It is time for Flat Stanley to travel home…. we have enjoyed his stay. Due to the weather we didn’t get out as much as we liked, so I am posting several pictures taken around Colorado.
The Bluffs
The Meadow
The Mountains
The lakes
Rattlesnake
Elk
Birds of Prey
Flat Stanley is welcome to come back anytime….Thank you for visiting.
Today we went out to eat at Olive Garden (have you noticed a pattern – we go out a lot) to celebrate Aunt Sandi’s birthday. We had a good time, it’s always nice hanging with family. The weather was nice this morning, but it will be turning cold again this evening. They are calling for another snow storm. Spring Time… Love it 😉
Aunt Sandi, Grandma, and Flat Stanley
Grandpa, Nicole, and Flat Stanley
Nicole, TJ, and Flat Stanley
TJ, Flat Stanley (wearing Grandpa's hat), and John's arm (he wouldn't get into the picture)
On the way home from Olive Garden we drove by a Bison Ranch. They have a store that sells Bison meat and other specialties. Here is the website: http://homepages.peakpeak.com/~sbr/ There were several Bison laying around relaxing.
Bison Ranch
Bison at rest.
All in all, it was a very nice relaxing Sunday. Tomorrow it’s another day at work…
We have not had a spring like this for 2 years. The rain has been endless and the ground is saturated. Here is a picture out the back door of the flooded river. Same South Platte river as the previous pictures.
Flooded South Platte River
For the evening activity we decided to play scrabble.
What better activity than playing a family game on a rainy day.
Only in Colorado can you have down pouring rain all morning, a fluffy white flaky snowstorm at mid-day, a bit of sunshine in the afternoon, and bitter cold wind with massive clouds in the evening. All in the same day.
Evening clouds on our way home from school
On the way home we also took a photo of the Fort St. Vrain Power Station
Xcel Energy - Fort St. Vrain Power Station
Here is a link to read more information about the power station.
One really cool thing the Xcel Energy company is doing is setting up eagle cameras so we can watch the baby eagle chicks grow up in the nest near the power station… check out the link below. This year there are two chicks.
http://birdcam.xcelenergy.com/eagle.html
Later this evening we drove to Greeley, about 25 minutes north of Platteville, to buy some groceries at Sam’s Club. The wind was blowing really hard and it was very cold.
John and Flat Stanley in front of Sam's Club - Greeley
The weather today has been very wet and dark. Several thunderstorms have passed through Longmont and surrounding areas.
Stormy sky above Longs Peak Middle School
It’s definitely a good day to stay inside.
South Platte River after the rain.
This is not a good picture of Flat Stanley (a bit blurry), but it does show the river full of water. Compare it to the picture taken earlier in the week. There was a lot of rain today.
Today was not a very eventful day… maybe tomorrow we can do a bit of exploring.
Today we were in Greeley for jury duty. It was at the Weld County Court House on 9th ave. What an interesting experience…the sense of responsibility was tremendous!!! Out of approximately 40 people only 6 were chosen as jurors for this one day trial, Aunt Sandi was chosen as one of the jurors.
Weld County Court House, Greeley, CO
The trial started around 11:30, we stopped for lunch at 12:30. We had an entire hour for lunch…this was bonus, teachers never get an hour for lunch when they are at school. When we came back they presented evidence until ~4pm and the jurors deliberated for a little over one hour. At that time we went back into the court room to share the verdict. In this case, it was guilty. I would recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to sit on a jury to do so, it is a very interesting process.
UNC statue of their mascot 'Bears' - in the background
University of Northern Colorado (UNC) - Students on lawn eating lunch
During our lunch… since we had so much time… we stopped at the University of Northern Colorado to get a couple of pictures. Then we went to Wendy’s for lunch. It was a nice afternoon, partly cloudy, but by the end of the day there were several thunderstorms in the area. Typical spring weather for Colorado.
Lunch at Wendy's 😉
Cruising home...
After a long day of doing our civic duty, it was time to go home. Now, what should we have for dinner?
It was a very long day…we didn’t have any photo opportunities. However, we did take the time to go out for dinner and spend some quality time with family.
Going to Old Chicago for burgers
Uncle John and Flat Stanley are entering Old Chicago and they even the held the door open for Aunt Sandi.
Who is going to pay the bill?
Flat Stanley was nice enough to pay the bill…although, he did use Aunt Sandi’s credit card 😉
Family time... wonderful!!
When we came home Flat Stanley helped Nicole and Cody fix a very nice spaghetti dinner.
We were planning a bike ride for an afternoon activity but we are having afternoon thunderstorms. The weather forecast for the week is approximately 67 degrees and thunderstorms. Hopefully, we will be able to get outside this week.
Flat Stanley is welcomed at Longs Peak Middle School
A couple of middle school students welcomed Flat Stanley to Longs Peak Middle School (LPMS). This school has been the home to students for over 40 years. This year there are approximately 500 students and 40 staff/teachers that attend school here every day.
What is available at Longs Peak Middle School?
Some of the classes that are offered here along with math, language arts, social studies, and science are: orchestra, band, jazz band, men/women’s choir, drama, guitar, art, Spanish, PE.
There are also several sports available to the students: track, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, wrestling, boy/girl basketball.
Don’t forget the clubs! There are several clubs that students and teachers have organized: chess club, geography club, MESA – math/science club, History club, brain bowl, and several contests connected to core knowledge classes.
Helping Mrs. Hollins at the computer
Mrs. Hollins is the 8th grade History and Language Arts teacher. She was working in the library on the computer and let Flat Stanley (F.S) help her out. She was very helpful and showed F.S. were to find some books to read.
Reading books in the library
F.S. spent some time in the library reading books. All of the students at LPMS are required to read several books for an Accelerated Readers Program. (I’m sure you have a similar program at your school) After the students are finished with their books they can take an accelerated reading test that measures their understanding of what they read.
Playing the piano
F.S. was able to attend one of the Choir classes today. He was more than happy to play a couple of tunes for the students who thought he had a lot of talent. They said he could come back anytime 😉
Answering phones in the office
This afternoon F.S. was very helpful in the office. He answered a few phone calls, directed them to the appropriate people and had the chance to talk to a few of our students’ parents. He is so polite.
Time to go home
After a long day at school, Flat Stanley helped Aunt Sandi answer emails and get ready to go home. Yes, this is Aunt Sandi’s desk, it is a mess…but it is an organized mess 😉
Alpaca farm
On the way home from school we saw an Alpaca ranch, Xanadu Farms. There are many Alpacas eating in the fields and two really big dogs that protect them from coyotes. Really cool!
South Platte River
We also went over a bridge to cross the South Platte river. You may not be able to see it very well, but down the river in this picture are some cows crossing from one field to another through the river. The river is very wide but not very deep so the cows do not have any problem crossing. Usually, there are pelicans, geese, turkey, various birds of prey, deer, and coyotes by the river.
Home is right around the corner so we will go out again tomorrow to see what we can see 😉
Now in Colorado
We finally picked the mail up on Sunday… and Flat Stanley was there. He was so happy to be let out of the envelope, look at the smile on his face. This was a great day to arrive in Platteville. The weather is partly cloudy and whopping 72 degrees, what a beautiful day. Tomorrow will be a big day, Flat Stanley will be going to school in Longmont, CO. – Longs Peak Middle School.
Creating this blog exclusively to welcome Derian’s Flat Stanley. We are looking forward to his arrival and to creating a photo journal of his visit.
Flat Stanley's Adventures 