The Fayetteville Five

Wowza. This post ended up taking us so much longer to complete than we had hoped, but April turned out to be a whirlwind month for us. Between petsitting, work, and personal obligations, we performed a delicate dance to fit the puzzle pieces together as we moved from one place to the next. Dorian led back-to-back birding tours in Colorado (April 5-16) and Texas (April 16-21) while I (Sonia) attended to personal affairs in our home state of California before flying back to Kansas, picking up the car, and driving to Arkansas to begin a new petsit on Apr 12. While our current lifestyle must seem chaotic to some people, it's familiar territory and brought back fond memories of our pre-pandemic lives. With both of us traveling for work at that point, sometimes we had only the time to high-five each other as we crossed paths in the airport.

Driving from Kansas to Arkansas was the first time I had to move between sits on my own, and I decided to stop for all of the silly roadside attractions and delicious food I could find along the way. The four-hour drive took eight, and I stumbled into Byrd's Pecan Delights, an incredible bakery that blends huge chunks of pecan pies into their creamy milkshakes (yes, please!). I also stopped Precious Moments Chapel, a thematic park/property which includes Precious Moments murals, stained glassed windows, and sculptures. Why? Because why not. Thank you Missouri for your delightful roadside finds!

When I reached Fayetteville, AR on the afternoon of April 12, I let myself into the house where I would be caring for five cats for the next two weeks. The homeowners had an early-morning flight to Europe, so we didn't have the chance to meet in person; our engagement to that point occurred entirely through Zoom. When I let myself into the house I was immediately greeted by a cat clowder! 

Meet the Fayetteville Five!

This crew ranged greatly in age and in personality. Douglas, the youngest of the group, was a shy, one-year-old kitten. It wasn't until the third day that he finally came out from under the bed to check me out. Two-year old Geordi was on the opposite spectrum. He was super social and wanted nothing more than to be right by my side. Guinan, the middle child, was somewhere in between Douglas and Geordi; he would only let me into his space when it was on his terms. Luna, the only gal of the group, was a 9-year-old calico and as sweet as she was beautiful. And finally, old man Malcolm, a 17-year-old doll-face who wanted nothing more than to sit on a warm lap and sleep. 

From the moment I arrived, I knew that this crew would be great company. They made cameos on my work Zoom meetings, snuggled on my lap for Netflix binges, and kept me company in the kitchen as I cooked. It was Geordi, however, who took strongest to me. He'd often jump onto my shoulders and wrap himself around my neck like a scarf. He kept me company as I readied myself for the day, moved around the house, and cooked. Like a parrot on a pirate's shoulder, he'd just hang out and go along for the ride wherever I went. It was one of the most endearing things an animal has ever done to me. 

A montage of all the times Geordi climbed on my back

When Dorian joined us ten days into the two-week sit, the cats took to hime quickly; by his second day, he had cats crawling all over him!

Since Dorian only had five days in Fayetteville, we wanted to make the most of the short time we had together. We hiked in the Ozark National Forest, explored downtown Fayetteville, and visited the neighboring city of Bentonville, the birthplace of Walmart. While we were pleasantly surprised by Northwest Arkansas, nothing blew us away more than Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Surrounded by a beautiful botanical garden and an extensive array of outdoor sculptures, the sleek, multistoried building houses an impressive and inspiring collection of American artwork. 

Sculptures in the gardens

A particularly friendly docent explained how Alice Walton, heiress to the Walmart fortune, had invested millions into the facility and collection. Founded on the principal "that art should be for everyone, whether you live in a metropolitan city on the coast or in a small town int he Heartland", the museum strives to acquire and display works by historically-underrepresented artists and communities. That mission was apparent everywhere we turned. In addition to the large percentage of artwork created by minority artists, placards and signs were presented in English and Spanish. We might have expected as much in our home state of California, but we found the bilingualism a pleasant surprise in Arkansas. As we read through the placards, the descriptions introduced the artists, explained the works, and highlighting the injustices brought on minority groups throughout American history. It was one of the most honest and impressive museums we've ever visited. Admission is covered by the Walton Family, so the entire experience was free. 

One of the galleries. "We the People. Nosotros el Pueblo" artwork 

on left was made from tied shoelaces.

Departing the museum, we drove into central Bentonville to see the Walton Drug Store, the birthplace of the Walmart empire. Unexpectedly, the city square was packed with people, artists' booths, food trucks, and dozen of flags representing different countries. Curious, we asked one vendors what was going on. She explained, "It's a celebration of Bentonville's multiculturalism." It was, by far, the most diverse group of people we'd seen since leaving California, and we ended up staying for several hours, browsing various booths and exhibits and enjoying the nine-piece band playing on the adjacent stage. We never thought we'd run into such diversity in Arkansas, so it was the best sort of accident that we stumbled into the celebration!

The Band gettin' down

To top it all off, we had one of the best vegan meals we've had all year! So yeah, Arkansas really charmed us. 

We love you back!

We're still not fans of Walmart and how they've decimated small businesses and small towns, but we have a new appreciation for how the company has contributed to Northwestern Arkansas. It's good to see at some of the company's profits invested into the local communities which fueled the empire's initial expansion.