Cody, Wyoming

Cody, Wyoming is a short 2-hour drive from Billings.  Thirty years ago (or maybe more heh heh), I was at the Buffalo Bill and White Plains Indians Museum there and thought it was awe-inspiring then.  Today it is called the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and they have only made it better since the 70s.  (Okay, I just busted myself.  Thirty years ago was 1981.) Anyway, here are some pictures:

A real Buffalo Coat.  I'll bet it weighed a ton.

                                                                                         

 There were many lovely sculptures, both inside and outside in the gardens.  My apologies to the artists whose names I did not write down.  Some, like the one above of the horse and rider, had quotes about what inspired the artists.  

Crazy Horse is depicted in the garden.

The horse sculpture below was first made with wood and only then cast - in bronze?  I'm not sure but it is cast.

 

 

Above is a replica of Frederic Remington's studio.  They had quite a few original Remington paintings at the Museum.  It was a thrill to see them.  Also originals by Charlie Russell, N.C. Wyeth, Russell Chatham, and we learned about other artists like Joseph Henry Sharp, 

and so many more.  I've never been a big fan of "Western Art" but this was the cream of the crop and I've changed my mind.

There is also a huge gallery given over to firearms - I think it's the world's largest collection.  It was mildly interesting to me.  Below, Brian's looking at Theodore Roosevelt's rifle.

 

Here's the pistol and gunbelt "Hoss" wore on "Bonanza."  They also had Lorne Greene's and Michael Landon's gunbelts and pistols.  I thought of Dawn Brennan watching reruns of Bonanza...

  

...and I thought of Dawn again when I saw this vest which is entirely covered with small beads.  The picture doesn't convey the craftmanship.

There were so many things like this to see - there are actually five different museums within this Historical Center.  There's the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indians Museum and art, Firearms section, and a museum for Greater Yellowstone Natural History which we were too tired to explore.  There is also the McCracken Research Library in the basement.  Admission isn't cheap but it's worth it - and it's good for two days.

Snow at the farm

Hi Mary and Jeni,  I was at the farm this weekend and decided to continue the comparison series.  This photo is from a few summers ago.  Alice and I are enjoying the garden.  Alice is thinking about getting away from me.  Note the bird-house in the upper left corner of the garden.

Nancy and Alice in the garden.

This photo is from March 17th, 2011.  
You can see the same bird-house in the upper left corner of the garden.
The snow is between  2 and 3 feet deep.

This picture is from the deck height.  The one above was from our 2nd floor window.

I did a little shoveling in order to feed the birds.
I only went down to the last step.
I was too tired to shovel down to ground level.
The trash can is my winter feeder.  It is full of 40 pounds of sunnies.

I was too tired to even think of shoveling out to the center of the garden
where I usually hang my bird-feeders.
This table was mostly blown clear of snow so I filled it with Sunnies, on the top,
and Thistle seed, on the bottom, and the birds were there immediately
Chickadees, Nuthatches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Junco's and some American Goldfinch.
I also heard Great Horned Owls.

Love,
Nancy

Snow 2010-2011, a comparison.

Thanks to Jon I have some pictures of 4425 comparing spring or summer and this winter.

And just so you know, it has started melting fairly seriously today.

The driveway this winter

The driveway in Spring

The Spirea in June

The Spirea this winter.  Jon had to hack off the side because
it was scratching the cars.

Front view of the house in the summer

Front view from the street this winter.
The pile of snow comes into the street at least 5 feet on each side.
It is one parking lane and one driving lane only.

Love,

Nancy