Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I Choose Chattanooga -- Part I

Hi Kids,

We haven't met yet so I don't have a name. I don't even know if I'm a boy or a girl. I guess I'll find out in the fall when Mrs. Kysar's new class tells me. So for now Miss Elaine just calls me Little Bear or L.B. I'm smaller than Teddy and Vanilla but I'm going to have some big adventures.

My first adventure was in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Can you find it on a map? I got to see a lot of things so I'm going to tell you about my trip a little at a time.


One of the first things I did was visit Coolidge Park. You can't tell it from the picture, but the park is right down by the Tennessee River which runs through Chattanooga. The park is a great place to play -- especially in the fountains when it is hot. And it was hot when we visited. I like the water but I didn't want to get my fur wet so Miss Elaine let me sit on one of the animals that surround the main part of the fountain. Sometimes the animals squirt water, too.


Another cool thing in the park is the carousel. The frame is about 100 years old but the animals are all new -- carved by a local master carver and his associates. There are 52 animals -- horses, rabbits, fish -- a carousel with a variety of animals is known as a menagerie. I'm sitting on a carving of a Tennessee Walker -- a special kind of horse with a very smooth gait (way of moving).


Miss Elaine let me ride with her. I made her hold me tight -- it was hard for her to use her camera with just one hand!


Another cool thing about Chattanooga is there is a lot of art all through town. This rhinoceros is in Coolidge Park. The artist called it "Blue Boy -- Pull Toy." It's a pretty big pull toy if you ask me!
Love,

Little Bear