Goodbye to the best houseguest ever

Flat Stanley doesn't live here anymore. Today I folded him up, put him in an envelope, and sent him back to the 5th grade classroom from whence he came. Included in the envelope was a 12-page book I wrote telling his friends all about Flat Stanley's adventures in Northern California. The book included pictures and is much nicer than anything I've ever put together for Emily or Thomas.

While visiting us, Stanley:

• Danced with Matt Harding in Alamo Square Park.
  
  
• Visited San Francisco's oldest building, the Mission Dolores (built in 1776), and had a picnic lunch at Dolores Park.
  
  
• Drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and had his picture taken standing next to it.
  
  
• Went to a pumpkin patch, bounced in a bouncy house, and picked out pumpkins to take home.
  
  
• Checked out the art cars at the Art Car Festival and had his picture taken next to the art car that he liked the best.
  
  
• Went to all kinds of children's museums, including the Exploratorium, the best children's museum in San Francisco.
  
  
• Ate dinner every night with the family and discussed his day and his feelings.
  
  
• Went on an airplane ride in a 1972 Cessna.
  
  
• Visited Google Headquarters in Mountain View, checked out what computer programmers do for a living, and saw a replica of SpaceShipOne.
  

Stanley was seriously the best houseguest we've ever had; I almost forgot that he needed to go home. We were sad to see him go.

I hope we'll be able to teach his 5th grade friends some things about the geography and life in the Bay Area. Bye, Flat Stanley! We'll miss you!