Montana
 July 4 - 14, 2013

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We had a wonderful time during our yearly summer trip to Montana.  We started the trip on July 4 with a big family dinner followed by family pictures.  The pictures were taken by Epic Filmakers.  I used a few of his great shots on this page and will credit them when that's the case. 

The first several days included a lot of family time, then a few days of working on our future home.  The weather was perfect and the visits with family were great.  There were also plenty of beautiful sights for us to admire, it is so lovely there. 
 
   
Coulter giving me "Blue Steel" as he and Dillon eat lunch.  The guys gathered up on the porch, eating and telling stories.  This happens often! 
   
 Colt, looking cute yet a bit dubious of this strange woman. Eric and Braden, messing with poor Tipper - she was covered in stick-tights
   
   
What it looks like when you tell the Casazza family to "stand over there" - its a crowd!      There always has to be some rough-housing with these guys
   
 The seven boys with Rose & Dan, looking good  
 

 
 The whole gang.  At last count there were 31 of us in the immediate family.  (Photo by Epic Filmakers)
    
    

           All of the grandkids - some in college and some just out of diapers!
    
    
 Larry, MaryBeth, Rebecca, and Katherine (Katie) Larry, goofing off and making us all laugh
   
 Tipper thought she needed to be in every family picture Dan, Tracie, Dillon, Ashley, Kaitlyn, and Lane
   
 Since we don't have kids, we let Tipper stay in our picture.  She's a sweetie.  (Photos by Epic Filmakers)
   
 Mark, Jodi, Cami, Cody, and Colt Jeb, Amy, Madison, Coulter, and Aubrey
   
 Tipper, cracking everyone up again Lucas, Kristi, Erik, Braden, Cooper, and Carter
   
 Dallas, still handsome as ever.     (Photo by Epic Filmakers) Lane, Aubrey, and Cooper
  
Funny story about Cooper - at one point he asked me, "Who are you?"  
I said, "I'm your Aunt Shawnna."  He took off running into the house 
and told his Dad, "That lady out there says she's my aunt!!"   
Guess we need to visit more.  J

 Great shots of Dan & Rose - which were easy to get when someone else got them to pose! 

 
   
   
 The following section were all taken by Epic Filmakers.  These are great shots of the ranch and other Casazza property. 

 
   
This is the entrance to the ranch where the boys grew up Looking down over the ranch
   
Evening snack The Ponderosa - the beautiful home where Dan and Rose live now
   

 These are two lovely shots of Lake Costich, with our barn and future home site also in view. 

 
   
   

   

 This was a great idea he had, 
to take a picture of this picture - 
which is how all of this began.
   
   
The deer were thick this year, and not very afraid of us either.  Lucky for me!   This loon greeted us on our property on Costich Lake 
   
She didn't think our intrusion was worth standing up for We love that end of the lake. It's like God arranged the trees in a bouquet.
   
 There were lots of beautiful sunrises and sunsets too. This buck was at the Ponderosa.
   
 Eric and Erik with Tipper, talking about life.  Notice the lovely garden in back? More deer, these are just above our barn. 
   
Now we visit Glen Lake, where Larry & Mary Beth are part owners of
some lakefront property.  They're building a bath house on it now.		 This is the boat dock area they were developing this time last year.
It is very nice - lots of tubing goes on here! 
   
E & me, Jeb, Amy, Larry, Rebecca, and Aubrey - enjoying the lakeside life Uncle Eric says, "If you're going to play with fire, make it a big one!"  
   
 Checking up on the crawdads they were holding.  Don't ask why. Braden proudly showing off one of them
   

Here we get to take a boat ride while family friends pull some of the girls
behind the boat
   These girls were great at this, you couldn't knock them off
   
 Cooper had too much fun and crashed, Casazza-style (they are great nappers!) Meanwhile, back at the ranch... Sorry, I always have to say that once.  
Here Lucas shows off this cool adjustable driver, so Eric had to try it out.
   
 Sure, that was exactly where I was aiming!  Walking the ranch
   
That night Eric and I walked down to Lake Koocanusa at sunset - lovely The living room, being used as Rose always intended it.
   
I had never known about milkweed before - those things are amazing.
I absolutely love those little fly-away things, they are beautiful.		 Eric and Dan, staking our future driveway.  
 
   
We figured we should know where the garage is before we stake the driveway. 
Smart!		 Now the proud older brother watches as Eric takes his 
first try at running the excavator
   
After going in for some more instruction, now he wants outta there!  Now he's getting the hang of it.  And he doesn't even have to stick his tongue
out like I would if I tried it. (Which I didn't - for everyone's safety.) 
   
 Big smile from the new excavator operator Momma deer and her fawn
   
 The end of the lake at sunset A deer wondering if I'm up to no good
   

Prancing away 
These sunset pictures were possible because Mark pulled his camper up onto
our property so that we could sleep up there.  It was great! 		 Perfect sunset
 
   
 Looking toward Canada Amazing, isn't it?
   
 Eric had been down fishing.  Here he watches a not- very- scared deer close by. I can't seem to stop with the sunset pictures
   

One last shot of that night's sunset as it lit the clouds on fire.
  Now it starts again with sunrise the next morning.
   

Checking me out, but not too nervous
  More sunrise
   
 Back at the Ponderosa for a shower - Rose's cat is stalking mice Rose went with us to Kalispell to spend a day picking out stuff for the house
   
After another day of errands, we took an hour to hang out at Stone Hill.
This is the rock climbing area near the Ponderosa.		 "Room with a View" - Eric has climbed it in the past and says it is very 
exposed.  (Meaning, it's scary!)  
   
 Just one of MANY of Rose's beautiful flowers We've always loved this old homestead in this lovely meadow near the Ponderosa
   
If these walls could speak, this place could tell some stories. The Tobacco River before it flows into Lake Koocanusa.  It felt good on hot feet! 
   
 That same buck near the Ponderosa  
   
 Back at our land one last time (for me)  Here we have staked the house and the boys sit inside. That was geometry in action!
   
After I left, the boys had a nice fishing trip and they built our driveway.  Awesome!   
   
 

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