What on earth is that in pics 2 and 3

I assume you mean 3 and 4?
Those are Rutan VariEzes. It's a very successful homebuilt design.
The landing gear is "semi-retractable"; that is, only the nosegear retracts. An interesting design compromise... when the plane is parked, the nosewheel gets retracted and it rests on its nose, otherwise without pilot and pax inside, it would tip back onto its tail.
Seems very odd, but it's very fast and very safe, and VariEze owners don't mind their quirks.