Exploring America – Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial & Devil’s Tower
Marie is History
Wait! That didn’t come out right?
What I meant to say was - Marie is a history junkie.
I cannot prove it, but I truly believe she was the History Channel’s first subscriber during its inaugural season in 1995.
And I blame Ken Burns! Rat bastard!
I can’t tell you how many times she watched his award winning documentary - The Civil War. It was her gateway drug!
In fact, it might be a tie between the number of times I’ve watched Caddyshack. A true cinematic masterpiece, I may add. You see where I’m going with this logic. Or perhaps, lack of logic.
After 40 years of research. I’m convinced married couples exist because they are different. They need to be! Case in point S&M.
She follows the rules. Paints by numbers and always within the lines. Logical. Practical. Scientific. Economical. She should have been a Park Ranger. Hold that thought, please.
She is the fact checker. She does the research. Former OLGC CCD teacher for approximately a dozen years. You should hear her “Teacher” voice. Me on the other hand….artist, photographer, journalist.
She keeps me in check. Reads all the instructions and pays for all the extended warranties. I dive into the situation and then say….oh crap!
“Marie - How does this work?”
Anyone remember Rugrats? She was Chuckie. “I got a bad feeling about this Tommy.” Any guesses who I was?
Today was Marie’s day!
We visited the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorials.
She read every plaque. Watched every video/presentation. Toured every exhibit. She was in the zone. Her true element!
Me. I took some pictures. And mostly wondered when/where we would eat and drink next! Mostly drink!
True story - Yesterday at the Wind Cave National Park. An Indian family approached Marie as we waited for the Cave tour to begin.
“Excuse me, Miss. Can you please wait to begin your tour? My husband needs to return some things to the car.”
Visual. Marie was dressed head to toe in olive and khaki, needing only an official National Park Service hat and matching ID patch to pass for WCNP Park Ranger.
I’m still not sure how I did not bust out laughing?
You see…About two decades ago we visited Acadia National Park. It was then Marie announced that her Dream Job was to be a Park Ranger.
I loved seeing Marie enjoy herself today.
And after 40 years….I count my lucky stars she keeps a third eye on yours truly.
S&M
Departing the Dakotas
Next stop Wyoming
Still married after 5 days on the road
July 5, 2022
What Was Everyone’s Favorite ‘Thing’ Today?
This question has been a Kern Family Vacation “Tradition” for quite some time now.
That family (dinner) round table discussion “starter” that concludes each vacation day.
After the server returns with our drink order. We typically toast each other along with the gratitude of spending a fun ‘vacation’ day, together.
Back then I would announce, “What was everyone’s favorite thing today?”
If memories serves, we started this Kern tradition during our family’s Christmas/Millennium vacation ushering in NYE 2000 in Grand Cayman that winter. Lauren would have been on the cusp of turning eight years old that year.
Each family member and guest get to announce their favorite ‘activity/moment’ from the last 24 hours spent together.
“Lauren. What did you like best, today?”
Next. “How about you, Marie?” And so forth around the table until everyone had a chance to chime in.
This would usually elicit spirited banter as the drinks flowed, eventually dinner was served and everyone was able to ‘bask in the afterglow’ of sharing a singular (once-in-a-lifetime) day that would never ever be duplicated.
Tonight at dinner, as we enjoyed our delicious Bison Ribeyes together, Marie turned to me and asked, “So what did you like best today?”
I thought for a second. This was almost a trick question.
Today was a travel or ‘transition’ day since we only had one activity planned (i.e. hiking/exploring Devils Tower) since we needed to travel approximately 210 miles from Custer, South Dakota to Casper, Wyoming.
While the hike around the sacred Indian grounds at Devils Tower (partly occurring in a fine misting rain) was a neat Zen like experience. It really was the lunch afterwards that I truly enjoyed.
Marie and I sat in a ski lodge type of No-Frills Restaurant at the base of the mountain. Me enjoying a $12 chicken sandwich and her savoring a $10 pulled pork sandwich, drinking water from paper cups, sharing and discussing photos taken on our cell phones and talking about the recent events of the last two hours.
Kinda reminded me of that family vacation we took with Marie’s family (about 15 family members in total) that summer in Destin, Florida. During that trip, we did a similar type of thing only we passed around “actual cameras” for folks to view the photos as we sat and discussed the events of the last 8 hours, or so.
You see, we are all descendants from Cavemen. We are all storytellers. Millions of years ago, rudimentary paintings on Cave walls have been transformed to edited Instagram photos on cell phones.
Just like the cavemen, we all feel a need/desire to capture and share the moments that happened to us. In the process, documenting the important fact that we existed. We roamed (the earth) so to speak. We mattered. We lived!
(It’s really the primary underlying reason why social media exists in the first place. But I’ll save that for another FB post sometime)
Marie is History
Wait! That didn’t come out right?
What I meant to say was - Marie is a history junkie.
I cannot prove it, but I truly believe she was the History Channel’s first subscriber during its inaugural season in 1995.
And I blame Ken Burns! Rat bastard!
I can’t tell you how many times she watched his award winning documentary - The Civil War. It was her gateway drug!
In fact, it might be a tie between the number of times I’ve watched Caddyshack. A true cinematic masterpiece, I may add. You see where I’m going with this logic. Or perhaps, lack of logic.
After 40 years of research. I’m convinced married couples exist because they are different. They need to be! Case in point S&M.
She follows the rules. Paints by numbers and always within the lines. Logical. Practical. Scientific. Economical. She should have been a Park Ranger. Hold that thought, please.
She is the fact checker. She does the research. Former OLGC CCD teacher for approximately a dozen years. You should hear her “Teacher” voice. Me on the other hand….artist, photographer, journalist.
She keeps me in check. Reads all the instructions and pays for all the extended warranties. I dive into the situation and then say….oh crap!
“Marie - How does this work?”
Anyone remember Rugrats? She was Chuckie. “I got a bad feeling about this Tommy.” Any guesses who I was?
Today was Marie’s day!
We visited the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorials.
She read every plaque. Watched every video/presentation. Toured every exhibit. She was in the zone. Her true element!
Me. I took some pictures. And mostly wondered when/where we would eat and drink next! Mostly drink!
True story - Yesterday at the Wind Cave National Park. An Indian family approached Marie as we waited for the Cave tour to begin.
“Excuse me, Miss. Can you please wait to begin your tour? My husband needs to return some things to the car.”
Visual. Marie was dressed head to toe in olive and khaki, needing only an official National Park Service hat and matching ID patch to pass for WCNP Park Ranger.
I’m still not sure how I did not bust out laughing?
You see…About two decades ago we visited Acadia National Park. It was then Marie announced that her Dream Job was to be a Park Ranger.
I loved seeing Marie enjoy herself today.
And after 40 years….I count my lucky stars she keeps a third eye on yours truly.
S&M
Departing the Dakotas
Next stop Wyoming
Still married after 5 days on the road
July 5, 2022
What Was Everyone’s Favorite ‘Thing’ Today?
This question has been a Kern Family Vacation “Tradition” for quite some time now.
That family (dinner) round table discussion “starter” that concludes each vacation day.
After the server returns with our drink order. We typically toast each other along with the gratitude of spending a fun ‘vacation’ day, together.
Back then I would announce, “What was everyone’s favorite thing today?”
If memories serves, we started this Kern tradition during our family’s Christmas/Millennium vacation ushering in NYE 2000 in Grand Cayman that winter. Lauren would have been on the cusp of turning eight years old that year.
Each family member and guest get to announce their favorite ‘activity/moment’ from the last 24 hours spent together.
“Lauren. What did you like best, today?”
Next. “How about you, Marie?” And so forth around the table until everyone had a chance to chime in.
This would usually elicit spirited banter as the drinks flowed, eventually dinner was served and everyone was able to ‘bask in the afterglow’ of sharing a singular (once-in-a-lifetime) day that would never ever be duplicated.
Tonight at dinner, as we enjoyed our delicious Bison Ribeyes together, Marie turned to me and asked, “So what did you like best today?”
I thought for a second. This was almost a trick question.
Today was a travel or ‘transition’ day since we only had one activity planned (i.e. hiking/exploring Devils Tower) since we needed to travel approximately 210 miles from Custer, South Dakota to Casper, Wyoming.
While the hike around the sacred Indian grounds at Devils Tower (partly occurring in a fine misting rain) was a neat Zen like experience. It really was the lunch afterwards that I truly enjoyed.
Marie and I sat in a ski lodge type of No-Frills Restaurant at the base of the mountain. Me enjoying a $12 chicken sandwich and her savoring a $10 pulled pork sandwich, drinking water from paper cups, sharing and discussing photos taken on our cell phones and talking about the recent events of the last two hours.
Kinda reminded me of that family vacation we took with Marie’s family (about 15 family members in total) that summer in Destin, Florida. During that trip, we did a similar type of thing only we passed around “actual cameras” for folks to view the photos as we sat and discussed the events of the last 8 hours, or so.
You see, we are all descendants from Cavemen. We are all storytellers. Millions of years ago, rudimentary paintings on Cave walls have been transformed to edited Instagram photos on cell phones.
Just like the cavemen, we all feel a need/desire to capture and share the moments that happened to us. In the process, documenting the important fact that we existed. We roamed (the earth) so to speak. We mattered. We lived!
(It’s really the primary underlying reason why social media exists in the first place. But I’ll save that for another FB post sometime)
© Scott Kern