Stanley wrote:
"Dear Alexa,
On Monday, Aunt Robin and I visited the Raptor Trust. "Raptor" is a name for birds that live by hunting, like hawks, eagles, and owls. The Raptor Trust is a bird rehabilitation center -- a place where injured wild birds can get medical treatment. When the birds are well again, they are released back into the wild.
Visitors are not allowed inside the hospital building to see the birds who are injured. Wild birds are usually scared of humans, so it's better for them to be in a quiet place where they feel safe. But there are some big cages outside with birds who can't go back to the wild. Some of them had injuries that couldn't be completely fixed. They can't fly well enough to take care of themselves, so they stay permanently at the Raptor Trust where people take good care of them.
We saw many different kinds of birds. There was a brown Screech Owl and a white Snowy Owl. There were several Red-tailed Hawks -- this is a kind of hawk that is very common in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The biggest bird we saw was an American Bald Eagle. The Bald Eagle is one of the symbols of the United States. If you look on the back of a one-dollar bill, you will see a picture of an eagle.
I think I will be coming home soon. It's been fun visiting with Aunt Robin, but I miss you a lot.
Your friend,
Flat Stanley"
Here are the two pictures she sent:
I received an email from my friend Kim, in Texarkana, Arkansas, and she wrote:
"Hey Nance,
Sorry it's taken so long, but I haven't forgotten about Flat Stanley. I admit that I did procrastinate, but I wanted to get a picture of Stanley at the post office/court house in our city. Texarkana is a bi-city and part of both Texas and Arkansas. Anyway, there is this place in front of the court house where you can stand and be both in Arkansas and Texas at the same time, while also being in the same city. We had to take his picture though from the car because they are having a big case there and the cops won't let you get out.
Anyway, Stanley is in his envelope and all he needs is a stamp, but I will try to mail him out this week. Probably Friday at the latest.
Again, sorry it took so long, but we had fun with Stanley!
Kim :-)"
She included this really neat picture:
We also received two Stanleys back home:
One said:
Dear Alexa,
Your FLAT STANLEY came all the way to Grand Forks, North Dakota.
While he was here, these are some of the exciting things he saw and did:
Went to Widman's candy store - famous for their chocolate covered potato chips! Rode along with Jackie and her boyfriend on their trip to Colorado! I rode through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado! We even took a day trip to New Mexico! I was able to see the Royal Gorge in Colorado, which is a very, very deep gorge carved/eroded in the mountains by the Arkansas River. It was the most breathtaking place in the world!
The distance between your town, Port Carbon, PA, and my location, Grand Forks, ND is approximately 1,400 miles.
If FLAT STANLEY should come back to visit, he should wear:
In winter: snowpants, parka and all other winter accessories! Otherwise we wear shorts and tees the rest of the year, because the climate here is freezing cold in winter and blisteringly hot in summer (well, it can be!).
Some other interesting facts about my location include:
Grand Forks is the 3rd largest city in ND
Grand Forks is a "twin city" with East Grand Forks in Minnesota
Grand Forks is home to the University of North Dakota
Grand Forks is a town prone to devastating floods and survived the catastrophic Red River Flood of 1997.
Enclosed for you is a "Minnesota" magnet and a pin from the University of North Dakota. I, Flat Stanley, spent a lot of time in Minnesota where Jackie is from. We went fishing and for boat rides both times I was there! The pin is from the college that Jackie attends. They are well known for their hockey program. I've had a fun time here!
Love,
Flat Stanley."
Unfortunately when the letter was received, the envelope was ripped open in the bottom right corner and the magnet and pin were not inside the envelope. But we do appreciate the thought and most of all we were excited to see what Flat Stanley North Dakota looked like :) Here is his picture, which I took when he got home:
The other Flat Stanley who came home came with a letter which said:
Dear Alexa,
Your FLAT STANLEY came all the way to Huntersville, North Carolina.
While he was here, these are some of the exciting things he saw and did:
While visiting, Stanley spent a lot of time swimming and boating on the lakes. He enjoyed a lot of outdoor activities, including going to parks, listening to music played outdoors by local bands, and hiking the local nature trails at Latta Plantation.
We took him on a weekend trip to Wilmington, NC to go to the beach. Next time he is here, he would like to see a Nascar race.
The distance between your town, Port Carbon, PA, and my location, Huntersville, NC, is approximately 521 miles.
If FLAT STANLEY should come back to visit, he should wear shorts and teeshirts and bring a bathing suit and life jacket, because the climate here is mild in the winter with hot summers.
Some other interesting facts about my location include:
We are in a suburb of Charlotte, NC, which is a big city and the home of some of the nation's largest banks, including Bank of America. Huntersville has many nearby lakes, including Lake Norman, a popular vacation destination.
-Heather."
Here is a picture of Flat Stanley Huntersville, North Carolina:
We love his sunglasses, lifevest, and fishie swim trunks! :)
I am now caught up on updates received so far. There are still a lot of Stanleys we haven't heard from at all and we hope to hear from them or get them back home soon!
I plan to start taking pictures of the Stanleys together as they come home- in fact, I already have a small group to start with, so I will take their group picture and put it up tomorrow in a new update, and then as I get several more back, I'll take another group picture, and so on until we have them all. Hopefully we DO get them ALL back home! :)
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