a wrong turn and ending up in Albuquerque. 


My first stop was to see an elderly friend of mine who is suffering greatly in a nursing home. It's a very sad story, but the long and short of it is that she has lost all physical and most mental power to control her own life, and everything must be done for her by others--which is her worst nightmare. This might seem like a weird way to start a "girl's day out", but it was good for me, making the subsequent pleasures of adventure and novelty all the more poignant and precious.

Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel--you'd think they could have come up with
a more romantic name....

Just a short drive away from the nursing home there is a gorgeous little chapel that I had never taken the time to see. It's a small, arching structure of wood and glass, tucked away in a quiet wood, which looks like it's in the middle of nowhere despite the fact that the highway is less than five minutes away. It's popular for weddings, and probably funerals, but when I went there it was completely empty, warm, and quiet, with natural light streaming in through the windows and muted piano music playing in the background. I took photos and spent a few minutes drinking in my surroundings, marveling at this precious little gem so close to home, and thinking about my visit with my friend. Then I packed up the camera and headed out to my main destination. 

A diorama of Crystal Bridges as it will look when finished.

Perhaps you've heard of Crystal Bridges, the world-class museum of American art that was just opened last November (11/11/11) in Bentonville, Arkansas. It is a complex of concrete and glass buildings with curved roofs of copper ribbing (which looks like a huddle of armadillos), designed to blend seamlessly into the natural landscape. This is all built in, around, and over a stream which has been manipulated into a large pool, and the buildings jut into and across it like bridges. It's an amazing place and I'm privileged to have it right out my back door, so to speak. Thanks to Walmart, admission is completely free, so it is the perfect place to drop by and spend some time marveling at the fantastic architecture and beautiful works of art. I parked in the parking garage (first time!) and went inside, checked my coat, picked up an audioguide, and set off! 

Stalking the Wild Forest Creature...

I was out for a leisurely after-supper walk with Mom's camera, simply admiring the green on the ground and the sunset in the sky. The air was soft, almost warm, and the whole world beckoned. Tromping through the carpet of fall leaves, I scrambled over fallen logs, snapped pictures of moss and ferns, and marveled at the beauty of an old, springtime forest. I knelt down on a rock shelf to photograph the view 


...and suddenly heard a rustling.


It wasn't a random kind of rustling--like the wind through the trees--and it wasn't a small rustling--like a squirrel or bird. It was very definitely a small animal rustling (if you've ever heard of ROUSs, you'll probably never walk through the woods the same way again, either). 

I listened hard, then saw something moving. I trained my camera lens upon the spot.