Well, we are here in South Dakota and it is great. This state has a lot going for it; the Badlands, the Black Hills and Custer Forest. We have enjoyed it all. The natural beauty is amazing. As soon as you enter the Dakotas you feel the Native American influence, which is no surprise since they have lived on this land for so long. I knew general info about Custer's last stand and Wounded Knee, but I think as a young girl sitting in American history class, I didn't grasp the magnitude of what happened here in these hills. What a shame. The killing of the Lakota and Sioux Indians was truly a horrible thing. I have been trying to wrap my head around how to speak about it to the boys. We went to a beautiful Lakota museum in Chamberlain, SD. We all learned so much about the Lakota, what they stood for and how they met with terrible injustice at Wounded Knee. I tell you one thing, it makes it a lot harder to be all psyched about the statues in Rapid City or the craziness that is Mt Rushmore. Yes, we drove by Mt. Rushmore and it was huge and impressive. But, we spent much longer at Crazy House, in deep respect for a monument going up to celebrate the first people on this land. Crazy Horse is bring built without any federal monies. It is going to be so beautiful when it is done.
I think Coltrane summed it up best, though.
ME: Hey, Coltrane, check out Mt. Rushmore. See, they carved the heads into that mountain.
COLTRANE:Mom, I think nature does a good job all by itself to make a mountain pretty.
Love that kid!
3 comments:
Oh Kerri! Sitting here with Bob and just laughing, what a great kid! I love him!
Kerri and Karl, you are doing such a beautiful job raising those boys. This post brought tears to my eyes.
Yay! Travels!!! Love this blog. Totally obsessed now. Happy driving and keep the pics and posts coming. Love you guys!!!
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