With our trip nearing its end, we stopped for one last pit stop in Arkansas. As a LEAP favorite, we diced to end our travels with a savory lunch and a interesting visit to Little Rock’s MacArthur Museum of Military History.
Our first order of business, however, was to eat at Cafe Bossa Nova. The Brazilian cuisine restaurant, located on Kavanaugh Boulevard, provided a prime resting venue for us to lunch while reflecting on the trip. First,however, we looked over the menu trying to decipher what the printed item titles meant. Fortunately, this was quickly resolved with the help of our waiter.
Thus, Professor Yawn ordered a small Quiches, Brian the Torta de Frango (chicken pie), and Paul chose the lighter fare of soup and Mista salad. Before starting on our piece de resistance however, we chose to follow our waiter’s recommendations and ordered Almondegais and Pao de Queljo. The variety of cheese from the pao, with its creamy, rich flavors, were a perfect compliment with the meaty, fired Almondegais balls. With our main course dishes placed on our table, we took hold of knife and fork to begin tasting our delicious meals. Evidently we were all similarly delighted with our sections for soon we were left with empty plates and a satisfied sigh. Soon thereafter, we thanked our hosts on way through the threshold to get on our way to the U.S. Arsenal Building.
After finishing up our repast at the Bassa Nova, we drove through the beautiful avenues of Little Rock to see the Douglas MacArthur Museum. While Paul and Brian toured this, Prof. Yawn opted for a less martial exhibit, and went to the neighboring Little Rock Arts Center instead.
The Little Rock Arts Center is small, but it has a well-curated collection, with lesser pieces by big names such as Monet and Louise Nevelson….
..and some very nice pieces by more regional artists. Carroll Cloar’s “Moonstruck Girls,” for example, is an interesting piece…
…as is Louis Watt’s “Untitled.”
The General MacArthur Museum was very interesting, spanning World War One to Vietnam. MacArthur is famous for being the commander of the pacific theatre of World War Two, for being a pivotal figurge in the Philippines, and for opposing President Truman in the matter of Korea. MacArthur is also famous for a speech he gave before Congress, in which he cites a “barracks ballad,” which says “old soldiers never die, they just slowly fade away.”
The museum was free, and well worth seeing. Paul enjoyed the collection of war posters from World War One, urging the viewer to buy bonds and to “Halt the Hun.”
He also liked the exhibit of Vietnam-era weaponry, including an M-79 grenade launcher, a shoulder-mounted RPG, and an AK-47. Brian seemed to have the most fun trying to take a good picture of a bust of Douglas MacArthur. Paul, Brian, and the General had a hard time fitting into the selfie, so they gave that up.
Finally we hit the road again, and made the long slog from Little Rock to Huntsville. It was a long, arduous drive, but we made it home around 10:00 p.m. We were all very glad to be back, for as a great man once said, “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home!”
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