Farewell

Hello to all my friends in Alabama,

I will be heading home tomorrow. Tonight I had a farewell dinner with Lori, Sara, Grant, Tyler, Emily, Bill and Dodie. Bob was working. We had lots of good food as you might guess.

It was very funny as Dodie tried to get everyone's picture with me. Grant was the most cooperative.

Bill just acted very silly. He held Sophie for one picture and climbed a tree for another. (He was getting Grant's balloon down.)

Tyler was cooperative too. He is very tall. 

This is Emily and Tyler. Emily would not look at the camera.

Sara would not look at the camera either. She put me in her pocket.

This is Fifi and me. Fifi is very old, but she wanted her picture taken.

And finally, it's me with Dodie. 

Dodie will pack me up and send me back to Phoebe's house in Alabama tomorrow. I had a fun time in Columbus. Who knew there were so many fun things to see and do in Central Ohio?

Your friend,

Flat Stanley
Go Bucks!

On the Road Again-Downtown Columbus

Hello to all my friends in Alabama,

Another great day in the Midwest. But it is raining and storming, so I couldn't get out of the car. We started touring around downtown Columbus. Did you know that Columbus is the Capital of Ohio?  The capital building is a pretty building.  There are cannons in the front of it.

Not far from the Statehouse is the Ohio Theatre. It is a very old theatre that was restored.  It is a beautiful building and the inside is very cool. Dodie likes to look at the ceiling. I could look at it for hours.

There is a topiary park downtown. A topiary is when you cut bushes into shapes of people, things or animals. It is very cool.

Columbus is named after Christopher Columbus. They have a replica of the Santa Maria, one of Chris' boats. (Downtown Columbus is in the background)

German Village is the oldest and largest German settlement in the United States. There is a very cool park where they have Shakespeare plays in the summer. They have good restaurants here too.

Another cool place is COSI-the Center of Science and Industry. It is fun place to go and play and learn. The building is HUGE and looks over the Olentangy River.

There are many more places and things to see, but it is storming. Tomorrow, we are having a going away party and cook-out for me. You will get to meet Dodie and her family and pets.  See you on the Blog tomorrow, and at home in Alabama next week.

Your friend in Ohio,

Flat Stanley

A Night in the Life-A Birthday Celebration

Hello to all my Alabama friends,

I am winding down my visit here in Ohio. The Buckeyes played their first game today. I got to see the Goodyear blimp flying overhead. And yes, the Buckeyes won!

I went with Dodie to her friend Anita's birthday party. It was a special party for Anita; she is really old. But when I talked to her, she didn't seem old at all!  This is me and Anita.

Anita is CRAZY about the Beatles.This is a link from a newscast celebrating the 30 year anniversary of when the Beatles came to the United States.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w88VXGTrQ5c&feature=related

Dodie says she remembers her Dad telling her and her brothers and sisters to be quiet and watch the Ed Sullivan Show-this will be "history in the making."  She still doesn't know how her Dad knew. Dodie can't figure out why Justin Bieber's haircut is such a big deal. The Beatles had that same cut almost 50 years ago!! People talked about those "long-haired" boys from London.

Here is me with a Beatles poster. Shea Stadium is in New York. The Beatles played in that Stadium.

Here is me with some of Anita's friends. Anita is holding me.

Here I am in front of a Beatles poster.

This is me with a Paul McCartney poster. You can barely see me, and if you use your imagination, you can see Paul.  It looks psychedelic (ask your parents about that.)

 This scene is from the album, Abbey Road. It looks like I am the fifth Beatle. That is Anita's cake.

And finally, here is me and Kelly. Kelly laughs when she talks about me.

I had a nice time at Anita's party. Can you believe she came all the way from Chicago? She wanted to make sure all her family and friends could celebrate with her. Family and friends are important to her. I'm glad I met Anita.

Your friend in Ohio,
Flat Stanley

A Day in the Life of Dodie

Hello to all my Alabama friends,

I went with Dodie to work today. We first stopped at the doctor's office. This is the place where she has fun. Nothing really exciting, but the people are very nice. They were glad to have their picture taken with me. Here is me with Dr. Cooney. His exam rooms are very dark.

Shanna works with Dr. Cooney. Here is me with Shanna.

This is Dr. Ricaurte. He works at the other end of the hall. His exam rooms have windows. 

This is Melissa. She works with Dr. Ricaurte.

This is Susie. She answers the phones and talks to people about "what ails them."

I was also helping the geek guys drill holes for wiring for the new computers.

We then went to Dodie's real job. She wanted to pick up some stuff and get out, but there was always some problem that came up.  Here is where she works most of the time.

Here is me just hanging out with Dodie while she works. (I'm not certain she gets a lot of work done)

I just have a couple more days left in Ohio. I will be back in Alabama right after Labor Day. I will have a couple more posts before I get stuffed into that envelope and mailed away. Go Bucks! (This Buckeye business is rubbing off on me.)

Your friend in Ohio,

Flat Stanley