Sunday, October 5, 2014

Novice Life

Last week we went up to Vermont for a couple of days of rest and relaxation. There are no 'days off' from novitiate and we continued our novitiate activities under the supervision of our novice master, but free time in the afternoons was a lot more fun!


Last week we stopped at Saint Benedict Abbey in Still River, MA for a short visit.


Chris discovered maple seeds and was amused by the "helicopter flight," although we couldn't find any intact seed pods to demonstrate with.

On our way to Lake Champlain, we stopped in Stowe at Smuggler's Notch, a small mountain with schist outcroppings that provide a great climbing landscape.









We didn't have time to go to the top, but still got to an outcropping fairly high up.


Great blue heron 


Sunset over a placid Lake Champlain


We visited Saint Anne's Shrine in Isle La Motte a few miles from the Canadian border.




This getaway was a prelude to our retreat this week, giving us a chance to unwind in advance so we don't need the first couple days of the retreat to rest and relax. It was good to get out of the city and away from other responsibilities to have time for quiet prayer. I am really looking forward to retreat!

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