Good things come in FLAT packages!

Our regular followers have probably seen Flat Brutus. He first appeared last summer when Paul & I took a trip out west without the dogs. I wanted to keep blogging from the road, so I brought along a cut-out of Brutus so that my followers could keep track of where we went (OK, and maybe he made me miss the real Brutus a little less too...). Flat Brutus has already been to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, and Sequoia National Park just to name a few popular destinations (click here to see the first of my Flat Brutus posts). The idea was not only successful, but has even caught on - Mango and several of our other blogging friends also have flat versions that travel much easier than their real counterparts!

I'll bet many of you are scratching your heads wondering how I came up with such a bizarre idea. Truth be told, it is my permutation of a educational project used to help teach grade-school aged children about geography. The original idea came from the book "Flat Stanley" written by Jeff Brown:

Unlike Flat Brutus, who travels in my carry-on, Flat Stanleys make their way around in an envelope via the postal service. Recently we were lucky enough to host a Flat Stanley thanks to our blog buddies Oakley & Swisher.

Seems that Oak & Swish have a human cousin named Jazmine who is a 2nd grader in Fresno, California. Here's what she and teacher Mrs. Cords have to say about the Flat Stanley project their class is doing:

In this story a boy named Stanley is flattened by a bulletin board. He enjoys many adventures while he is flat, including being rolled up, flown like a kite, dropped down a drain to retrieve a ring and being mailed. Flat Stanley is sent in the mail to visit a friend in California like I am being sent to you. Please send a postcard from where you live explaining to my second grade class what I did when I visited you.

Flat Stanley hung out here for a while looking for things to do. He was a little unsure about meeting Brutus (note the nervous smile & wave),

...but was happy to find companionship - and a lot less drool - with Flat Brutus. Notice how much more relaxed Stanley looks here.

As requested, we sent a postcard to Jazmine telling about all the things Stanley saw in nearby Cleveland. As much as we have enjoyed our time with Flat Stanley, it's time for him to continue his travels.

He's safely packed in his envelope, ready for his journey to Texas to visit with our friend Dory. He's really glad that his next stop is in a warmer place!

So look out Dory & Bilbo, here comes Stanley! I can assure you he is an easy keeper, totally housebroken & will NOT try to steal your food or beg from your humans!