Flat Stanley traveling in Germany

More Stanley photos....

Xmas village in Ramstein Germany,... large Nutcracker

A Bavarian Restaurant...boys drinking out of steins ( just sprite was in them)

Enjoying the Bavarian "fresco" painting on the wall...

Climbing the Boulder at the Air Force Inn Hotel

He and we had a great time
we are going to Prague on friday (yay, that will be so much fun)

take care and enjoy your weekthe Graves'

Flat Stanley in Sea World

Quade Karper was nice enough to take me on his visit to Sea World's annual Howl-O-Scream. We had a blast. When we first got there we went straight to the Shamu Believe show. I met Amanda outside the gate. She was in charge of crowd control and doing an excellent job. Next I met a guy selling Shamu puppets. He wasn't so nice as he almost let one eat me. During the show I wanted to ride on Shamu like the trainers were, but Mr. Goss was afraid I wouldn't survive it and be able to see the rest of the park. Shamu sure did some cool stuff though.

After the Shamu show, we went to Jack-O-Lantern's house. He is the star of the Howl-O-Scream show after all. We waited at his house at the edge of Frightmare Forest for him to come out. When he came out, he tried to eat me too. Oh dear.

When we left Jack, we walked around to the penguins. Luckily they were behind glass, so no danger of being eaten here. After we left the penguins, we stopped for a drink and popcorn. It was really good.

Next up was Happy Harbor. I met some skeleton pirates, Shamu & Dolly and then went to Pirate University and met some real Pirates. They thought I was cool and should join up with them, I didn't want to leave all the fun I was having with Quade, so I passed on their offer.

When we left Happy Harbor, we checked out the flamingos and fed the ducks. They loved the little pellets we fed them. Next I ran into skeleton Forest Gump. I sat on his lap to wait for the bus, but it never seemed to come, so we moved on to a new attraction for Howl-O-Scream, Fanta Sea. We walked through an underwater maze. It was really cool. I saw juggling clown and even a mermaid.

From there we moved to the Clydesdale Hamlet. A Clydesdale named Jake thought I'd be a good mid afternoon snack, but luckily his handler kepts me from becoming horse snack. The Clydesdale's dog King was there to welcome me. He ran right over and gave us a good look and decided we were ok, so he went back to chewing on his stuffed Clydesdale. I heard that the Clydesdales are packing up and leaving Sea World at the end of November. It sure will be different without the big guys around.

Last on our visit was Dolphin Cove and Coral Reef. The dolphins were splashing around and really liked the food we fed them. At Coral Reef I saw some jelly fish and piranhas up close. I saw sting rays and sharks and then some colorful frogs called Dart Frogs.

Finally it was time to say good-bye to Sea World and Jack, until next year.

Flat Stanley in Germany

Just received Flat Stanley yesterday (14th) He is well....Took him to Bible study this morning and took his photo with the ladies here in Mannheim Germany....He enjoyed that.... We have many adventures planned...


My family is enjoying this adventure with him as well as your class.... We are all originally from Texas.

My name is Lonna, Husband in Russ (we have 3 boys ages 20, 14, and 9 and have been a military family for over 20 years.....

Photos of Stanley's arrival to our Mannheim Mail Room, then we took him along the Rhein River....Mainz GE is the city in the backgroud...

Along the way we found another "Flat Stanley" and thought we would take the photo of him too with our boys.

Shiann took Flat Stanley to Sea World - San Antonio

Shiann took Flat Stanley to Sea World. He had a great time! He saw Shamu, fed the dolphins, and posed for many pictures. Come to the 2nd grade hallway to see the great pictures!

Cedar Park, Texas

Stanley showed up to visit our family in Cedar Park, Texas which is a city just a few miles outside of Austin, Texas. Austin, as I'm sure you all know is the state capital.

We have four people in our family and Stanley spent time with each of us.

Robert, the dad of the family, is a polics officer. Stanley thought it was very interesting to see what police officers do at work. Robert also has a police dog, named Dega, to help him at work. Stanley liked her.

Jessica is the mom of the family. She is a tax accountant. Stanely went to work with her one day and jessica took Stanley to all the games the kids had while he was there. Stanley also went with Jessica to visit the Dr. because Jessica is having a baby!!! The Dr. Says the baby is going to be a boy!

Tim is the oldest child of the family. He is 16 and is in high school. Stanley got to go watch Tim play in a football game one night.

And the youngest in the family is Abby. Abby is 14 and she loves to play soccer. Stanley went to watch Abby play soccer one Saturday while he was with us.

We thank Stanley for coming to visit with us and are sad to see him leave. We sent you all pictures of the things Stanley did with us while he was here. Hope he has a great adventure the rest of the year!!

Love, The Ramos Family

Mission San Francisco de la Espada (more simply Mission Espada) was a Roman Catholic mission established by Spain near San Antonio de Bexar in northern New Spain in 1731 to convert local Native Americans to Christianity and solidify Spanish territorial claims in the New World against encroachment from France.


Founded in 1690 as San Francisco de los Tejas southwest of present-day Alto, Texas Mission San Francisco de la Espada was the first mission established in Texas. There are older missions currently in West Texas, but they were in Mexico at the time they were established.'

Three priests, three soldiers and supplies were left among the Nabedache Indians. The new mission was dedicated on June 1, 1690. A smallpox epidemic in the winter of 1690-1691 killed an estimated 3,300 people in the area. The Nabedaches believed the Spaniards brought the disease and hostilities developed between the two groups.

Drought besieged the mission in the summers of 1691 and 1692, and the Nabedache wished to be rid of the mission. Under threat of personal attack, the priests began packing their belongings in the fall of 1693. On October 25, 1693, the padres burned the mission and retreated toward Mexico. The party lost its way and did not reach Monclova until Febrauary 17, 1694.

The mission was re-established in the same area on July 5, 1716 as Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas. The new mission had to be abandoned in 1719 because of conflict between Spain and France.

The mission was tried once more on August 5, 1721 as San Francisco de los Neches. As the Nabedache were no longer interested in the mission, and France had abandoned effort to lay claim in the area, the mission was temporarily relocated along the Colorado River in July 1730. Mission Tejas State Park, in east Texas, encompasses the original site of the mission.

The mission relocated to its current location in the San Antonio River area in March, 1731 and was renamed San Francisco de la Espada. A friary was built in 1745, and the church was completed in 1756.

Mission Espada's aqueductMission Espada's acequia (irrigation) system can s= till be seen today. The main ditch continues to carry water to the mission = and its former farm lands. This water is still used by residents living on = these neighboring lands.

The use of acequias was originally brought to the arid regions of Spain and= Portugal by the Romans and the Moors. When Franciscans missionaries arrive= d in the desert Southwest they found the system worked well in the hot, dry= environment.

In order to distribute water to the missions along the San Antonio River, F= ranciscan missionaries oversaw the construction of seven gravity-flow ditch= es, dams, and at least one aqueduct =E2=80=94 a 15-mile network that irriga= ted approximately 3,500 acres of land.

The acqueduct is a bridge to transport water over water, in this case, the = irrigation water over Six Mile Creek.

Stanley wanted to go swimming but its against the law at the dam.=

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Mission San Juan Capistrano (originally christened in 1716 as La Misión San José de los Nazonis and located in East Texas) was founded in 1731 by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order, on the eastern banks of the San Antonio River in present-day Bexar County, Texas. It is about six miles from the Alamo.

The first primitive capilla (chapel) was built out of brush and mud. Eventually a campanile, or "bell tower" containing two bells was incorporated into the structure, which was replaced by a long hall with a flat roof and an attractive belfry around 1756. Around 1760 construction of a larger church building was begun on the east side of the Mission compound, but was never completed due to the lack of sufficient labor. Mission San Juan did not prosper to the same extent as the other San Antonio missions because lands allotted to it were not sufficient to plant vast quantities of crops, or breed large numbers of horses and cattle; a dam was constructed in order to supply water to the Mission's acequia, or irrigation system. (the Mission reportedly owned 1,000 head of cattle, 3,500 sheep and goats, and 100 horses in 1762). The outpost was also subjected to frequent Indian attacks.

Some 265 neophytes resided in adobe huts at the Mission in 1756; by 1790 the natives were living in stone quarters, though their number had dropped to 58.

Flat Standley thought the bells were really neat, but they were not ringing.

San Jose Mission - Queen of the Missions

Queen of the Missions

San José was the largest of the missions in the area. At its height, the community contained about 350 Indian neophytes, sustained by extensive fields and herds of livestock. Viewed as the model among the Texas missions, San José gained a reputation as a major social and cultural center. It became known as the "Queen of the Missions." Its imposing complex of stone walls, bastions, granary, and magnificent church was completed by 1782.

So rich an enterprise was a natural target for Apache and Comanche depredations. Although they could not prevent raids on their livestock, the mission itself was almost impregnable. The danger was when working the fields or during travel to and from the ranch or other missions. With technical help from the two presidial soldiers garrisoned there, San José residents learned to defend themselves. Already proficient with bow and arrow, the men also learned the use of guns and cannon.

Mission San José has become a lasting symbol throughout the centuries for the Spanish mission frontier in Texas. Having fallen into disrepair and partial ruin over the years, the San Antonio Conservation Society and the Federal Government among others, undertook to restore portions of the mission community in the 1920s and 1930s. The church, which had lost its dome, bell tower, and a wall, was rededicated in 1937.

In 1941, Mission San José was declared a State Historic Site, and later that same year, a National Historic Site. When the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was established in November 1978, the Spanish colonial mission was assured of protection in cooperation with the Archdiocese of San Antonio and the parish.

The Rose Window

La Ventana de Rosa, the Rose Window, is located on the south wall of the church sacristy. The window has been described as the site where the Host was shown to gathered mission celebrants during the Feast of Pentecost.

The window, sculpted ca. 1775, has been the object of both legend and admiration. It is considered one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in North America. The meaning behind the name is currently unknown, but legend has it named for Rosa, the betrothed of Juan Huizar who many believe created the window.

While we were here, Flat Stanley insisted on having his picture taken at at well on the mission grounds.

Flat Stanley - Mission Concepcion

Mission Concepción was established in 1716 in East Texas. The mission was moved in 1731 to San Antonio. Founded by Franciscan friars, this is the best preserved of the Texas missions and church services are still conducted here.

The Battle of Concepción was fought here on October 28, 1835 between Mexican troops under Colonel Domingo Ugartechea and Texian insurgents led by James Bowie and James Fannin. The 30-minute engagement, is described as "the first major engagement of the Texas Revolution".

Located at 807 Mission Roadin San Antonio, Concepcion was designated a National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970 and is part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.


Concepcion is about two miles south of the Alamo and although it is being redecorated inside, Flat Stanley enjoyed his visit.

Flat Stanley in Washington

Wyatt sent Flat Stanley to visit Athena in Washington. Athen took him to see the shore since she lives very close to it. They went to see the city of Seattle. While in Seattle they rode the monorail and saw the Space Needle. Stanley got a little scared when he saw the volcano, Mt. Rainier. Later on he thought it was cool.

You will have to come by our classroom to see all the wonderful pictures Flat Stanley came back with.

Flat Stanley is back from California

Flat Stanley visited Damien's family in Corona, California. While he was there he visited Damien's old school, rode rides at Castle Park. and went hiking. Stanley had a great time!

Flat Stanley does a 13.1 mile walk

Ms. Dee Dee took Stanley to Odessa to do a 13.1 mile walk. They both survived! The night before the walk - Stanley went shoe shopping - but the Mayor of Paint Rock said he could not buy shoes. Poor Stanley and Dee Dee. ;( Stanley also visited the kids and horses at Sonrisas.

Flat Stanley in Ben Wheeler, Texas

Stanley had a wonderful trip visiting Trinitye's grandparents. While he was there he saw different kinds of birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds. He had have never seen so many hummingbirds! Stanley also helped take care of the flowers and vegetables in the garden. Stanley can't wait to visit East Texas again!