January 11, 2008 ~ Billings Montana

We left Roundup after breakfast at the Busy Bee with Audrey & Louie. We had such a good time spending time with Mom and getting to know her good friend, Louie, who is now considered part of our family! We look forward to visiting with them again later on this year...

Rog & Audrey next to her new car, at the Busy Bee; Roundup

Audrey, Louie and me at the Busy Bee

Mom's "new" car - 2002 Buick Regal

Mom doing a jig!

Little antique shop across the street from our hotel; Roundup

Old barn, located in Klein - a few miles out of Roundup on US-87

Detail of the old barn in Klein

Sun rays light our path down US-87

"The House that TY Built" - the Extreme Makeover Home Edition crew put this house together for a single mother and her daughters in 2007. Now, you can easily see it from the highway, but there are "No Trespassing" signs posted on this gate/fence. Located a few miles north of Billings.

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The remaining photos for this date were taken at ZooMontana in Billings

A type of chameleon at the vistor center

"Heeeeere, Leeeezard, Leeeezard!"

Snapping Turtle

Pygmy Marmoset - these are the smallest breed of monkey - about the size of a gerbil

Baby Marmoset

Stuffed Mountain Lion @ the Visitor Center

Two lovely eagles who are unable to live in the wild

Rog, crossing the bridge

Duck, Duck, Goose

Mr & Mrs Bighorn Sheep

Gorgeous, but lonely, Siberian Tiger

Red Panda (one of two) - looks like a raccoon to me!

Sika Deer - actually, a small elk from Asia

Grey Wolf - another gorgeous animal who looked lonely

Rog, strolling through "Dottie's Garden" - features desert plants

Old wooden wagon outside the "Homestead" area of the zoo

The "Homestead" schoolhouse

Rog walking toward the "Homestead" barn

"Big Jake" - a magnificent Belgian work horse. Jake is 19 years old, stands 17.2 hands (5'8") at the withers and weighs 2100 lbs. And he's very gentle and friendly!

Big Jake comes in for his closeup!

Rog snaps a shot of me visiting with Big Jake

Yes, he really IS that big! FYI, I'm 5'7"

Rockin and Boppin Rooster

Beautiful chicken - her feathers remind me of stained glass!

Peacock in the rafters

Sweet and friendly pygmy goat - love the expression on her face!

How cute is this?! Young pygmy goat in a tub!

AFLAC!

Rog took this one of me, "reading" the lastest issue of Scrapbooks Etc by BHG; they invite readers to send this type of photo in for the "Where in the World is Scrapbooks Etc?" bit in one of their columns. Haven't sent mine in, yet...

January 10, 2008 ~ Roundup & Little Bighorn National Park

Audrey had to work at the food bank this day, so Rog and I decided to do a little sight-seeing. The weather was rather gray and chilly, but we headed out anyway and had an enjoyable and informative time!

This lovely, old, empty building used to be a bank; Roundup

Wonderful, old, architectural detail; auto dealership, Roundup

There were several of these amusing little critters just outside the entrance to the Little Bighorn National Park

Entrance to the Park

Visitor Center Museum; intro to General GA Custer

Custer's personal journal from 1868

Diorama of the Battle at Little Bighorn

Diorama 2

Sioux & Cheyenne Warrior (Rog in the background)

Artifacts from the Battlefield area

Portion of a painting depicting the battle

Little Bighorn Faces - the Warriors

Little Bighorn Faces - Soldiers & Scouts

The Marquis Collection; description of the following five drawings

Drawing by Big Beaver, 1930

Drawing by Wooden Leg, 1930

Drawing by Wooden Leg, 1930

Drawing by Wooden Leg, 1930

Drawing by Wooden Leg, 1930

Ledger Art; describes the following four drawings

Artist Unknown

Drawing by a Prisoner at Fort Keogh, 1877-78

Drawing by a Prisoner at Fort Keogh, 1877-78

Drawing by a Prisoner at Fort Keogh

Description of the Ledger Collection

Rog, gazing at one of the displays in the museum

Closeup of the "Sioux & Cheyenne Warrior" exhibit

Detail of Lakota Blanket Strip, 1876

An account of the Little Bighorn Massacre

Timeline of the events leading up, and following, the Battle at Little Bighorn

GA Custer's satchel and three of his uniforms

Sitting Bull & President Ulysses S Grant

Artillery used during the battle

Another account of the battle

Description of Last Stand Hill

Last Stand Hill, today

Signpost explaining the markers that are in the area

Not headstones, but markers of fallen soldiers and scouts

Memorial marker for a fallen soldier

Explanation of the Burial Memorial

The Burial Memorial

Some of the names of those buried at this site

GA Custer's "fallen" marker

Very cool seed pods; you can see the Burial Memorial in the background

Another gorgeous seed pod/plant

Wooden Leg Hill, explanatory sign (Wooden Leg was one of the artists listed above)

Wooden Leg Hill, today

Marker for the 7th Calvary Horse Cemetery

Explanatory sign for the Horse Cemetery

Excellent Iron Art Work at one of the Memorial sites

Memorial Wall Display #1

Memorial Wall Display #2

Memorial Wall Display #3

Memorial Wall Display #4

Memorial Wall Display #5

Memorial Wall Display #6

Memorial Wall Display #7

Memorial Wall Display #8

Rog at the Memorial Wall Art Work

Me at the Memorial Wall

The Memorial Wall

Cheyenne Warrior Marker - Limber Bones

Cheyenne Warrior Marker - Closed Hand

Descriptive sign for Reno's Retreat

Reno's Retreat, today

Memorial Marker for Occupied Troops

Informational sign for the Reno-Benteen Defense

Lovely sky w/heavy clouds while driving through the park

Beautiful Winter Sky

Markers for fallen Indian Scouts

Cheyenne Warrior Marker - Little Whirlwind

Sharpshooter Ridge, today

Trio of privately owned horses in the park

Medicine Tail Ford, today

Lovely dried flower pods

Winter's Beauty

Winter's Beauty 2

Calhoun Hill, informational sign

Calhoun Hill, today

Little Bighorn National Cemetery

National Cemetery 2

Tombstone of Curly, one of Custer's Indian Scouts

Another of Custer's Indian Scouts, Two Whistles

Old Glory waves over the National Cemetery

Little Bighorn National Cemetery

Frosty informational sign and recording about the National Cemetery

One side of the dedcation monument at the cemetery

One half of a poem at the cemetery

Second half of the poem

Informational sign about the National Cemetery

Some of the beautiful bluffs on the way back to Billings

Windmill on US-87 on the way back to Roundup

Driving back to Roundup for the last time on this trip

Sunset in the rear view mirror; Roundup

TFL ~ kimB