June 26, 2005
The Brian Label show is over and we met some great people. Sue Lambert and I drove down to Meteetsie yesterday afternoon and met with the head of the museum and Big John of the Cowboy Saloon. Great guy, knows a ton of history about the area.

We flew into Billings on Wednesday, landing about 4:15. Got a rental car (A brand new Ford Taurus with 200 miles on it, $25 a day) and took off about five. Really green country with rolling hills. Quite pretty. Got to Hardin at about 6:30 (we left the house in Cave Creek at 6:30 in the morning so this was a long day of travelling). Checked into the Western Motel, then got some groceries and had a picnic in the little park nearby.

Got up on Thursday and went downtown and watched a Crow parade (as in Crow Indians). Two hundred riders and maybe 35 spectators. Kathy was yelling at the riders, saying supportive things like, "Hey great looking hat," but the kids, at least, looked at their parents with a look that said, "Mom, why is that crazy white woman is yelling at me?"

We drove down to the Custer battlefield and stopped off at Gerryowen and met with Chris Courtlander. He had great photographs which he regaled me with. His office manager came in and told me that they advertise with many newspapers and magazines but that Mike Melrose is their favorite account rep and that he always treats them right. I asked her to write this out and notarize it because I would have a hard time convincing anyone back at the office about this. She said she would.

When we got over to Medicine Tail Coulee we could see Thom Ross's cutouts clearly on a far hill attacking Custer. It was a glorious sight indeed. Thom had a big crew helping him with two big Ryder trucks and a support group including a film crew from the Booth Museum in Georgia. They interviewed me and I lied out my ass about how great Thom is.

At about 1:30 we took off for Sheridan, stopping in Ranchester for a picnic lunch. Great little area at the Conner Battlefield. Running stream, great trees. Very ice.

Got into Sheridan at about 4:30 and checked into the Mill Inn. Kathy went to the gym and I drove down to the Bradford Brinton Memorial Musuem about fifteen miles out of town. Beatuful ranch.

More later.

"Men are created different: they just don't act like it when they get married."
-Old Vaquero Saying