Aidan - Flat Stanley Visits Japan!

Flat Stanley spent an amazing couple of weeks in Japan!  Japan is where Aidan's mom grew up, and went to middle and high school. 

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south.  

Japan is written as 日本 (Nippon or Nihon) in Japanese.  The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why the country is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun". Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands, the four largest being Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. Together, these four islands hold about 97 percent of the country's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with more than 126 million people. The capital of Japan is Tokyo, and is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with more than 30 million residents.

The Tama River (多摩川 Tama-gawa) is a major river in Yamanashi, Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures on Honshū, The river flows through Tokyo, on the dividing line between Tokyo and Kanagawa. In the city, its banks are lined with parks and sports fields, making the river a popular picnic spot.

This is the Negishi Horse Racetrack.  The track opened in 1862, nine years after Commodore Matthew Perry's "Black Ships" first sailed into Tokyo Bay.  Racing continued here until 1943. After the war the Americans turned the area into a golf course. And, today it is one of the largest expanses of green space in Yokohama, and a prime spot for picnics and touch football games.

This is the back side of the Negishi Horse Racetrack.

Mikasa (三笠) is a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 1890s, and was the only ship of her class. The ship served as the flagship of Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō throughout the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905.

Less than a week after the end of the war, Mikasa's magazine exploded and sank the ship. She was salvaged and her repairs took over two years to complete. After 1922, Mikasa was decommissioned in accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty and preserved as a museum ship at Yokosuka.

Statue of Tōgō Heihachirō

Mikasa Park in Yokosuka

Hachikō (ハチ公) Bronze Statue.  Hachiko lived from  November 10, 1923 – March 8, 1935.  He was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture,remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, even many years after his owner's death.

Yokohama Chinatown (横浜中華街) is the largest Chinatown not only in Japan but also in Asia and it is one of the largest in the world. There are roughly 250 Chinese-owned/themed shops and restaurants scattered throughout the district.

Shibuya (渋谷区) is a city within Tokyo, Japan.  As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371. The name "Shibuya" is also used to refer to the shopping district which surrounds Shibuya Station, one of Tokyo's busiest railway stations. This area is known as one of the fashion centers of Japan, particularly for young people, and as a major nightlife area.

Yokohama Cosmos World.  One of the biggest Ferris Wheels in the world. 

Yokohama Landmark Tower.  The tallest building in Japan!

Kosano Park Cherry Blossoms.  So pretty!

Nile C. Kinnick High School.  Home of the Red Devils.   This is where Aidan's mom went to high school!

Benny Decker Theater.  This is where Aidan's mom watched a lot of movies with her friends!

Japan was so much fun!  My next stop... Korea!  Woo hoo!  I can't wait!

Madison - Flat Stanley Visits the Rangeley Lakes Region in Maine!

Flat Stanley had an amazing time visiting Grammy Carr in Rangeley, Maine!

Abby - Flat Stanley Visits Orlando, Florida!

Flat Stanley visited Orlando, Florida.  Flat Stanley and I have many fun, sometimes fast, sometimes wet, and always exciting adventures.

We started in Disney World, then went to Sea World.  We had a great time seeing all the aquatic animals at Sea World, such as sharks, turtles, penguins and, my favorite, dolphins.  My scariest ride at Sea World wwas Journey to Atlantis!

Our next stop was Universal Studios - Island of Adventure.  The absolutely best time was had at Harry Potter's Hogwart's School... only to be entered by crossing through train platform 9 3/4!

Our last grand adventure was to Animal Kingdom.  I loved the safari ride that lets us see the many desert and jungle animals that Disney World works to get back to health and preserve.  We saw so many... zebras, hippopotamuses, elephants, monkeys and giraffes, Abby's favorite.

I enjoyed the warmer temperatures and had a lot of fun with Abby, and her mom, dad, brother and grandparents.

Kaylee - Flat Stanley Visits Massachusetts!

Flat Stanley visited Kaylee's cousin, Mackenzie, in Littleton, Massachusetts.

Stanley is having a great time in Massachusetts hanging out playing Battleship, and playing with some of Kaylee's cousin's pets.  

Cruise - Flat Stanley Visits Florida!

Florida was the 27th state in the union.  Florida was first seen by the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon on April 2, 1513.  It was admitted in to statehood on March 3, 1845.  The state bird is the  mockingbird.  The capital of Florida is Tallahassee.  Florida's nickname is "The Sunshine State".

Flat Stanley visited St. Augustine, Florida.  The city of St. Augustine is the nation's oldest permanently European settlement, having been founded by the Spanish in 1565.

Flat Stanley visited the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse in St. Augustine, Florida.

The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse is a wooden structure located at 14 St. George Street in St. Augustine near the city gate.  It is touted as being the oldest wooden school building in the United States.  The exact date of construction is unknown, but it first appears on tax records in 1716.

Flat Stanley visited the Castillo de San Marcos in St.Augustine.

St. Augustine's most historically significant structure is the Castillo de San Marcos, a fort constructed by the Spanish between 1672 - 1695.

Flat Stanley visited Walt Disney World in Orlando. It opened on October 1, 1971 and is the most visited attraction in the world.

The happiest place on earth!

Camryn - Flat Stanley Visits Wisconsin!

Hi Camryn, Mrs. Sturgis and the rest of the students in 2^nd grade!

I know that this letter is long overdue, but the Preston family here in Wisconsin has kept me very, very busy!

First, I want to tell you that I have been part of a record breaking winter here in Wisconsin!  Unfortunately, the record is for the coldest winter ever – with over 50 days of temperature below 0 degrees Fahrenheit!  It has been so COLD!  They even had 3 days off of school while I was here because the windchill temperatures were more than 40 degrees below zero!

But, there is also lots of snow and the cold temps did not always keep us from enjoying the snow…

We went sledding, downhill skiing, ice fishing, and snow shoeing in the woods with their dog, Cash!

One unusual activity that happens every February is sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago! People sit in a dark shack on the lake and wait for a sturgeon to swim by to spear it.  I did not actually go spearing, but I did get to see some of the fish that were speared!  

As for school, I got to spend lots of time in a 7^th grade science classroom learning all about the human body and doing lots of neat experiments.  Here we are burning walnuts to see how much heat energy is released This is similar to how calories on food labels are measured!

I also got to be part of a middle school play, The Secret Garden that Camryn's cousins were involved in.  Garrett played a doctor in the gray suit!  I helped the cast learn their lines and watched their performance.

Helping sell tickets with Karissa!

Posing with the entire cast!

Basketball is a big activity for the Prestons from November until

March. Garrett played on his

school team before I got here.

GO HUSKIES!

Karissa played lots of games

with her Varsity team and

Camryn's aunt coached the

middle school girls team!

I did not get to play, but I did

spend lots of time on the bench

and cheering in the stands.

A big tourist attraction in Wisconsin that we were hoping to get to while I was here was the indoor water parks in the Wisconsin Dells!

That did not happen, but I am now on my way to a much warmer place. The Prestons wish that they could come with me, but airfare is just too expensive for all of them - that is one benefit of being flat!   

     

Bye for Now!                 

Camryn's Flat Stanley