Road Trip: Arkansas Trip: Grant County Museum

While on holiday in Arkansas we visited the Grant County Museum in Sheridan, Arkansas.  It was quite a packed museum full of memorabilia and local history.  The place has just about everything you could possibly want to know, from history, about Grant County.  

The animal display of all the animals native to Grant County.

Indian arrowheads found in and around the state of Arkansas.

This was interesting.  The Saline River in Arkansas is a fresh water river, but contains a mild salt content toward the bottom of the river.  Salt was collected and stored in a kettle similar to the one in this picture.  The salt content is still there, but the collection of the salt has stopped.

Female clothing, milk making urns, and a purse from the 1920s.

An actual covered wagon that was used during the pioneer days.  This covered wagon reminded me of places in Oregon where the history of the Oregon Trail is talked about and on display.  

The Civil War room.  This is the only room that I could really relate to when it comes to history.  My family is really big into Civil War reenacting and I knew quite a lot about the items on display in this room.  I was sad to know that the 9th Arkansas Infantry wasn't represented in this room though.  

John and Skylar.

Skylar had no idea what a tape deck was.  I found it comical that a tape deck was in a museum....ALREADY!  

Posters from the war.  

Skylar loved the fire trucks!

Overall the museum was a great visit and I hated that we were short on time.  It's definitely a place I would like to go back and see again. 

Eco-Tip:  Saving water isn't all that bad, like turning the water off when you brush your teeth, or washing a full load of laundry.  Water is a valuable resource and should be conserved whenever possible.  If your showers run more than five minutes consider getting a shower timer like this one HERE!  For this and other green living tips visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

Organic fruit salad

Using the fruits that are in season for September, you can make a quick and very easy fruit salad with just using a few items you have on-hand.  This is a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen, as well.

What you will need:

• A Bowl

• Organic Honey

• Lemon or Lime Juice (Fresh is best)

• In-season Fruits

Using fruits, such as apples, apricots, bananas, grapes(make sure these are organic), pineapple and even pears, peel and dice the fruits to bite-sized pieces.  Add them all to the bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons of honey and 3 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice.  Drizzle the honey into the juice slowly while whisking with a fork rather quickly.  Once it's combined, pour the dressing over the fruits and toss. 

Place in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.  This is a great fruit cocktail for parties or just a lazy afternoon at home and the best part....IT'S HEALTHY!

ENJOY!

Eco-Tip:  Playing in the dirt was once frowned upon by many mothers, but anymore, playing in the dirt can be a good thing.  Growing your own garden, having house plants, or even a kitchen window herb plant is a great way to live more green.  Plants give us the oxygen we need to survive and in turn, many plants can give us more than just that.  Grow something, anything, it's your choice and enjoy the benefits of what playing in the dirt can really give you.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Road Trip: Arkansas Trip (August 2012) was filled with clouds, bugs, and elephant ears

I went back to Arkansas in August, well actually August 23rd-September 1st, with Skylar.  We ended up having a great time with John, and my family, and ended up celebrating my 35th birthday while we were there too.  Skylar found all sorts of bugs and insects out at John's house, I got stung by a scorpion, and John's elephant ears were amazing.  Here's a quick recap, in pictures.

The journey there:  All the clouds and mountain tops.

I always love flying during the day out of Portland, Oregon because the sky is so pretty and all the tall mountains can be seen.  When it's not raining, of course.

The endless bugs of the south:  Scorpions, walking sticks, Luna moth, and even a very big cicada.

This little scorpion gave me quite an attention-getting sting.  There were a few scorpions hanging around John's house from time-to-time, but this one was perched right on his door mat and I stepped right on him, BAREFOOTED!  The area where he lives is very sandy, so they hang around due to the soil and sand content.  The sting was very painful, but only lasted about 10 minutes.  My chest hurt a bit and I felt dizzy, but I think that was due to being nervous about the sting more than the sting itself.  My foot was a bit tender for about a week, but nothing major.  It was a very interesting experience, to say the least.

After the whole excitement of the scorpion we discovered that Skylar had been bite by something too.  We finally determined that it had to be a mosquito.  The mosquitoes in the south look something like small birds at times, haha!

The Walking Sticks:  Brown Walking Stick.

Green Walking Stick:

The Cicada:

The Luna Moth:

John's Elephant Ears:

  

These elephant ears were just amazing.  I have always loved large amounts of elephant ears clustered together like this and John had really taken great care of them.  Wish they could grow in Oregon the way they grow in Arkansas. 

Besides all the bug bites, stings, and excitement, this trip was a blast.  Skylar had a fun time finding all these crazy insects and bugs too.  It was a great learning experience, that's for sure.  And I got to play the Arkansas lottery for the first time!

Eco-Tip:  Use public transportation when you can.  A city bus is running around the clock in many cities and towns, and a taxi is just a phone call away.  When you are going out on the town with your buddies and pals, why not share a cab or take advantage of what's running anyway in your town and leave your own cars at home.  And while you are out and about, smile at one stranger today.  Who knows, your smile may turn his entire day into gold!  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.