Gronk is on HIs Way Home from NYC

Hi Mrs. Klipfel! 

I wanted to send you a couple of pictures of me in New York City!
I've had soooooo much fun here and almost thought about staying here, but then I realized that I would miss my best friend in the whole world, Joseph!! So I am headed back to Topsfield right now!
Here are a couple of pictures of me riding in a yellow cab, and here I am in front of the United Nations!
The last picture is of me sitting in front of Ellen's friend's kitchen window.
They live on the 90th floor of Trump Tower
You can see the Empire State and Chrysler buildings behind me as well as many office and apartment buildings!

Can you believe all these buildings are built on one island?
I did go to see a Broadway musical, but I got kicked out because I didn't know that I wasn't allowed to jump on stage during the dance number! I thought everyone loves a dancing bear!!
And the pizza? I still like the pizza in Boston better!
And I almost got my shirt ripped off by a Giants fan but Ellen's dog, Sparky, who is also a big Patriots fan, bit the guy! HAHAHA. Don't worry, he didn't really bite him, he just growled and pretended he was going to bite him and the guy ran off.
Well as you can see, I've been having the best time but now I'm really excited to come home and just hang out with my buddy Joseph! 

See you soon!!

 Love, Gronk!

Brooke's Arrival in Hawaii

MS Vanilla Bean Is In Vermont

I am writing on behalf of Ms. Vanilla Bean, Abby's traveling bear, as Vanilla Bean has trouble typing.

Vanilla has been visiting with the Bradys of Vermont this week. And I've enclosed a few photos here. Vanilla visited the Vermont State House in Montpelier, Vermont. She had the chance to actually chair the House of Representatives (though no one was there!). And she and Abby's cousins went fishing one day on the Huntington River - which runs through the Green Mountains of Vermont. There's a great picture of her cousins heading to the river - and of a fish Vanilla Bean caught. Before leaving, she picked up some of Vermont's finest maple syrup.

I hope school vacation is going well. Vanilla Bean looks forward to getting home.


Sincerely,

Ted Brady
Williston, Vermont

Jesse Bear

Our back yard on Mousam River;
We live 2 1/2 miles from mouth of the river;
Today the 2 rivers are both mostly fishing and recreation.

Brick Store Museum – Schooner Lavinia Built 1883;

Write up about Schooner;

One of three dams on Mousam River – used to be manufacturing mills, now recreation

Kennebunk River

See Jesse amongst these “buoys”!  Each lobsterman knows his own buoys by the colors

Kennebunk River today – mostly fishing and recreation boating
 Lobster boat at dock

We stopped at a fishing shack and this nice man held Jesse close so he could check out a live wiggling lobster! Have you ever eaten lobster?  Delicious!

Another lobster boat at the wharf- the lobsterman told us the Ocean was too rough to go out this day

A close-up of Jesse playing hide and seek amongst some buoys! They will be dropped in the Ocean and attached to a float we call a “buoy”.

Do you see his “lobster traps on his boat, now you see Jesse sitting on a pile of traps cleaned, mended and ready to go out to sea. 

Jesse Bear

The summer compound of George & Barbara Bush. The whole of Walkers Point belongs to the family.
Their sons and daughter and families visit frequently between Memorial Day and Columbus Day.
The house in the background is theirs. The other houses are for their children & families.

In the foreground is Jesse and a plaque from the towns people to George H.W. Bush for his service to us and to our country.
The next photo is a close-up of that plaque.
Then Jesse is sitting on the anchor that goes with the plaque.
The next two photos are of our Atlantic Ocean coast – Rocky in one and sandy in the other with some surfers.

The last photo is Jesse at our library. He stopped to sit on this statue of a girl and a boy each reading a book.

 

Jesse Goes to Kennebunk, ME

Grandma Joan & Mel Uchenick   April 14 – 17^th

1. Kennebunk was first settled in 1621.  The town was first a trading center and later became a shipbuilding and shipping center with light manufacturing.  The original settlers prior to 1621 were the Abenaki Native Americans.  Today Kennebunk is mainly a tourist and fishing town with a population of about 12,000.  We have 5 beaches, hiking trails, fishing, restaurants, fun shops, & more.  We are the summer home of two expresidents:  George H. Bush and his son George W. Bush.  They have been a part of our community since they each were children.

2.  It is located half way between Portland, ME & Portsmouth, NH. - 1 hour NE of Topsfield, MA.  We are less than an hour south of Freeport, home of L.L. Bean.  We are on the SW coastal corner of ME.  It takes many hours to drive to our northern & eastern borders with Canada.  Jesse’s first stop was on the Pacific Ocean and this last stop is on the Atlantic Ocean.  We have 9 to 11 foot tides twice a day.  It is a great deal of fun to print a tide chart and go to the beaches at different tide times looking for shells, beach glass, stones or creatures.

3.  Weather:  Summer days after a cool morning usually get up in the 70’s. We often get 6-8 inch snow storms.  Winter is full of lots of snow & ice sports.  Our town has an ice rink downtown in winter. 

4. We have 2 rivers - the Kennebunk & the Mousam [mouse-um]. The town of Kennebunk is along the south side of the Kennebunk River. The town of Kennebunkport is along the north side of the Kennebunk River.  On the Kennebunk River in the early 1800’s many ocean sailing schooners were built. They sailed around the world transporting goods from here and bringing back other goods – such as lumber, cotton, fabrics.  We took Jesse to our Brick Store Museum to learn more.  We took his picture with the schooner Lavinia picture.  She was built in 1823.  She went down in a storm in 1891.  Schooners sailed by wind power as you know.  They were replaced when motors were invented.

Today the Kennebunk River is deep sea used mainly for recreational boats, tour boats, lobster and fishing boats.

The Mousam River, because it provided water power, resulted in the growth of light manufacturing.   There were factories making shoes, fiberboard suitcases, leather goods from animal hides, ropes [used for farming and fishing] - & many others.  Today those factories are gone because water power is no longer used and factories moved to the south. 

Today we enjoy the Mousam River for fly fishing, canoeing, kayaking.  Both of our rivers are tidal.  We live on the Mousam 2 ½ miles from the Ocean.  Half the time the water flows past us coming in from the Ocean. Then the tide turns and the river flows back out to the Ocean getting lower and lower.  This cycle occurs twice each day – about every 12 hours.

We have enjoyed sharing our area with Jesse.  Now we are returning him to you, Daniel, so you can share his travels with your fellow 4^th graders at Proctor!

Bridge over Kennebunk River connecting Kennebunk town to Kennebunkport

Clam Shack

Tourist Restaurant Dock Square – center of tourist shops

Fisherman and wife Stat