Random Bulletin Board Updates

Stanley reading a book with Andy.

Making A Plan

We divided up tasks before beginning bulletin board construction.

The "Welcome, Flat Stanley!" Bulletin Board Project

As an 8th grade English teacher at a public junior high school in St. Thomas, I was excited to bring Stanley into my classroom to interact with my students. Most of my students had never spent much time with a flat person. They were thrilled and actually came up with the idea to create a bulletin board to make Stanley feel welcomed. As you can see, it was a work in progress.

Stanley with the harbor pilots

During the busiest time of the year, as many as seven ships dock in the harbor. Each time a cruise ship comes in, local boat pilots lead the ship to the dock. When the pilot on the right saw us with Stanley, he shouted, "Hey, it's Flat stanley!!"

Now that's one big boat!

Cruisin'

These boats are HUGE!

On The St. John Ferry

Neill and Stanley returning from a long day on St. John.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

On Saturday, we went to a baseball game at the local junior high school on St. John.

Dog Tired

Here we see Stanley taking a well-earned break on the taco shack's owner's dog.

Stanley lends a hand!

As we enjoyed a Mexican snack, we overheard that the taco stand's taco maker had sprained a finger. Stanley immediately offered his services for the afternoon. By the end of the afternoon, he could make a taco with his eyes closed!

"Mmmmm-mm!"

Desert

Stanley loved the West Indian pumpkin bread pudding!

Stanley's First Caribbean Thanksgiving

Here we see Stanley before the big Thanksgiving dinner. We had dinner at an Irish pub on the water.

Stanley & The Iguanas

Feeding Stingrays

Stanley and Neill giving fish to stingray at Coral Wold, the local aquarium and habitat.

Captain O Captain!

Stanley with the submarine pilot

Holy mackerel!"

Stanley in front of portal

The submarine went as deep as 6o meters beneath the ocean's surface. Stanley is stoked!

Here Stanley is settling in the submarine before it submerges. 

Friends In Low Places

Here we see Stanley making friends with the first mate of the submarine. We think Stanley negotiated a deal to be seated near the emergency hatch. (just in case.)

Down The Hatch!

Neill and Stanley heading below deck to see what this submarine jazz is all about. Woohoo!

Hangin' With The Girls!

Stanley was very popular with the ladies! he is the second from the right near the top row.  Everyone is excited to be going on their first submarine ride.

Sitting On The Dock of The Bay

Here we see Stanley sitting on the dock as one of the cruise ships comes in to dock. These boats are HUGE. On average, they carry 3,000 passengers more or less. 

Stanley Goes On A Field trip!

Stanley arrived the week of our scheduled field trip to ride in a submarine and then visit the local aquarium.  Here we see Stanley posing for another photo opportunity on the safari taxi that carried the whole class to the submarine dock down by the cruise ships.

"Shiver me timbers, Stanley!"

Here we see our hero, Flat Stanley, chillin' with a pirate by the cruise ship docks.

Finger Lick'n Good!

We stopped by Kentucky Fried Chicken for a quick snack. As you can see, Stanley made friends fast!

Stanley At The Downtown Vendors' Plaza

On our way to the cruise ship docks, we stopped by the local open-air vendors' plaza. Stanley LOVED it! Every day, locals set up tents on this square to sell handmade crafts, local foods, souvenirs, and all sorts of local goods. There is even a lady doing hairweaves for tourists and a man dressed up like an African tribesman carrying a spear who takes photos with tourists. (He wasn't there the day we went! :-( The colorful vendors' plaza  is one of Miki's favorite places in St. Thomas.

A Closer Look at the Map

Maybe this view of the map will help you understand where we are exactly. We live in the capitol city of St. Thomas called, "Charlotte Amalie". It is more like a town. There are no tall sky scrapers or even any really big shopping malls. The entire island is only 13 miles long and about 4 miles wide. There are three "major" U.S. Virgin Islands. They are, in order of size from biggest to smallest: St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John.

Where In The World is Stanley?

In case you didn't know, the U.S. Virgin Islands are between North America and South America. We are east of Puerto Rico, not all that far north of Venezuela in South America. On a clear day, we can see Puerto Rico from the deck of our house.

Flat Stanley Arrives!

Flat Stanley (also known in our family as, "Slim Stan") arrived on my birthday, November 22nd. He seemed to have a safe trip, but he had a crick in his neck due to the fact that his envelope did not recline (airline humor... :-)

The first thing we did was drive down the waterfront road to give Stanley a nice view of the harbor. He didn't say it, but we could tell that Stanley was enjoying his first trip to the Caribbean ocean.