TRAVEL TO FLORIDA WITH FLAT STANLEY
story and photos by Scott and Nancy Croomes
Hey, Everyone!
I'm Flat Stanley, and this is the story of my trip to Florida. As you can see, I am strapped in and ready to go.
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Day One
We left on Sunday heading to Savannah, Georgia, where we would spend the night and then pick up our trip on Monday. We stopped in Birmingham for lunch at a really neat Chinese restaurant. I was full and decided to take a nap. I was awakened to find we had arrived in Atlanta.
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Here are some fun facts about Atlanta:
Atlanta was named after the ATLANTIC Ocean. The city was going to be named Terminus and then Marthaville before they finally settled on naming it Atlanta
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During the Reconstruction, which means rebuilding the South after the Civil war, Atlanta became the new capital of Georgia in 1877
I fell asleep again and rested until we arrived in Savannah, Georgia. that evening.
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Day Two
We got up, had breakfast, and ventured out into the town of Savannah. It has really beautiful buildings and was the first city in the state of Georgia.
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Coastal towns were often established before
inland cities.
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Here I am at the Sorrel Weed home.This home is said to be haunted and at night you can take a ghost tour of Savannah and wander into this home and watch for ghostly visitors.
As you can see by the pictures, the trees are covered in Spanish Moss. Here’s a science lesson about Spanish Moss: It is not a true moss. It is considered an epiphytic plant. It grows on another plant and doesn’t rely on the host plant for nutrients. Epiphytes make their own food.
Here is another picture with my friend Becca standing by a plaque of Sergeant William Jasper, Revolutionary War hero.
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Have your teacher read the plaque in the picture and see what contributions Jasper gave for his regiment.
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Well, that is all for now. I miss you all very much, and I will be sending another email soon with more of my adventures.
Until then, have a great day!
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Flat Stanley
Day Three
Hello again! It’s me, Flat Stanley, with more on my trip to Florida. Here I am at the Florida Welcome Center. Florida is known as the “Sunshine State”.
As you can see, they also give you delicious fresh squeezed orange juice upon arrival.
I even found time to hang out with some friends I met at the Welcome Center.
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From there we ventured off our trail to historic St. Augustine.
History Lesson: St. Augustine is the oldest existing permanent European settlement on our North American continent, dating back to August 28, 1565.. St. Augustine was burned by Sir Francis Drake in 1586 and also attacked by the British during the 18th century wars. .
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Here I am at a fountain in a courtyard area.
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The pictures below are where I took a look around the Castillo De San Marcos. It lies on 20.5 acres and has some of the most unique architecture. It has the oldest masonry and is the only extant 17th century Fort in North America.
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On Wednesday I am going on a tour of the Kennedy Space Center. I hope to send more pictures after my tour.
Looking forward to talking to you soon.
Have a great day!
Flat Stanley
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Hello again to all my friends at ABS. This is my last letter to you because I have completed my trip to Florida. I will begin my return trip to Athens tomorrow. I have really enjoyed my trip, and I have so much to share with you in this letter. Let’s get started!
Days Four and Five
We drove to Kennedy Space Center for a tour of the NASA complex. I got my picture made by the NASA emblem right after we went through a security check.
NASA is celebrating its 50th year of providing space exploration to our country, as well as joining in with other countries to help build the International Space Station, which orbits our earth today. The building seen here is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). This is where the shuttle is put together along with the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters to be carried by a CRAWLER, which goes about one mph, to the actual Launch Pad.
Next on our tour was a stop at Pad 39 which is an observation tower where we could see the shuttle on the launch pad which is called 39A
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From the back you can see the External Tank which is brownish in color. There was housing in front of the shuttle that would be removed later that evening.
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I later went to the IMAX movie “Magnificent Desolation” narrated by Tom Hanks. This movie was about the Apollo Space program and how many gave their lives so that space exploration would be possible.
I then attended a simulated launch of the Apollo 8 Mission. Here is the inside of Mission Control waiting for the rocket to blast off. It was very real! The windows shook from the loud sound projected from the speakers giving us all a sense of what it would have been like to have attended the launch.
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We next went to the Saturn V building where an actual Saturn V rocket is on display. This rocket never flew a mission because the Apollo program was cancelled; then many years later the shuttle program began.
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Here I am holding on to a model Saturn V Rocket.
3, 2, 1...BLAST OFF!
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My day ended with a trip to a full scale model of a shuttle. I went inside and had my picture taken near the cockpit where on the first level, which is called the Flight Deck, four astronauts sit. On the lower level, Mid Deck, three astronauts sit for launch and for re-entry. I also got a picture of the Cargo Bay which stores the nodes, or housings, for the Space Station, and also any experiments that are being taken to the station. A robotic arm is in the cargo bay which helps lift items out and put them in the station once the shuttle has docked with the station.
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On Day Five I began with a bus ride to the Kennedy Center to view the Shuttle Atlantis as it makes its 29th trip to space. I got a badge with “Launch Guest” written on it. When we arrived we found out we were going to the VIP seating instead of sitting out on one of the NASA roads. Instead of 5 miles away we were only 3 ½ miles away, and we could see right over the water to the Launch Pad. It was exciting! I got my picture made by the countdown clock, and there are some pictures of the launch area. Miss Nancy was able to take some video for me of the actual launch. It was A W E S O M E!! The actual liftoff itself was absolutely breathtaking. Thousands cheered Atlantis on as it made its way into orbit. It was quite a sight to behold. Hopefully we will have a DVD of the launch made and show it next week.
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Well, guys, that is all I have on my trip to Florida. I hope you enjoyed learning some history about some of the states and some of their cities and about our space program. I know I have really enjoyed learning new things, and I look forward to seeing all of you on Monday. I must go pack my bags as my journey home begins at 6 AM!
Goodbye for now. Have a great weekend!
Flat Stanley
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