On to the day of famous men and men who almost no one has heard of (guess which ones impressed me more???).
First, however, we had to wake up and bid our giant steer goodbye. Walking out in the bright morning, I had to make some amends for my exhaustion/hunger/impatience induced mood the previous night that led me to declare Nebraska a place with nothing to offer. It still holds the record in the lower 48 for the worst road traveled but, seriously, check out these views. It was like being transported back to Little House on the Prairie.
Into the car we went and headed Northeast...it didn't take long until we reached the last repeat state (DH was finally caught up!).
A little bit farther down the road and we arrived at the place of the big men (or big heads, at least). I will say it was more impressive than the Worlds Only Corn Palace to the East but, also, likely is a once-per-lifetime visit.
Sufficiently awed, we got back into the car, gave thanks that we had gotten there early before the throng that was descending, and headed due North. We would all get our first new state shortly and, more importantly, we needed to arrive at our destination by 5:10 PM for Vespers. First, though, a quick stop in Rapid City for some local fare.
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| DH was delighted to try the Sirloin Chislic (think steak tips with heavy seasoning) and this would be the first installment of my Buffalo/Bison faceoff. |
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| The buffalo burger was not dissimilar to beef, slightly less fatty, and with a very subtle gameish taste. |
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| It seems, instead of cows or dinosaurs, the town of Rapid City, SD has a collection of US presidents scattered through the streets. It was not a long driving day and we were all excited to arrive at our home for the evening. It was made extra-special by the monk running around the driveway when we arrived. This would be Brother Louie, the one with whom I had been corresponding, and he would be one of the people that made this place so special. The rooms were not fancy or air-conditioned and lacked a huge amount of space. I feel like I also have to mention the Abbey bells which, so lovely at the start, lose some attraction when you realize they ring all day and night, every.quarter.hour! That said, I think every single pilgrim on our trek agrees that this was the best 24ish hours of our journey. Assumption Abbey is a place where the monks understand the Benedictine hallmarks and perfect them on a daily basis. (small disclaimer...there is also an Assumption Abbey in Missouri but they are Cistercian, and they make fruitcake. They should not be confused with the Trappists in Kentucky, who make fruitcake and fudge!)      We made it in plenty of time - enough to check into our rooms and get a quick tour from Brother Louie. After dropping our things, he returned to guide us into the choir seats for Vespers and help us navigate the books (this was a change from Conception, where we sat in the congregation). In the picture above, we were off to the right, in the back (until Sunday Mass, when they call everyone up from the choir to stand in the sanctuary for the Consecration because there are no kneelers in the choir stalls). After Vespers, we were invited to the refectory for dinner. This is kind of a big deal. Usually, the monks' refectory is a place that's not accessible to common folk. We processed in with all the monks, the Abbot led us in prayer, then asked Brother Louie, who the visitors might be. We introduced ourselves and were made most welcome. Brother Jacob was especially solicitous...sharing that tonight was "greatest hits" night (monk-lingo for leftovers), lol. By the end of the meal, the Abbot had made his way to our table and sat down for a chat. We talked about the kids who were attending St. Vincent, and potential for vocations, and just trying to live according to God's will. This, friends, is my heavenly place. Breaking bread with clergy. I realize it's typical for a lot of people but, for whatever reason, we are not often blessed with such an occasion. How amazing (not really, ahem, Holy Spirit) to find that Father Abbot both knew the Archabbot at St. Vincent and was there fairly frequently for meetings and such. There were even two novices that had just returned from a conference at St. Vincent. How lovely and small God's world is. Oh, did I mention the entire back window of the refectory is glass, looking out over their property (that stretches for hundreds of acres)? Beautiful - inside and out.    I think this last one was breakfast the next morning! We had a another short tour from Brother Louie - the monks in this abbey have a knack for reusing and repurposing things. The abbey was redone a while back and there are so many interesting touches. For example, and it's hard to see, but if you look under the altar in the sanctuary picture above you can make out the two boxes that contain the relics, placed there when the abbey was reconsecrated. The boxes are actually the metal poor boxes from the front of the previous church, repurposed as relic holders.   In the courtyard, outside our bedroom window    We knew we should get to bed, which turned out to be a good decision - morning prayer began at 6:20 AM and, well, the BELLS... Even when we don't sleep, we are blessed! |
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