WOW It's been a long time!!

Hi Everyone,


I can't believe that so much time has gone by since I last wrote anything in my Blog.


It has been an interesting year. I am going to give you an update...so come along for the ride!


The first of the year was marred by my mom having some health problems... but she is doing great now, which we are truly grateful for.


In Feb 2010 my cousin Mia (in FLA) contacted me, to help with a school project. Our cousin Joanne in Washington State has a young daughter who's name is Ally. Ally and her classmates were working on a "Flat Stanley" project.


{For those not familiar with Flat Stanley- it's a children's book about a little boy who gets flattened by a accident at school- but he finds out this is a good thing because his mom can mail him to visit family and friends across the country. He gets to see all kinds of great things}


Well, Ally and her classmates made "Flats" of themselves and mailed them out to family. "Flat Ally" first went to FLA for a visit with Mia. Mia then sent Ally up to us. We then took her around the whole New England area. The idea was to take as many pictures of "Flat Ally" - send emails & pictures, post cards back to the class so they could track the travels of their "Flats"


Below is a brief copy of "Flat Ally's" adventures while in New England. I have also posted some pictures for you to look at too, hope you enjoy them!

Here is my journal for my visit to Massachusetts:
Feb 8th- Arrived in Massachusetts

Feb 10th- We had a snow storm- we got 6” of snow.

Feb 13th - Aunt Flo , Donna & I went to Plymouth, MA

Feb 13th - Aunt Flo & Donna took me to Plymouth Harbor. This is where I saw The Mayflower II, and Plymouth Rock. It was fun to see where the Pilgrims landed. We also went to Plimoth Plantation (Plimoth is how Plymouth was spelt way back in the 1600’s), but I was not able to visit the Plimouth Village, because it was closed for the season. I did get my picture taken at the entrance, and I was able to peek over one fence and see some of the old houses inside. Hopefully one day I can come back and check out the village close up.
See Pictures in Album # 164: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Feb 13th - Aunt Flo , Donna, David & I went to New Port & Providence, RI

Feb 13th - Once we had lunch, we (Aunt Flo, Donna, David) all then went to Rhode Island. We first went to Newport, RI. This area is near the ocean. We went to an area called the “Cliffs” or “Mansion Walk”. This is a long paved walkway that goes along the top of the cliffs that runs at the shore. There is a lot of very big houses they call Mansions here.
We then went to Providence, RI. This is the capital of Rhode Island. It is a small city but a very busy city. I was able to see a big mall (Providence Place) and the State House.
See Pictures in Album # 165: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Feb 17th - Aunt Flo, Donna & I went to Hull, MA.
On Wednesday the 17th, Donna and Aunt Flo took me to Hull, MA. This at one time was a resort town for the wealthy families to summer in...but now has mostly year round residents. Though there are still some summer homes along the beach. At one time there was a huge amusement park here that had an old wooden roller coaster and many other cool rides, but now the only things left from those days is the antique carousal, putt putt golf, and a couple of arcades.
The waves were pretty big that day. But it was very windy and chilly! There is one unique landmark in the town. It’s the Revolutionary Fort- Ft. Revere.
It is an 8-acre historic site situated on a small peninsula located in Hull, Massachusetts. It is located on Telegraph Hill in Hull Village.
Fort Revere was called Fort Independence and later named in honor of Paul Revere. It was used to protect Boston Harbor dating from the American Revolutionary through World War II.
See Pictures in Album # 166: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Feb 17th - Aunt Flo , Donna & I went to Quincy, MA
We traveled up to Quincy, MA, after leaving Hull. Here I saw where John Adams and John Quincy Adams lived! We took many pictures.
See Pictures in Album # 166: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Feb 21st - Janine , Donna & I went to Concord & Boston, MA
On Sunday the 21st, Donna and her friend Janine took me to Concord and Boston, MA.
First we went to Concord, MA. Massachusetts has so much history about the Revolutionary War and everything else down to this day! I saw the oldest Inn in Concord and we had brunch there. Concord is where Paul Revere did his midnight ride to warn about the British coming. Many famous writers lived here too like Lousia May Alcott
( Little Women), Henry David Thoreau , and Nathaniel Hathorne.
After we did some picture taking we went back towards Boston. Boston is the Capital of Massachusetts. It is a very old city with lots and lots of history, like the Tea Party of Boston Harbor, part of the underground railroad from the Civil War. They have The Freedom Trail that is a walking tour that stops at all the Revolutionary War era historical sites, and many other wonderful things to see. We went to the Commons and Public Gardens. I got to see the "Make Way for Ducklings" ducks! While I was there, I met another flat Stanley person from Long Island, NY.
We walked for about 10 miles that day- we were very tired at the end of the day!
See Pictures in Album # 167: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Feb 22nd - Aunt Flo , Donna & I went to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont
Late Sunday night Donna and Aunt Flo decided that on Monday we were going up to northern New England, because a week of storms was going to arrive starting Tuesday. They know I have to go home soon, so they decided to spend the day visiting Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
On Monday (2/22/10) we (Donna, Aunt Flo and MayMay - Donna's dog) left at 8 AM and headed to Maine. We stopped in Portland, Maine. This is a seaport city, not as big as most of the cities I have seen. It is an older city with many wonderful places to shop and eat. After taking a few pictures we head for New Hampshire. We were near the are where Mount Washington is located. We could see the mountain and took a picture of it. It's a very big mountain (over 6,000 feet). It has a unique very pointed peak- making it easy to recognize from a distance. I got my picture taken near a tram. Trams are small box like containers that run on cables up the sides of mountains- to make it easier to get up the mountains. They use these a lot in Ski Resort areas. We then headed over to Vermont. We got to White River Junction just before sunset. I saw the Connecticut River and an old train the historical society are trying to save. It was getting dark now, so we heading back to Taunton...it had been a long day. We were gone for 13 1/2 hrs and drove 520 miles!
See Pictures in Album # 168: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Feb 23rd - New England got a big snow and rain storm. All the places we visited the day before- now had 10- 20” of snow!!

Mar 1st - Went back to Plymouth, MA to visit Jenney Grist Mill (1636).
On March 1st, Aunt Flo, Donna and I were heading back to Plymouth, MA to see a grist mill. On the way there we stopped and saw a Herring run. This is man-made dams and lifts built to help the Herring coming back from the ocean to get to local ponds, so they can lay eggs each Spring.
After visiting the Herring run, I was able to go to the oldest grist mill in the USA. The Jenney Grist Mill has been there since 1636. A grist mill is where they ground grain into flour for baking. It still works to this day- but was closed for the season.
Since I have been in New England, I have seen many great things- most unfortunately were closed for the winter....maybe some day I can return and revisit all these wonderful places. On the way home we stopped so I could see what a cranberry bog looked like. This is where they grow the cranberries for cranberry sauce and cranberry juice. It is a big business here in Massachusetts. The big company here for cranberries is Ocean Spray.
See Pictures in Album # 169: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Mar 1st -David teaches me about Boston Sports Teams
When I got home from seeing the grist mill. David explained to me about all the sports teams in Massachusetts. There is for baseball: The Boston Red Sox; for football it's: The New England Patriots; for hockey its: The Boston Bruins; for basketball it's: The Celtics; and for soccer it's: The New England Revolution.

Mar 5th - Aunt Flo, Donna & I traveled to Mystic Seaport, CT
Today Aunt Flo, Donna and I went to Mystic Seaport, CT. This is a famous whaling village that still does active repairs and restoration on old wooden sailing ships. Most of the village was shut down for the Winter season, but I was able to see the lumber yard, the light house, and a few tall ships. There is also an art gallery there, with many beautiful paintings and some scrimshaw (that is cravings/drawings on whales tooth)
See Pictures in Album # 170: http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Mar 6th- Donna is taking me to the Post Office today, to mail me back home. I am excited about coming home but will miss everyone. I had a real nice time in New England. I hope to come back soon.