Flat Stanley came to Kentucky to visit Cliff Tibbitts in early February 2014 from Nicholas Tinkham.
Nicholas is in Ms. LaRosa’s Class in Gorham, ME.
His dad Ron is a Corvair enthusiast and has a 1966 Corsa convertible.
When Flat Stanley first arrived in Lexington, KY, he was dressed only in a short sleeve shirt and unfortunately, like the rest of the nation, we were in the midst of one of the most severe winters we had seen in a long time, so we felt it best that he go on to visit family in Florida for a few weeks.
In March Flat Stanley went via US Mail to Florida to Cliff’s brother Russ’ house in Bradenton Florida. Before he went Cliff gave him a motorcycle helmet, because he wanted Flat Stanley to be safe, and figured there would be a lot of motorcycle riding in Florida.
In Florida I went to school with Russ’ grandson Blake. Blake knew all about Flat Stanley. I guess some of the kids in his school have Flat Stanleys of their own.
At Blake’s school I met a Policeman
In central Florida there is an old abandoned phosphate mine that has been converted to an off-road trail for motorcycles and ATV’s. We spent a weekend in the park known as Croom. “Please note, I am being safe and using my motorcycle helmet,” Flat Stanley said.
While we were there, Russell needed some work done on one of the motorcycles. While we were waiting we found a Bulldozer sitting on the lot next to the shop. I got to pretend like I was driving it. It was WAY to big for me to drive. But it was still fun to play on it.
While we were there, we had a chance to watch some kids skateboarding at a park. This looks like fun.
Horseback riding on the beach: This is Palma Sola Bay in Bradenton, Florida. People bring their horses here to swim with them in the bay. That is why this lady is wearing a wet suit. The water was still a little chilly. I decided to stay on the beach and just watch the horses swim. It was pretty cool.
Uncle Russell has lots of motorcycles. He said it was his hobby. This ATV behind me looks like it is about to eat me. I better be careful.
This motorcycle looks like it would be fun to drive. I think we are going to take the motorcycles camping while I am here.
Florida is a great place to go fishing. This man had just returned from a fishing trip and was cleaning his boat. There were lots of nice boats in the marina including some really big sail boats.
In addition to all the neat things I got to do, there are a few other things to say about Florida. Florida is known as the sunshine state and that is the truth. There is a lot of sunshine here year round. This area of Florida is also the home of Tropicana Orange Juice. The beaches are nice and the water is warm. Many people from the north come to Florida to spend the winters. This year would have been a good time to spend the winter in Florida.
Just south of here in Sarasota County you can find the winter home of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus. It is also known as The Greatest Show on Earth. Also in Sarasota is the beautiful Ringling Mansion and Circus Museum. John Ringling built this mansion for his wife, Mable. You can click on this link and see some nice pictures of the mansion. Ringling Mansion
Also everyone knows that Orlando, Florida is the home of Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World among other things. I didn’t get a chance to go there.
In April, I came back to Kentucky.
I got to ride in a Corvair with Cliff and Andrew before they went to Helen, Georgia. This car is a lot like the one Nicholas’s dad has except that his is a convertible.
We visited the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY. On February 12th a giant sink hole opened up at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY and swallowed up 8 priceless Corvettes that were on display. The sink hole is still there but they have removed the eight Corvettes. Some can be restored, a few probably will not be restored. Corvette Museum Sinkhole
At the Corvette Museum I was happy to find a Corvette just my size!
There are many nice Corvettes on display at the museum. Here are a few pictures.
In the following pictures you can see part of the sink hole and the crane they used to lift the cars out.
The following pictures show some of the cars after they pulled them out.
In late April we took a trip through Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and finally Georgia to visit Savannah.
On the way we visited the original Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant in Corbin, KY
We met Colonel Sanders. “He’s flat like me!” said Flat Stanley.
Along the way, we got to ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. It’s a highway that was built along the top ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
There are lots of pretty views along the Blue Ridge Parkway. “Hey, hold on to me tight! It’s windy up here and I almost blew away!”
Then onto Savannah, GA
Big trees with lots of Spanish Moss. They wouldn’t let me take any moss home. Many tourists make the mistake of bringing Spanish Moss home as a souvenir but that is a bad idea. The Spanish moss is full of chiggers. These are tiny bugs like fleas and their bite makes you itch for days.
There are lots of big really old houses in Savannah.
A big fountain in Forsyth Square in Savannah. I wanted to jump in but they thought I’d get all soggy.
I heard some people playing music in the park and ran over to hear them. They were pretty good! I wanted to play the saxophone but it was too big for me. Maybe I could use it for a bathtub.
We visited the 8th Army Museum in Savannah, GA. The 8th Army was an Air Force division that was created just before World War II. It was mostly bombers and their escorts. The bombers included the B-17, “The Flying Fortress,” the B-24 “The Liberator ” and the B-29, “The Super Fortress.” Cliff’s dad served in the 8th Army and was on the ground crew for two B-24 Bombers. One was named The Envy of Them All and the second was Admirable Little Character. Both planes survived the war.
Most of the B-24 bombers were assembled by the Ford Company in Yipsilanti, Michigan at the Willow Run Assembly Plant. This is the same assembly plant that produced most of the Corvairs.
On the way home we stopped in Pikeville, Kentucky. The Hatfield-McCoy feud happened “around these parts.”
Coal mining is an important part of eastern Kentucky. This bear said so too.
Pikeville has a brand new courthouse building. It’s BIG!
Hey! I found another bear in Pikeville. This is “Banjo Bear.” Maybe I’ll learn to play the banjo instead of the saxophone.
Back to Lexington Kentucky!
We watched the Kentucky Derby on TV. It’s in Louisville, not too far from Lexington. Kentucky is famous for its thoroughbred horses, beautiful women and bourbon. They wouldn’t let me see the bourbon. I’m too young.
Finally we went for a ride in Cliff’s Corvair for lunch on the Kentucky River. But now it is time for me to come home. See you soon Nicholas.
