Little Bighorn...

Today was mostly a travel day. We spent a lot of time on the bus. We made one stop in Montana at the Little Bighorn National Monument in the Crow Nation. In 1876, General Custer and his calvary met their demise against Sioux and Northern Cheyenne forces led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse (see yesterday's pictures). It was truly amazing to see the area where this battle took place and see the monument that was dedicated to all that lost their lives. There was also a "mass grave" for both the fallen soldiers and the fallen horses as well. Here are some pictures I took today.

General Custer is no longer buried here but a marker remains here to memoralize his death.

Well, I hope that you all are enjoying the updates. It is truly amazing sites to see!

Updates tomorrow! Until then......

Let the vacation begin....

Well, Joyce and I made it to our first destination of Rapid City, SD. Not without incident, of course. We experienced plane delays in Minneapolis, but we are here!

This morning after breakfast, we loaded the bus and headed out to Crazy Horse Memorial. It is a huge work in progress carving of Chief Crazy Horse to honor all Native Americans and what they stand for. It is an awesome piece of art that will probably not be completed in my lifetime.

The first picture is of course the head. So, far it is the only visible progress of the monument. The second picture is a large scale of what the mountain should look like when completed. Work begain in 1948. The original sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski died in in 1982 but his wife, Ruth and 7 of their 10 children continue the work. The work is totally funded by private contributions. No federal aide or money is used.

After Crazy Horse, we went to see Mt. Rushmore. Another AMAZING piece of art sculpted by Gutzon Borglum. He began sculpting in 1927. It took 14 years to complete - only 6 1/2 of that was spent actually sculpting. The remaining time was spent tied up in political and funding wars. Mr. Borglum died in March of 1941 and work on the monument stopped in October of the same

year. It is truly a beautiful place to see!

Well, if the internet is available at our hotel tomorrow night, I will update you again with pictures from tomorrow's adventures! We will be headed to Billings, Montanta with stops in Sheridan, Wyoming. We will see an old western cowboy town and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

Hope you will be back to read more! Until next time......

New Family Addition!

Yes, it has happened! We have new additions to our family! They don't live with us, but if their parents ever mis-treat them or won't give them what they want - they can come stay with us! Okay, here is the story. Back before Christmas, Uncle Steve and Aunt Beverly got a new dog. Her name is Gracie and she is a Corgi. Well, Gracie needs company, so 2 weeks ago, Harri, also a Corgi, moved in. So far, as the story is told, it is not all lovey dovey in the Gaddy household - and NO, I am not referring to Beverly & Steve's relationship! Seems that Gracie is a little put out that she has to share her space with another dog - A BOY DOG at that! Well, Gracie. Get over it! I think Harri is there for keeps. He sure is a looker, but a boy nontheless.

C'mon Gracie! Cut the kid some slack! You don't have to guard him every minute! But you know how the saying goes - Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer! I will try to keep everyone posted on this HOT OFF THE PRESS topic!

Have a great day!

4th of July Fun!

I hope that everyone had a Happy & Safe 4th of July! We decided to take in a Baron's baseball game. They had fireworks afterwards. It was a sold out crowd. It was a good game - the Barons won! All around we had a good time. Nana, Aunt Beverly and Uncle Steve all came to the game, too! Enjoy these pictures!

We would love to hear from you all! You can leave us a comment by using the link at the bottom of this post, or as always, you can drop us an email!

Check back for more updates throughout the summer!