crazy horse and mount rushmore.

Some things in the Black Hills, like visiting Mount Rushmore, make it onto the itinerary most years and have become well-loved traditions.  Other things make it on the schedule only once every few years, like Crazy Horse.  This year, I was really itching to revisit the amazing museum housed there, so we all decided to take the trip.

We got there just in time to see a Lakota dancer, and at the end of her performance, she invited audience members up to join her in a circle dance.  Finneas and Penelope were brave enough to go up with me, and we all had a blast.

Since it's right up the road from Mount Rushmore, we decided to just kill two birds with one trip out of the house, so that was our next stop.

One of the nice things about visiting in early September was that families with kids were all settled back into the school year, so the crowds weren't very thick anywhere we went.

Rocco was not convinced he wanted to see the Presidents.  Zooming in on the evidence...

Churlish.

Papa and Grandma treated everyone to ice cream afterwards!  It was delicious.

George Washington seems a little sad to see us go, don't you think?  I could almost hear him saying, "See you next year!"  If you stare hard enough at this picture, eventually a granite arm pops up and starts waving, I'm not even kidding you.

And that is how come our kids came back from South Dakota noticeably more cultured and educated.  All in a day's work.