I don’t why I love Northwest Arkansas the way I do, but there’s something about the Mountains here that is slightly mysterious, somewhat inexplicable, and always comforting. Maybe it’s the caves, the springs, the rivers, the pines and oaks, and the way the wind sounds in the pines at night. It’s also the people. A laid-back place if ever there was.

We’re here for the weekend, where I was invited to jury a regional art exhibit in Eureka Springs. In return the sponsors put us up at the Crescent Hotel, one of my favorite hotels in all the region. The best part? When I was done with the jurying, I didn’t have to do a damn thing for two days straight. Given that I’m about to start the rewrite of a complex novel, that’s nice.

My fellow curator is also the future director of the Walton Museum, which will soon be built in Bentonville. That’s Walton, of Wal-Mart fame. Very curious to see how the museum turns out. He certainly seems the right man for the job.

Is this where I digress into a discussion of Wal-Mart, and all the Mom-and-Pop businesses that were sacrificed so the family could attain its wealth? Not just yet. I’d like to learn more first, and see what they actually do with the wealth. Hell, anyone can spend money: look at all the self-obsessed American boneheads with 15 houses, 20 boats, and 35 cars. It’s who and what you spend it on that counts.