Greetings from Wisconsin!

Surprise! I am writing to you from Madison, Wisconsin. See if you can find it on the map.

I am here with Kristin. She is visiting her parents for Easter weekend and she asked if I wanted to come along for the ride. Of course I said yes!

That’s because I know that Wisconsin is the home of the Green Bay Packers! Aunt Lynn LOVES the Packers. Kristin says Green Bay is a very long drive from Madison but that’s OK. I am at least in the same state. Here you can see me catching up on the latest sports news (OK….I didn’t really read the newspaper but I did look at the pictures.)

Kristin says her parents have lived here for 16 years. They lived in Iowa before moving here. Kristin’s Mom and Dad are very nice.

Today Kristin and her Mom went shopping. I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend the day doing “girl” things. So Kristin’s Dad said I could spend the day with him.

Guess what? Kristin’s Dad is REALLY COOL! He has a Play Station 2 and I got to spend the entire afternoon playing video games with him! How cool is that?!


Tonight Kristin is working on her computer and her Mom is knitting.


So I am spending the evening watching learning how to knit (seems kind of boring if you ask me!), watching TV, and hanging out with Kristin’s Dad.

Until next time…..

Home Again

Hi everyone! I am back home in Iowa after my trip to Detroit.

Kristin wasn't kidding when she said that we were going on a quick trip. It feels like we just left Iowa and now I am home again!

This morning, Kristin told me that she, Amy, and Ken were going to visit a the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. Kristin is hoping the museum will display some of the photos I helped her and Amy pick out yesterday.

Kristin, Amy, and Ken met with several people from the museum to talk about the photo project. Kristin and Amy talked about the radio program and showed the photos to the museum staff. I think this is similar to show-and-tell at school.

I think the museum people liked the project because after the meeting they took us on a tour. The museum is REALLY cool! It has a model of the Burj al Arab...the big building I saw in Dubai that looks like a sailboat. They also have an entire floor set up with many displays about the Arab region, people who have moved to America from the Arab region, and famous Arab Americans (I didn't recognize any names but they looked famous!). Many of the displays include audio and video and they have places where kids like me can touch and play. Kristin calls this "interactive" learning. I don't know what that means but it was sure fun!

I had so much fun looking around that I didn't even have time to get my picture taken. Can you believe that?!

Kristin drove us to the airport as soon as we left the museum. After I got to go through the x-ray machine (I LOVE going through the x-ray machine!!), Kristin took me to the "General Motors" store. It was really cool. There were TONS of toy cars. I could have spent the entire day there. But Kristin said we couldn't stay very long. :( She did let me pick out a small toy car set. It is really neat. It has street signs and everything. Now I can play airport AND cars at home. Cool!


I played with my new car set while Kristin and Amy worked more on the photo project before we got on the plane. It was a really, really small plane. Each wing of the plane had what looked like a large ceiling fan attached to the side of them. Kristin says they are the propellers that make the plane stay in the air. I was excited because I haven't been on a plane with propellers like that but I could tell Kristin didn't like this plane. Kristin says it reminded her of a scary plane she was on in Africa. The Africa plane ride must have been very bad because Kristin was REALLY happy when we landed in Moline.

I am really tired and I think Kristin is tired too. So I am going to head to bed soon. I want to thank Kristin, Amy and their friend Ken for letting me come along with them to Detroit!

Until my next adventure.....

Greetings from Detroit!

Hi everyone! I am writing to you from Detroit, Michigan.

It turns out "The Motor City" is a nickname for Detroit, Michigan. Just like "The Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. See if you can find Detroit on the map.


I found out where we were headed when Kristin and Amy got their tickets at the Moline airport VERY early this morning. We left Kristin's house just before 5AM, picked-up Amy, and then went to the Moline airport. This time we flew a different airline: Northwest. Kristin says she doesn't usually fly Northwest but they have a "direct" flight between Moline and Detroit. That means we don't have to change planes in Chicago like we have in the past.

I'm sure it was a fine ride but I was too sleepy from getting up early so I took a nap the entire flight.

The Detroit airport is very large and very nice but we had to walk a LONG way to get Kristin's luggage. I think we walked a mile from the plane to the place where the luggage is dropped off (OK...maybe it wasn't a mile but it was a LONG walk). After we got Kristin's bag, we headed for a small bus just like the ones in Muscatine. This took us to the place where Kristin rented a car. Kristin and Amy decided it would be easier to get around Detroit in a car instead of a cab.

We then rushed to get to the hotel to pick up Kristin and Amy's friend Ken. Ken helps get radio stations to play Kristin and Keith's radio program. He lived in Minneapolis and he is very nice. Do you know what state Minneapolis is in? See if you can find it on the map.

We were rushing because Kristin, Amy, and Ken had an appointment at 11:00AM at a radio station. WDET is the public radio station located on the campus of Wayne State University. It turns out the radio station IS going to play Kristin and Keith's radio program next month.


So, I wondered why we were visiting the station. Do you remember when I went with Kristin and Amy to look at photos in New York City? The station is interested in helping display the photos at a museum near our hotel. Ken, Kristin, and Amy met with many people and made many plans.

But, I must admit that I didn't pay attention to their meeting. I was more interested in looking at the radio equipment and seeing people talk on the radio. The station was VERY busy today and there were many, many phones ringing. I thought this was strange so I asked Kristin after her meeting why everyone looked very busy. Kristin told me that this week is something public radio stations call "pledge week." During pledge week, the station asks listeners to send money to help keep the station on the air. Wow! I had no idea that radio stations could do such a thing. Kristin tells me pledge week is very important because public radio stations (the kind that air Kristin and Keith's radio program) do NOT play commercials. Did you know that the commercials you hear on most radio stations help keep the music playing? Who knew?!

I'm still not sure I understand pledge week but I could tell it was important to the people I saw working today.

After the meeting we went back to the hotel. We are staying at the Hyatt in nearby Dearborn, Michigan. The headquarters of the Ford Motor Company is just down the road. THIS is why Detroit is called "The Motor City." Kristin says many American car companies have offices in the Detroit area. I only saw the Ford building but I can tell you that there are more car dealers here than anywhere I have ever seen!

I didn't really have time to play this afternoon because Kristin and Amy were busy picking out photos. Kristin says they can only use a certain number of photos from the large batch I saw in New York. So I watched as Kristin and Amy spent several hours deciding which photos they liked best.

At one point I took a break and looked out the window. Across the parking lot is a very large shopping mall. I could only see the sign for one store from the room. The store sign says "Marshall Fields." Kristin says this is a very famous chain of stores that is based in Chicago. Well I wasn't all that interested in learning about ANOTHER famous store but Kristin told me I am very lucky that I got to see the sign. She says Macy's....the store I visited in New York City, has bought all of the Marshall Fields stores and soon all of the store signs will change to say "Macy's." I could tell Kristin is very upset about this. I'm not sure why. It must be a "girl" thing. But I decided that I should at least have my picture with the store sign in the background.

Later in the day, Kristin and Amy took a break and actually went to Marshall Fields. Kristin bought me what she calls a "special" chocolate egg. It is called "Frango Mint." I've never heard of this brand. But Kristin says I have to wait until Easter before I can eat it. Easter is just a few days away so I guess I can wait until then. But the chocolate egg sure looks yummy!

Kristin also bought me a brown bunny rabbit to keep me company. Kristin thinks the bunny looks like her rabbit, McGwire. Did you know Kristin has a REAL bunny rabbit that lives in her house? My Aunt Lynn helps take care of McGwire when Kristin and her husband are away on business trips.

My new bunny is brown like her real rabbit so I am going to name mine McGwire too!

Whew...I've had a long day. I am very sleepy so I think I am going to head to bed with McGwire.
I'm not sure what Kristin and Amy are doing in the morning but I know they have a meeting. I also know I will be back home in Iowa tomorrow night.

Until next time....

The Motor City?

Hi everyone. I just received very exciting news!

My friends Kristin and Amy from the Stanley Foundation are leaving very early tomorrow morning for another trip and they have invited me to come with them.

Kristin says we are going to a place called "The Motor City." I think Kristin is trying to surprise me again just like she did with "The Big Apple." I like cars but I don't think I have ever heard of a place called "The Motor City." I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow to find out!

Kristin says this is a very short trip. I will only be gone 1 night. I'll keep you posted.

Bye for now....

Home Again!

Hi everyone.

I had another great day in New York City before arriving back home in Iowa late tonight.

Kristin and Amy's flight wasn't scheduled to leave New York until 4:00pm so this gave them some extra time to explore more of the city today.

So they decided to take a yellow cab to a place called the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is a HUGE museum. I wasn't so sure I wanted to spend the morning looking at old paintings and photos but Kristin promised me I would have fun.

Guess what, she was right! The museum is really COOL. It has many, many old paintings but Kristin says some of them are the most famous and most expensive in the entire world. I had no idea!

I could tell immediately that Kristin and Amy like different things. Amy likes bright colors and paintings that were located in a section called "Modern." Many of those paintings looked like something I could create in art class. Maybe I could be a famous artist someday!

Kristin, on the other hand, loved the rooms with European artists. These paintings are much older and are very, very famous. They also look like they were VERY hard to make. I can barely stay inside the lines of a coloring book!

Guess what? Some of the paintings I saw today were made more than 200 years ago! That is REALLY old!

Kristin says one of her favorite artists is Claude Monet. I learned today that he lived from 1840 until 1926. He painted in a style known as "Impressionism." I have no idea what that means but his paintings are very nice. Here you can see me with Kristin standing by a painting called, "Bridge Over a Pool of Water Lilies." It is very famous.

I noticed that many of the paintings by this man looked very similar. Kristin says that's because he made many paintings with images of water lilies. I learned water lilies are a special kind of flower that grow in water.

But my favorite part of the museum was the section that is all about Egypt. I know Aunt Lynn wants to travel to Egypt. Do you know where Egypt is? See if you can find it on the map.

Egypt is famous for very old pyramids and other large stone buildings called known as "temples." Kristin says they are thousands of years old and were built to honor rulers and other important people. Many times these important people would be wrapped in special cloth when they died. Do you know what they are called? They are mummies. I thought a mummy was a cartoon character or something I could dress up like on Halloween. I had no idea they were once REAL people. Very strange but also very interesting.

Here I am with Kristin standing near part of a REAL Egyptian temple that is INSIDE the museum. How cool is that? Can you see the drawings on the stones?

Before we left the museum, Kristin and Amy walked through the gift shop. Kristin bought me a book so I can learn even more about the museum and a postcard of the Monet painting I had my picture taken by. She also let me pick out a special gift for Aunt Lynn and my mom.

After we left the museum, Kristin and Amy had lunch at the hotel and then we took another yellow cab to the airport. Just as we were getting out of the car, Kristin's phone beeped. Kristin said it was a message telling her that our flight was delayed. I was hoping that didn't mean we would be stuck at the airport for a long time. But Kristin was able to get us onto an earlier flight and the rest of the trip was uneventful.

Here you can see me helping Kristin unpack my new stuffed bear and taxi.


I want to thank Kristin and her friend Amy for taking me along with them on their trip to New York City. I can see why Kristin says she likes to visit NYC. I want to go back again. There are so many things to see!

I can tell Kristin is very tired and I am starting to get very sleepy too. So I think I am going to head to bed now.

Until next time.....

Very Busy Day

Hi again. I've had another very busy day here in NYC. But Kristin has had an even busier day (I will explain shortly).

This morning I got to sleep in because Kristin and Amy's meeting was pushed back until noon. It was nice to get some extra sleep.

Before the meeting, we had breakfast at the restaurant connected to the hotel. Then we got into a big yellow cab and rode "downtown" for Kristin and Amy's meeting. I LOVE riding in the big yellow cabs. The drivers all speed really fast when the stoplight turns green and then they stop just as fast when the light turns red. It's like riding a rollercoaster at the fair! I'm not so sure Amy and Kristin like the rough ride I sure do!

It turns out that Kristin and Amy's meeting was at a photography agency called "VII". It sounds like the number "7" but it is spelled VII. Do you know why it is spelled this way? Kristin says that's because the V and the I are Roman numerals. Do you know what Roman numerals are? See if you can learn more about them.

Kristin says some of the best photographers in the entire world work for this agency. She also says the foundation has hired the agency to take pictures of many different countries in the Middle East. Kristin and Amy are the "team leaders" for this project. I think that means they are in charge.

VII sent four photographers to many different places in the Middle East including Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and even one place I have visited: the United Arab Emirates. See if you can find all of these countries on the map.

So for three hours Kristin and Amy viewed many, many pictures on a computer. All of them were very interesting and I even recognized some of the pictures of Dubai. Kristin says she and Amy are working to select the "best" of the pictures. They all look great so I think selecting "the best"is going to be a very hard job.

After looking at SO many photos, I decided not to ask Kristin to take my picture at VII. I think she needed a break.

Plus, I haven't told you why Kristin was so busy today. Just before we left the hotel, Kristin's friend Simon called her cell phone and I could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong. She did NOT look happy. I'm not sure I understand exactly what happened but Kristin says some of the audio in the radio program we mixed in Los Angeles had to be changed FAST. Kristin spent most of the cab ride on the phone with so many different people that I lost track.

But after lots of calls and messages with Simon, Keith and her friend Rima, Kristin says the team was able to "fix" the problem. Whew! For awhile I was worried that I was going to be headed back to Los Angeles! I like LA but I am starting to understand that traveling...or "being on the road" as Kristin calls it is very tiring.

After Kristin solved the problem with the radio show, she and Amy took me to a place in NYC that I haven't visited before. It is a place called Rockefeller Center. Kristin says this is a very famous part of the city. The main headquarters of NBC is located in Rockefeller Center. Here you can see me with Kristin standing across the street from the "Today Show" studio.


No one was in the studio at the time but it was still neat to see.

Then Kristin showed me something very cool...and I mean COOL! Guess what? There is an outside ice skating rink in Rockefeller Center! Kristin says many people skate there. We didn't have time to skate today but you can see the ice rink behind me and Kristin in this photo.


Then Kristin took me to a very special place. It is the spot where a HUGE Christmas tree is placed every year. Kristin says it is a special part of New York City's holiday celebration. And she says the tree is WAY taller than any Christmas tree I have ever seen.

Of course there wasn't a tree there today but there is a special plaque that marks the spot where the tree is placed. Here you can see me on the "official" tree spot. Now I want to come here at Christmas time to see the tree. Kristin says she has seen the tree on some of her trips here. I am SO jealous.


After our visit to Rockefeller Center, Kristin and Amy had dinner near Times Square before we walked home. Man, we sure have to walk a lot here. I am glad Kristin told me to wear my "walking shoes".

That's all for now. I'm headed back to Iowa tomorrow.

Until next time.

Greetings Again from The Big Apple!

Hi everyone! Greetings again from New York City.

Today I am here with Kristin and her friend Amy. Amy is the production manager and creative director for the Stanley Foundation. Amy is very nice.

Amy and her staff help Kristin and Keith create the CD folders and other printed items for their radio program. Remember me standing with the Security Check and 24/7 CD folders at Rima's house in Los Angeles? Amy and her staff created those.

Kristin picked up Amy before 7am this morning and we drove to Moline to catch a flight to Chicago. Boy...I have been to O'Hare airport so many times with Kristin that I think I could find my way around without any help now!

We had to wait a bit before boarding our next flight to New York. Here you can see me helping Amy work on her laptop while we wait for our New York flight.

I am SO excited to be back here in NYC. We are staying at a different hotel this time, the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square. It isn't far from the last hotel I stayed at here in New York and it is one block away from central Times Square. So cool!


Here's the view of the New York skyline from Kristin's room.



Tonight, Kristin and Amy had some spare time so they decided to walk to a place called Macy's. Kristin says it is a very famous department store here in NYC. The store we visited today is the original Macy's location and Kristin says at one time it was one of the largest department stores in the world!

I normally don't like shopping....that's something for girls to do. But, as we got closer I thought I recognized the store. Kristin says I may have seen it on TV. Kristin says Macy's sponsors a HUGE parade on Thanksgiving day and the store is in the background. The parade doesn't have floats like the Great River Days parade in Muscatine. Instead it has GIGANTIC balloons of cartoon characters. I think I have actually seen this on TV but I am definitely going to look for the parade next Thanksgiving day.

Kristin and Amy walked through the store looking at "girl" things like purses, shoes, jewelry, and make-up. But then we took an escalator to the basement. Guess what? The escalators are made out of wood! I have never seen wooden escalators before. Kristin says they are some of the original store escalators. I had no idea!

The basement...or "cellar" as it is called at Macy's had a replica of the Statue of Liberty. Remember on my last trip here that Kristin bought me a Geoffrey from Toys R' Us dressed like the Statue of Liberty? Well, here's a model of the real thing. Can you see me in this photo? (Hint...I am near the tablet).

Kristin said I had to have something from Macy's so she bought me a "Macy's" bear dressed like the Statue of Liberty. I think this is great. It will look very neat next to my Statue of Liberty Geoffrey that I got last time I was here. Kristin also bought me a small stuffed yellow cab. I am SO excited about this. I really like riding in the yellow cabs and now I have something to remind me of them after we leave New York.

It was dark when we left Macy's and started walking back toward Times Square. As soon as we walked outside I noticed a VERY tall building off in the distance. The top was colored with cool yellow lights. The yellow reminds me of the yellow cabs we driving all around NYC. Do you recognize this building?


Kristin says this is the Empire State Building. Wow...it is REALLY tall and very cool at night. Then Kristin reminded me that I actually "climbed" the lego replica of the same building at Toys R' Us the last time I was here. Someday I think I want to visit the top of the Empire State Building. Kristin says she has been to the top observation deck and she tells me it is pretty neat.

Amy and Kristin stopped for dinner and then we walked through Times Square. I really like walking through Times Square at night. The lights are so cool and exciting. I always seem to spot something new every time I am in Times Square.

Our big night out must have made me very tired because I fell asleep on the way back to the hotel. So, Kristin kindly tucked me into bed with my new bear and cab.


I know Kristin and Amy have lots of work to do tomorrow but I'm still not sure what. I guess I will learn more about that tomorrow.

Until next time....

Home Again....But Keeping My "Bags" Packed!

Hi everyone....

Just a brief note to let you know I made it home safely from California late tonight. Kristin's husband picked us up at the airport in Moline. Our trip to Muscatine was MUCH better than when he drove us to the airport a few weeks ago.

Kristin got "lucky" again and was awarded another upgrade on our flight from Los Angeles to Chicago. I was really glad when she got her ticket today. We flew on a very big plane and her upgraded seat was in business class. It was very nice. Kristin says the plane we were on today is much newer than the plane where she had the first class seat. I could tell. Her seat today was even softer. Plus, Kristin even had her own TV screen. But, she didn't watch TV. I can tell she is very tired and I know she slept most of the flight.

I am also very tired. Making a radio program is hard work!

I want to thank Kristin (and Eugene for his safe driving). I also want to thank Kristin's friend Rima and her dog Willa for being so nice to me during my trip.

Oh....I almost forgot. Even though the radio program is now complete, Kristin still has several trips planned in the coming weeks. And she says I am welcome to tag along if I want to. How can I say no to that?

So....guess what? I'm headed back to the Big Apple! Kristin is flying to New York City on Wednesday to work on a different project. This one doesn't involve radio so I can't wait to see what other projects she gets to work on.

Until next time....

The Radio Program is Done!

Hi all...just a brief note to let you know the radio program is complete! This is great news. I can tell that Kristin is very happy.

Kristin and Rima finished the program at 2:30 this afternoon LA time. Here you can see me with the "master CD" as Kristin calls it...in one of Rima's red wagons.


The "master copy is the first CD of the entire program. This is the same CD that Kristin will send to a place that will make many more copies. I think it is really cool that I am one of the first people to hear the full radio program. I don't understand all of the issues but it sounds very, very good. And, I can honestly say I was with Kristin and Keith through the entire process of making a radio program.

Kristin and I celebrated tonight with a trip to the hotel pool. It was really neat because we were the only people in the pool area and thus, we had the entire place to ourselves.



All of the swimming made me very tired so Kristin told me I could go to bed when I wanted. She is staying up late to pack for our trip back to Iowa. As long as the weather is good I will be back in Iowa on Saturday night.

That's all for now...I can barely keep my eyes open.

Until next time....

Update from LA

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to send you a short note to say that all is well here in LA. Kristin is still very busy with Rima trying to finish the radio program. So I have been free to play with Ted, Oscar, and Willa during the day. It is still cool here but the sun has been out during the day so I have been able to play outside.

I'm not sure exactly what's happening with the radio program but I do know that Kristin has been on the phone with Keith and her friend Simon in Washington many, many times in the past few days. Kristin says this is normal and I shouldn't worry.

I had no idea but Kristin tells me the radio program MUST be a very specific time....or "on time" as she calls it. She says this is like being on time for school everyday. If the program is over time...or late...it will cause many problems. I know I don't want to be late for school or I will be in trouble so I don't want Kristin's program to be late too!

On Tuesday afternoon Kristin looked very happy and did a small, but strange dance at Rima's house. She calls it her "happy dance." She told me that she, Rima, Keith and Simon had finally gotten the program script "trimmed" to the correct time. I think this must be similar to making sure I cut along the lines when I am making a craft project.

Kristin says this is very good but she and Rima still have a great deal of work to do. Today they spent part of the day "polishing" parts of the program. To me, polish is something you put on a car to make it shiny. I was curious so I asked Kristin, "how do you polish a radio program?"

Kristin says what she and Rima are doing is similar to polishing a car. They are making sure the radio program is perfect....like a shiny new car. Kristin says it will be Friday before she and Rima finish the program.

Man...it REALLY takes a lot to make a good radio program.

I am really enjoying LA but Kristin told me she feels bad that she hasn't been able to spend more time with me. I keep telling her not to worry. But, tonight she gave me a new present. I guess when I wasn't looking at the airport in Chicago, Kristin bought me an entire set of metal planes, cars and other airport items.


This means I can now create my own airport and pretend like I am working just like the people I see working at real airports. This is SO cool!

I have decided that I am going to play "airport" here at the hotel at night while Kristin works on her computer. I will continue bring Ted and Oscar with me during the day when I play with Willa.

That's all for now. Until next time...

My Trip To The Beach

Hi everyone. I am SO glad I get to go on these trips with Kristin. She always shows me new and cool things.

Today Kristin had lunch with Rima and Rima's husband, Norb. Rima said the restaurant was near the Pacific Ocean and she said she would take us there if we wanted to see it. Of course I said YES!

We walked just a few blocks and suddenly we were walking on a sandy beach along the ocean. The sand is very thick and Kristin said it is a bit hard to walk on with shoes on. Rima took her shoes off but Kristin had on a pair of boots and decided it was OK to keep them on.

The beach is SO COOL! It smells like nothing I have ever smelled before. Kristin says the smell is a combination of the sand and the salt in the ocean. Kristin says the Pacific Ocean is a saltwater ocean. I had no idea!

It was VERY windy today and quite cold for this time of year in California but there were many people playing sand volleyball on the beach. Others were walking along a trail.

Norb took this picture of me with Kristin and Rima. You can see the ocean behind me.

Can you tell it was really windy? Look at how funny Kristin's hair looks!

Kristin said it was way too cold to actually play in the water but she did let me play in the sand. I noticed while playing in the sand that there were lots of little pieces of shells. Here you can see me looking for shells in the sand.


Most of the shells I saw were broken but I found a small one and Rima found a few more for me. Kristin said I could keep them so she is storing them in a safe place for me.

I am so glad I got to see the ocean. I had never visited an ocean before today. Did you know there is more than one ocean in the world? See if you can look up the names of the other oceans.

Until next time....

Hollywood...Here I Come!

Hi everyone. I had a very exciting time with Kristin today.

Since it is the weekend, Kristin says we have a few spare hours to explore LA. So today she took me to Hollywood Boulevard. Can you see the street sign behind me in this picture?

I've heard of Hollywood. Kristin says that's because Hollywood is where movies were made many years ago (long before I was born). I guess they still make movies here in the LA area but not as many as they used to.

Anyway...Hollywood Boulevard is the center of activity in Hollywood. It is really cool. All along the sidewalk on both sides of the street there are tons of reddish starts with the names of very famous people on them. This is known as the Walk of Fame. It is really cool!

I saw the stars of many people I recognize and many more that I don't. It is very busy on the sidewalk. Lots of people were crowding around the stars but Kristin was able to get my photo with a few of the stars of famous people or cartoon characters.

Mickey Mouse


Kermit the Frog


Big Bird


Donald Duck


The Simpsons


And Kristin's favorite....Bugs Bunny!


We also walked past the famous Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre. Guess what? The Oscars award ceremony Kristin and I watched on TV last weekend took place and the Kodak Theatre. How cool is that?! This is the Kodak Theatre.


And this is me near the entrance of the Chinese Theatre.


Kristin says it could take us days to look at all of the stars on Hollywood Boulevard so we just walked a few blocks. Then we stopped at a store and Kristin bought me a stuffed black bear with the word "Hollywood" stitched on it and a map of the area so I can learn even more about Hollywood.

I don't need any help naming my new bear. I have decided to call him Oscar. I think that is a good name since he came from the home of the Oscars...Hollywood!

After we left Hollywood Kristin said we had to stop at a beauty salon. I wasn't so sure I wanted to sit and watch Kristin get her hair fixed. Kristin must have seen the look on my face because she immediately told me not to worry. We were just stopping to buy a special hair product at a place called Jonathan. Kristin told me Jonathan is a very famous TV personality and he fixes hair for movie and TV stars! I guess he has his own TV show on a channel called Bravo. I've never seen it but Kristin says she has. He owns two "salons"...or hair shops here in the LA area.

We didn't see Jonathan at the salon we visited but Kristin bought two jars of something called "dirt." I thought this was really cool. I had no idea Kristin liked to play with dirt!

But it turns out the dirt she bought is white and smells like something a girl would wear! It is NOT the dirt I like to play in outside. Instead it is something she puts in her hair. Yuck!

We got very lucky when we arrived near Jonathan's salon. There was a parking spot right across the street. It had a really cool parking meter. It didn't look anything like the ones we have in Muscatine. It was electronic. I must tell Aunt Lynn about this! Plus, it cost 25-cents for 15 minutes! That is WAY more than it costs in Muscatine.

By the way....I'm not sure I have mentioned that the traffic here is really bad. Kristin calls it "crazy" and says it reminds her of driving in Houston, Texas. I've never been to Houston but I do know that it takes a very long time to get anywhere here! Everywhere Kristin drives there seems to be a long line of cars on both sides of the road. I can tell the traffic bothers Kristin. I asked her why. She told me she had never driven in Los Angeles before this trip. Kristin says she learned how to drive in Houston and has driven in other big cities before but she doesn't like to drive in places she doesn't know.

Well I must tell you that Kristin has done a great job of driving. Rima let her borrow a big map of Los Angeles. The map is actually a book that is thicker than the Muscatine phone book. Between the map and the maps Kristin looks at on the computer, Kristin says she hasn't made a single wrong turn. Whew! I am SO glad she is driving. At least I know we won't get lost.

Our big day out made me very tired. I fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel. So, Kristin tucked me into bed with Oscar.


Until next time!

Making a Radio Program

Hi everyone. All is well here in Los Angeles (or L-A) as everyone here seems to say.

After Kristin told me about the big award for the foundation's last radio program, I decided I needed to learn a bit more about how Kristin and Rima "mix" a radio program.

On Friday, Kristin helped me understand the process.

First, she and other journalists record sound in the field and interview many people. This is what she and Keith were doing on our trip to Doha and Dubai.

Second, Kristin and others on her team start working on a script. The script is the written version of the radio program. Remember the photo of me with Kristin and her friend David in New York City? That was when David was reading his parts of the script. Kristin and all of the other journalists working on the program also read their portions of the script.

Third, Kristin and the other journalists edit the actual audio that they gathered in the field so it matches the written script. Remember when I was in the foundation's studio in Muscatine a few weeks ago? Kristin was working on editing the script audio. There are many, many pieces of audio that make up a radio program. It is Kristin's job to listen to all of the pieces in Muscatine and then she sends them over the Web to Rima. Kristin also brings all of the pieces of audio...or "bites" with her on a back-up computer. I think this is very smart. That way if something doesn't work on Rima's computer then Kristin should be able to find the audio on her computer.

WOW! Are you confused? I'm not sure I understand all of these steps. But now I know making a radio program is NOT easy.

I was looking at the full show script yesterday and it is VERY long. She calls it the "master script." It is more than 25 pages! And the script Kristin is working with has many different colors and handwritten notes on it. Kristin says this is because sometimes she and Rima have to make changes to the script during the "mix." Kristin sends her notes to Keith and her friends Simon and David every night. THIS is why Kristin always seems to be working every night when we get back to the hotel! Here's what Kristin's "master script" looked like on Friday night. Pretty messy if you ask me!


Once Kristin has done all of the things she needs to do in Iowa, she flies to California to work with Rima. Rima helps Kristin put all of the audio pieces together on the computer in the correct order. Rima uses the same program Kristin does in Muscatine. It is called ProTools. Here you can see me with part of the radio program on Rima's computer.



Kristin says the various pieces of audio are placed onto "tracks." On the computer, each track is a different color. This helps Kristin and Rima stay organized but it sure looks very confusing to me! Kristin and Rima are using several tracks to mix the radio program. Kristin says tracks are like layers of a cake. Each track is separate just like each layer of a big cake is separated with frosting.

Each piece or bite of audio shows up as a rectangle on the tracks. The goal is to connect all of the rectangles together. I told Kristin I think this is like putting my Lego sets together. One piece fits into the next piece. Kristin agreed the mix is similar to building a Lego set.

By the end of the day on Friday, Kristin told me she and Rima had draft versions of roughly 40 minutes of the program. WOW! They must have worked really hard on Wednesday and Thursday while I was playing with Ted and Willa. Tuesday night they had only finished 4 minutes of the program.

When the entire program is done then Rima will put it onto a CD. Kristin then sends the CD to a company that makes many copies of the CD. I hope Kristin will let me have a copy of the final program.

So....that's what I can tell you about making a radio program. I think I am going to have to spend many years in school learning more about radio if I want to have a job like Rima and Kristin.

Oh...I almost forgot. I think I told you Rima helped Kristin with the program that just won the big award. Here you can see me with the CD folder for the winning program, Security Check.


And here you can see me with the "preview" CD folder for the program we are working on now: 24/7: The Rise and Influence of Arab Media.


Kristin says the preview is VERY short sample of the program that is mailed to radio stations so they can get a "taste" of what the final program will sound like. Is it just me or does it seem like that radio people must always be hungry? The words Kristin and Rima use are ones I hear in the kitchen: "bites", "mix", and "taste."

Well all of this is making me hungry so I think I will ask Kristin if we can head to dinner now.

Until next time....

BIG NEWS!

Hi everyone.

I wanted to send a quick note to let you know that all is OK. Kristin is still very busy at work. She spends all day at Rima's working on her radio program and then spends most of the evening working on e-mail. I'm glad I don't have to work so many hours!

I think her hard work is paying off. Kristin learned this week that the last radio program she and Keith worked on just won a VERY BIG award. Kristin says the program is called "Security Check: Confronting Today's Global Threats." So I don't get it wrong: here's what I know about the award. The radio show won best documentary and the overall grand award for radio in the National Headliners competition. That sounds really important, doesn't it? Kristin says this is better than getting TWO gold stars on homework!

You can see more about the awards at:
http://www.nationalheadlinerawards.com/

Kristin tells me she and Keith will travel to Atlantic City, New Jersey in May for a special awards program. I hope if I am really good on this trip that Kristin will take me take me with her to Atlantic City! Do you know what state Atlantic City is located in?

Kristin says she and Keith traveled to Uganda for that radio program. Kristin also visited Thailand for that radio program. See if you can find those countries on the map.

Kristin also says Rima helped her "mix" the winning radio program. I think I am going to have to spend less time playing with Willa and more time learning what Kristin and Rima are doing every day. Maybe I will learn how to make an award winning radio program.

I knew about the award on Monday but Kristin said I had to keep it a secret until today. I'm not sure why but I promised I wouldn't tell anyone until today. Man...it is REALLY hard to keep a secret that long!

I am still having fun with Ted and playing with Willa. Kristin hopes she will get to show me more of Los Angeles this weekend. I told her not to worry. She is busy and I am just happy to be in Los Angeles and seeing new places.

Until next time....

A Piece of Muscatine in California

Hi again.

Kristin is VERY busy working so I don't have much time on the computer tonight but I wanted to give you a brief update on my trip.

Today I discovered that Kristin's friend Rima doesn't actually live IN Los Angeles. She lives in a place called Culver City. It is next to Los Angeles on the map but Culver City is a separate city. I think this must be similar to the way Fruitland is next to Muscatine on the map.

Speaking of Muscatine, today we had lunch at a local restaurant called Coco's. Guess what? Kristin says the ketchup on our table was made in Muscatine! She says she can tell by the small black letters on cap of the bottle. How cool is that! We found something made in Muscatine right here in California!


I am starting to realize that it takes a great deal of patience to make...or "mix" a radio program. Even more patience than it takes to travel! This means Kristin doesn't get to spend much time with me. But that's OK because I have Ted and Willa to play with. Willa jumped and barked when we got to Rima's house today. I think Willa was excited to see me.

Today is was very sunny and about 60 degrees. So I played outside for part of the day because the weather is so nice.

Kristin says she and Rima finished a draft version of THREE more minutes of the show today. That's way more than yesterday. But if my math is correct, that means Kristin and Rima have 50 more minutes to complete. Whew....good thing I have some toys with me. I think Kristin is going to be very busy for the entire trip!

Until next time.....

My New Friends Rima and Willa

Hi everyone!

Today was my first full day in Los Angeles. I am here because Kristin is still working on her radio program.

Today, I learned that she is working on the last part of the show (MAN...it sure seems like Kristin and Keith have to spend a lot of time and work making a radio program!).

Kristin says the final step in making a radio program is something called "the mix." This is where all of the many pieces of audio recorded for the program are put together to make one program. Kristin says it is like making cookies. She has to put all of the ingredients into the computer, "mix" them, and then the computer will play the final radio program. I'm still not sure I understand all of this but I expect I will learn more about "the mix" during my visit here.

Kristin is in Los Angeles because her friend Rima helps her with the mix. Kristin says Rima is a genius. That means Rima is REALLY smart at making a good radio program. Rima is very nice.

Rima has equipment similar to the equipment in Kristin's studio at the Stanley Foundation. But Rima's studio is located in her house. How convenient! Rima owns a business is called "Red Wagon Audio." Thus, Rima has many red wagons in her house. She also likes trolls. So here I am in one of Rima's wagons with one of her trolls.


Rima also has a great big dog named Willa. Willa is very nice too! I think she must really like Kristin because Willa jumps and barks every time Kristin walks into Rima's house. Kristin packed a special container of dog treats before we left Iowa and now I know why. She was bringing them for Willa!

Here I am with Rima and Willa. Willa is a bit camera shy but I had great fun playing with her today. I know Kristin thought I would be bored while she worked all day but between Willa and Ted (my plane) I am very happy.


I noticed today when I wasn't playing with Willa and Ted that Rima and Kristin were listening to the same sounds OVER AND OVER again. On the way back to the hotel I asked Kristin why. She says this is normal. She says she and Rima will listen to the same bits of audio dozens of times to make sure it is in the right spot in the program and to make sure it sounds OK. I thought it all sounded just fine but Kristin and Rima said they could hear "clicks" and other noises that must be fixed or the program won't sound good. Wow...they must have really good ears!

Kristin says the final radio program will be around 54 minutes long. Guess what? Today they finished what Kristin calls a "draft" version of the FIRST MINUTE of the show. Kristin has sent the draft to Keith and her friends Simon and David to listen to. She says they may want changes before she and Rima can finish the first minute of the show.

The first minute is called "the billboard." And given how long it takes to make the first minute of the show....I wonder if we will end up here longer than two weeks! Good thing I have Willa and Ted to keep me busy.

Until next time.....

Greetings from Los Angeles!

I everyone. I am now in sunny Los Angeles, California. But I must tell you I had yet another adventure getting here!

The weather in Muscatine this morning was very bad. It was snowing, raining, and raining small ice pellets when we left Kristin's house at 6:30AM. Kristin's husband, Eugene, drove us to the airport in Moline. It was a VERY scary ride. Kristin's SUV was slipping and sliding all over the road at one point. Eugene told me it was the worst weather he has driven in in a long time.

But Eugene got us to the airport safely and on time! Thanks Eugene for getting us to the airport safely! Eugene even stopped to have breakfast with us before our plane left for Chicago.

We had a very long wait at the airport once we reached Chicago. Kristin was worried that I would be bored waiting for our flight to Los Angeles so she kindly bought me a stuffed version of a United Airlines plane. It is really cool! When you squeeze it, it makes the sound a plane does when it takes off. And it really sounds like that in real life!

So I played with my plane as we waited in the same business lounge we waited in with Keith when we went on our Doha trip. I have decided to name my plane Ted. I saw some planes today with the name "Ted" on them. Kristin says that Ted is part of United. So I think it is a perfect name for my new plane.

I also got to spend time watching airplanes land and take-off and the workers move luggage and cargo while waiting in the lounge. I LOVE watching the planes. When I grow up I think I might want to learn how to fly an airplane.

I was in for a big treat when I got on our flight for Los Angeles. Kristin's seat was in FIRST CLASS. Kristin says it is a special part of the plane that costs lots more money. But, she got her seat for FREE! Kristin's seat was much bigger and softer than the seats she normally sits in. Here you can see me in her big seat.



In First Class, we also got a hot lunch and they even baked warm cookies for us! Kristin and Keith have never gotten anything special like that when I've been on trips with them before. So I had to ask Kristin how she got her cool seat for free. It turns out that Kristin is a member of a special club for people who fly a lot (and she sure spends lots of time on airplanes). Kristin says she earns "miles" and "awards" every time she flies. She says this is similar to the allowance I earn every week for cleaning my room and doing chores. Kristin says she can "spend" her miles to upgrade her seat to First Class. She says she can't always do this because sometimes award seats are not available. I'm glad it was available today. I had a very nice time in First Class.

It was snowing and cold when we left Chicago but it is sunny and warm here in Los Angeles. Once we arrived at the airport, Kristin picked up her luggage and then we boarded a bus similar to the ones in Muscatine. It took us to a place called Budget Rental Cars. Normally when I arrive at an airport with Kristin, someone picks us up or we take a cab to the hotel. But Kristin says it is easier and cheaper to rent a car here since we will be here for two weeks.

As luck would have it...our hotel, Embassy Suites, is located right next to the rental car place. Our room is very nice. It has a separate living room and TWO televisions. It also has a microwave and a small refrigerator (although it is not filled with food and drinks like at the hotels in New York and Washington). Kristin says not to worry. She will take us to a grocery store when we are out tomorrow.

Throughout the day I kept hearing people talk about a guy named Oscar. I had NO idea who this Oscar person was but everywhere we were today, people were talking about him. Finally I asked Kristin, "Who is this Oscar person?" It turns out that "Oscar" is a major award for the movie industry. Kristin says the Oscar itself is like a trophy....like one I would win in sports. Except she says Oscar is worth a LOT of money.

Guess what? TONIGHT is Oscar night here in Los Angeles. That's because Kristin says the American movie industry is based here in the Los Angeles area. I had no idea! Now I know why everyone was talking about the Oscars.

Kristin says many movie stars are in Los Angeles tonight for the awards ceremony. She says they dress up in special suits and big formal dresses and they arrive at the ceremony by walking down a red carpet. I wanted to go see the red carpet but Kristin said there would be way too many people and she is tired. But, I did get to see the Oscars on TV tonight. And I think Kristin was right. It was just fine to watch the Oscars on TV.



Well that's all for now. I am really tired and I need to get to bed. Kristin says we have a lot of work to do beginning tomorrow.

So until next time....

My Next Big Adventure Is Sunny California!

Hi everyone. I am SO excited. My friend Kristin has asked me if I want to go with her on another trip. Of course I said YES right away! I always have great fun and learn interesting things when I travel with Kristin.

This time Kristin is going to Los Angeles, California to continue working on her radio project. See if you can find Los Angeles on the map.

Kristin says we are leaving early Sunday morning and we will fly from Moline to Chicago and then from Chicago to Los Angeles. We will be gone for TWO weeks! I guess I had better get packing!

I'll be in touch as soon as I can when I arrive in California.

Until next time....

Flat Stanley and My Trip to City Hall

Hi everyone!

I have just spent a very special day here in Muscatine. It started with a surprise visit from my friend Flat Stanley. Guess what? He is flat just like me!

Flat Stanley is visiting from Merritt Island, Florida. His Grandmother Lora is friends with my Aunt Lynn.

Flat Stanley tells me that sometimes his hometown gets hit by hurricanes. I’ve never experienced a hurricane before but Flat Stanley tells me they are very bad and very scary storms. He’s even had to leave his house to get out of the way of the storm. My friend Flat Stanley also lives near Cape Canaveral. Do you know that’s where the Space Shuttle launches from? I think it would be SO cool to live so close to where the Space Shuttle takes off, don’t you?

Aunt Lynn took me and my new friend to City Hall where she works to meet Muscatine Mayor Richard O’Brien. Aunt Lynn says Mayor O’Brien is VERY important. So it was a special treat that Flat Stanley and I got to sit in Mayor O’Brien’s big office chair.

Mayor O’Brien then invited us to a meeting of the Muscatine City Council. The council members are elected officials that make decisions about how to make the city of Muscatine run from day-to-day. I think you must have to be very smart to be the mayor or on the city council.

The council members were kind enough to have their picture taken with me and Flat Stanley. Mayor O’Brien is holding us in the center of this photo.


Aunt Lynn tells me that city council meetings can sometimes be very long. So I am glad that we had our picture taken just before the meeting started because Stanley and I were starting to get very sleepy from our big day at City Hall.

I want to thank Aunt Lynn for taking us to City Hall. And, I want to say special thanks to my new friend Flat Stanley. I hope he has enjoyed his trip to Muscatine.

Bye for now....