Traveling Nora's Adventures

Checking in for 2009!

2009-01-08T13:54:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone!
As you all probably know, I am back home safely from my last round of adventures. It has been nice to stay at home and relax and hang out with the other girls for a while. We recently had a new girl join us, so I invited her to take a picture with me for this post. Meet Sonali!

I've been getting questions about when I'll be traveling again. The truth is, I'm not sure. My last round of travels was a long one, and as much as I love traveling, I missed home. Plus, so many Traveling Dolls got waylaid last summer, it made me a bit nervous. So for now, I'm going to put my travels off for a while. I am a Traveler at heart though, and I'm sure I'll be off again someday, to explore more new places and make new friends. Until then, thanks and take care!

--Nora

Time to Say Goodbye

2008-06-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Thursday June 19: Goodbye RI!

It's time to leave and go home now. I had a really fun trip and made some nice new friends. I'll miss Susanna and I know she will miss me. Goodbye Rhode Island! Next stop: home!

Magic Time Travel Adventure

2008-06-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

Tuesday June 17: One Last Time Travel Adventure

Today Kirsten hosted a Midsummer picnic. Midsummer is when the days are longest and there's no night. It's also a magic time when girls from all different times can come together and play.

Everyone brought something to the party. Molly and I brought fresh picked strawberries from her Victory Garden.

We had lots of food and good friends....

I really like these cookies Samantha's Mrs. Hawkins made.

It was so much fun to see all those girls! It was the best party ever!

Go Red Sox!

2008-06-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Later...

I helped my host's Dad cheer on the Boston Red Sox. I cheered and waved my banner, but they still lost. I can't believe it!

Fashion Show

2008-06-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Monday June 16

It was rainy and cold today and I decided to have a fashion show.

Another time travel adventure

2008-06-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

1944

I went to visit Molly in 1944. She wanted to go roller skating but she only has one pair of skates. She said we could share and each take one skate. I was scared I would fall over, but Molly helped me learn to skate on one skate. We had lots of fun!

A mini adventure

2008-06-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Friday June 13th

My host took me to the center of the city where she lives. I stopped at the post office to mail some postcards.
Then I went to City Hall and posed with a statue of a Civil War soldier.

Then we went to the library. The old part of the library was built in 1938.

They are having a summer reading program called "Catch the Reading Bug!" The bug on the poster is reading a book called "Harry Swatter and the Order of the Flies."

I met a nice librarian who collects Raggedies. She liked hearing all about my travels and said it was an honor to have me visit their library. She also said I was beautiful!

Sightseeing adventure

2008-06-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday June 12

Today I finally got to go sightseeing. I went to downtown Providence. I learned about the history of the Providence river. Providence was founded in 1636 on two rivers and the river basin was just a cove until the 19th century when the land was filled in more and more. The cove was all filled in by the end of the 19th century when railroads replaced shipping as the main industry.

I stood on a spot that was underwater for 4 centuries!

Now it is a pretty park with cobblestone walks, Venetian style bridges, a stone amphitheater and summer parties with fires on the water, music, dancing and entertainments.

Next we went on a tour of the Statehouse. It was built between 1895-1904 of white marble. The dome is the 4th largest unsupported dome in the world. On top is the Independent Man statue. It is made from gold-covered bronze and stands 313 feet above sea level. The Independent Man is a symbol of the independent spirit and freedom which led exiled minister Roger Williams to settle in Rhode Island and create a place for freedom of worship.

I stood in front of a brass replica of the State Seal. It is embedded in the marble floor. An achor is shown in the middle of the seal and is a symbol of hope. Above the anchor is the word "hope". The motto comes from a famous quote from the state founder, Roger Williams. The anchor is also used because Rhode Island is the Ocean State.
Inside the Statehouse, I saw a replica of the Liberty Bell, some big guns used in the Civil War, statues of famous Rhode Island people and even got to peer inside the Senate Chamber.
You can take a virtual tour of the Statehouse here http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/statehousetour/index.htm

Time Travel Adventures Part 3

2008-06-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

1904

Guess who I met today? I made a new friend named Samantha. She invited me and Susanna to visit her at her summer resort in the mountains. We couldn't decide what to do today.

Samantha wanted to go swimming, Susanna wanted to so for a boat ride and I wished we could have a lawn party and play croquet. No one liked my suggestion. They said it was too hot. I came up with a much better idea...
After I changed into a more comfortable dress, we sat on Samantha's bed and read The Wizard of Oz. Some parts were scary but I thought it was a great story! I had a wonderful day at Piney Point!

Time Travel Adventures part 2

2008-06-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

1854

Today I visited Kirsten in 1854. It was her birthday and Susanna and I threw her a surprise party.We had strawberries and fresh cream to eat. It is a tasty summertime treat. I poured the cream on the berries.
We also had cookies, cake, cinnamon buns, scones and whipped cream. Delicious!

This is such a fun party! I love making new friends.

Time Travel Adventures part 1

2008-06-09T17:50:00.001-07:00

1774

Yesterday was too hot to go outside, so I decided to time travel and visit Felicity in 1774.

I think I look very pretty in my colonial dress.

It was Felicity's best friend Elizabeth's birthday and we had a tea party for her with her dolls. I borrowed a rag doll, Patsy, from Felicity. Even our dolls got to have tea.

I had a really fun time at the party!
You can see more pictures and read the full story in my Kodak album.

Hot summer fun in Rhode Island

2008-06-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

To Downcity and an Open Air Market

My host says there's an old saying in New England: "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it'll change." As cold and wet as my first day was, my second was just as HOT and sunny! The thermometer read 100 degrees in the sun. Wow! Since the bus was free, my host took me out on an adventure. We went to downcity Providence and visited an open air market. It's a community arts and crafts fair where people sell their home made items.

I wanted to buy this cool hat but it was too big.

I want to grow an herb garden.

After the market, we went to the huge mall to cool off. We took a skybridge from a hotel to the mall and I could see a whole lot of the city from there. Providence is the capital and largest city in Rhode Island. It is a mix of old (it was founded in the 1630s!) and new.

You can see more of my adventures in my photo album .

I'm in Rhode Island now!

2008-06-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Rhode Island!

I arrived on June 6th and I made two new friends right away. Their names are Susanna and Coconut.

It was too cold and wet to go outside so we sat on Susanna's bed and played zoo.

Looking Beautiful!

2008-05-31T09:01:00.001-07:00

Sadly, I haven't been able to go to any interesting places yet. The price of gas is just so expensive. :-( Today, I was able to go outside for a brief photo shoot. I wore the most beautiful black and white dress ever. Here are the pictures...

Finally Arrived in East Virginia!

2008-05-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

I traveled in East Virginia today after traveling across the state from Northern Virginia. It wasn't a very long trip compared to the other ones that I have been on. Here is a picture of me with everyone at my host's house...

Here is the link to the album of my arrival...http://picasaweb.google.com/E.Kaitlin/NoraSHere

American Girls Go Green!

2008-04-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

Lindsey and Emerson would like to interrupt Traveling Nora's blog to bring you a little Earth Day message...

One day, Lindsey found Emerson surfing the web. "Hey, Emerson!" said Lindsey. Emerson looked up from the computer. "Hi, Lindsey. Happy Earth Day!" Lindsey looked puzzled. "Earth Day?" she asked, "What's that?" "Well," Emerson began, "its a day to celebrate the things we can do to care for our planet."
"Care for the Earth you mean? Why? How?" "That's pretty complicated", sighed Emerson. "Take this website, wecansolveit.org. It exaplains all about global warming: how the weather is changing, and there are food shortages, too much water some places and not enough others, and..."
"Global WARMING?" exclaimed Lindsey, "That sounds terrible! What about our vinyl? We'll get all melty!"
"Lindsey, it's not like that, it's just..."
"I don't care, just tell me what we can do to solve it."
"Well now you're talking! Let's start with food..."

"The biggest thing we can do to help the earth through our food is to EAT LOCAL." Check out local farmer's markets or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs where you live. Eating local food supports local farmers that are more likely to use sustainable growing practices, and cuts down on fuel used in production and transportation. It's often healthier for you too. " "That's great," said Lindsey, "but what if you can't find a local grower?" Emerson smiled. "Why not grow it yourself? Even up north here we are already seeing things like spinach and sorrel coming up. Here, try some!" "Yum!" Lindsey loved the taste of the fresh sorrel--much better than grocery store salad greens! "What about people who don't have a lot of room to grow things though? Maybe not even a backyard they can dig in?" "Well it doesn't take too much space, Lindsey. Raised beds are a great option--just set down a frame, fill it up with dirt and compost, and a little space like this can provide 50 pounds of vegetables quite easily!" "Cool," said Lindsey "uh, did you say compost? What's that?" "Compost is a great way to reduce waste while creating a natural fertilizer for your gardens. You can put all kinds of things into a compost bin: vegetable peelings, fruit cores, and other food waste, lawn clippings and raked up leaves, and all of that "waste" becomes a great resource!"

Lindsey was impressed. She and Emerson began walking towards the front yard. Then Lindsey stopped. "Doesn't all of that gardening take a lot of water? I thought water was a bit "earthy" issue too." "It doesn't take too much, but there are things you can do to make it take even less. Using rain barrels is a great way to catch the water that would otherwise run off --often taking icky chemicals with it and polluting lakes, streams and rivers. Plus, it gives you nice soft water for your garden!" "I love this," said Lindsey. "What else can we do with water?" "Simple stuff," said Emerson. "Turn off the water while you brush your teeth, install low-flow shower heads, eat less meat--it takes way more water (and fuel and other stuff) to "grow" cattle than it does to grow veggies... Hey look at this cool car! Speaking of reducing fuel usage: people can take public transportation, ride their bikes or walk, or even buy a hybrid electric car to get around! This car gets 60 miles to the gallon, sometimes more, and saves a lot of money on gas besides conserving resources."
"All that is great Emerson, but what about the kids whose parents don't want to do all of this gardening stuff, or rain barrels or buy hybrid cars..." "Well every little bit counts.", Emerson insisted." Kids can make sure that their family recycles wherever possible. They can re-use packaging materials to send out their AG goodies, re-use boxes to store all of our cool accessories, and when they wear out, throw them in the recycling bin. Then it will get remade into new stuff!" "Now you're talking!" said Lindsey. "What else?" "How about buying second-hand clothing? There's tons of cool vintage and retro stuff out there. A little searching and you can come up with awesome outfits without paying a fortune for brand new clothes that are burning up resources. And when they bring those cool clothes home? Use a reusable bag! It's gross how many plastic bags are clogging landfills and harming wildlife, not to mention using up petroleum. Ew! Reusable bags can be super cute too, so everybody wins. And kids can always ask their parents to check out that website I was on earlier, to find out even more things that they can do."
"Well I'm glad that I learned all of this stuff about being 'green'", said Lindsey. "I would hate for us to melt away in global warming." "Er, yeah...me too. Hungry? We've got some fresh organic salad greens from the farm around the corner!" "Yeah, let's eat!"

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Nora in NY!

2008-03-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have a lot to share from my Visit to New York!!

It all started when I arrived just in time for Valentine's day! Kit was the first to give me a cute valentine she made all by herself! We became great friends right away!

Samantha and Nellie also had a special Valentine they made for me...

Group Huuuuug!

Then, Kerri showed me something AMAZING! Build-a-bear made had a special raffle for valentine's day, and look who won the associate prize!!

That's one BIIIIG Box! Kit and Miss Woofles the Valentine's day puppy comes to investigate!!

Oh My! A Big Mama Woofles! So big i can ride on her! Kerri's Mama just laughed and asked where this giant doggie would fit in Kerri's little room! I think she's so cute, though!! Her ears and big and floppy and she's so soft! It would be nice to sleep on her! Hehe.

___________________________________________________

Today we went on an adventure to a mall that's kind of far away! It's a really pretty mall, though, and i got to watch all the BIG Koi in the pond that's right smack in the middle of the mall!
Some of the fishies were bigger than me! There were a lot of kids around, but i made sure to stay away from them, they were splashing. xP

We also went into the Borders and checked out the American Girl books. I read a book about Mia while Kerri picked up some new Manga.

Stay tuned! There is more to come about my visit to NY! :)

Traveling Nora Returns Home

2007-12-02T07:57:00.000-08:00

Emerson, Lindsey and Jess were awaiting Nora's return. Jess pointed out Nora's map in the hallway as she explained Nora's travels.Just look at all of the places Nora went! She traveled to Florida, then to Tennesee, through Georgia and back to Florida, then all the way up to Pennsylvania! After that it was waaay over to Utah, to Colorado, and now she's coming back to Wisconsin! Hey, do you hear barking?

It's Traveling Nora and Earhart! "Hey, guys! I'm home! Just wait until you hear all about my adventures."

"First, allow me to introduce myself!" says Lindsey. "I'm Lindsey, and I joined the girls just a few weeks ago. I came from a great home but I'm happy to join your crew." Nora welcomes Lindsey.
Jess explains: "We've been following along with your travels on your blog, and with this cool bulletin board. Sprout's Mom is still trying to choose photos from your Utah and Colorado travels. It always takes her a long time to pick from all of the great ones your hosts took."

"Well let me show you some of my treasures, then." says Nora. "Look at this great notebook my Florida host made for me. Isn't it beautiful? This doll is from Utah! There's a spoon doll from Pennsylvania but I heard Sprout's Mom grumbling something about having to sew... Anyway, there's Pittsburgh Steeler goodies, this great little backpack... and so much more! All of my hosts sent things like postcards, brochures, and lots of great information about the places I visited! Bird is going to have a great time looking through all of it."

"Check out how my hosts tricked out my traveling box! Isn't it the coolest? I just love how it makes me look like a bonafide jetsetter." *yawn* Lindsey can tell Nora is tired. "Let's get you into bed, Nora." Nora noods sleepily and goes off to change into her pajamas.
"There's just one more thing before we go to bed," says Nora, "I have to say a big 'Thank You!' to all of my wonderful hosts! They were so great to show me so much of their states, and to help Bird not miss me too much, and really learn about all of the places I visited. Thank you all so much."

Good Night Nora! The Sprout and Bird family thanks all of your hosts too. Traveling Nora will be off on her travels again in 2008--and this time, she's going global! Stay tuned, and have a wonderful holiday season!

Nora holiday farewell party

2007-11-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

The night before I left Colorado a few of the girls invited me to party to kick of the Holiday seasons. One think that I quickly notice is the girls around here like to dress up and only where pants when it’s really cold out side. Good thing they have lots of extra dresses and don’t mind sharing. After Nicki, Marisol, Lottie, Jess, Lani and my self got ready it was time to have fun.

We had lots of goodies, Hot Cocoa, Candy canes and truffle. The perfect treats for the Holidays.

Next as all the girls gather around I received gift I wonder what could be inside. Its time to see.

It’s an outfit just for me and it’s a skirt outfit what a surprise. I can’t wait to wear it and it even came with purple and pink strip socks. The girls told me there are also shoes to go with it but were backed order and they will ship then out when they arrived. Now I’m getting sleepy but excited tomorrow I’m leaving and heading home. I hope Mommy is ready for me. I wonder what will be my next adventure?

Nora in Georgetown

2007-11-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

What a treat today was, Emily, Samantha, Nellie and me headed up into the Mountains. I'm still trying to Figure out how we stayed warmed when walking out side with temperature in the teens and snow. We took a trip to the Historical town of Georgetown. Once a Victorian mining town settled by the Swedish now just a quiet town full of adventure. First stop was main street where we came across a park and found a sign to take a picture with.

The park we found was the John Denver Memorial Park by the way Mommy who is John Denver? While we standing waiting for picture to be taken a nice lady came up and was talking to us and said to us I saw the American Girl doll on Oprah this week. A little later when we went into one of the shops we ran into the lady again started to talk more about American girl then the store keeper said she has a Kirsten doll that she is getting ready to put into her store window dressed in her St. Lucia Outfit.

We got told to stop by the The Hamill House its an old Victorian home that has been restored it was closed to go inside the house but we got lots of pictures of the outside. I found an gate to climb on.

After we left Georgetown we stopped outside of Idaho Springs so we could run around for awhile. Not only did Emily let me ride her sled we also made snow angles. I'm going to missing Colorado and all the other places I've seen. I've been told tomorrow I'll be heading home but tonight its off to an Holiday party I go.

Fort Vasquez

2007-11-19T21:59:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend Lexi and me went to Fort Vasquez it was built in 1835 as a trading post for fur trading. It was abandoned in 1842 talk about short lived. Here I am with a buffalo its hard to imagine but they used to roam the land here.

The fort served as a trading post not only to the white man but to the Indians ( native American ) who rule much of land that is now Colorado. Here Lexi and me are exploring an teepee.

After the fort was abandoned it in 1842 it came into disrepair but during the great
Depression came the new deal and the exterior walls where rebuilt no interior were rebuilt but there is brick a outline of where they would have been. Here Lexi and me are sitting where the living area was.

Here I am in a window boy did they make them small.

Here is a picture of what the fort looks likes from the outside.

Tea with Mattie and Nicki

2007-11-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful surprise I was invited to have Tea with Mattie and Nicki today. Mattie could be my long lost twin and Nicki could also pass off as my twin. First thing was to change into a frilly dress perfect for tea. Mattie let me borrow one of her dresses. After our hair was fixed up off to our tea party we went. Mommy can you guess which one is me?

What wonderful goodies we had Peppermint tea, Strawberry shortcakes and chocolate cupcakes. It was fun acting so lady like for the afternoon. I can’t believe Samantha would have tea every afternoon and had to lady like daily. I’m so happy to be a girl of today.

Pouring hot tea so it does not spill is harder then it looks. Eating dainty bits of our treats was even harder. We only spilled a little of tea. I had a lot of fun at my tea party, Its good to be proper lady for bit but now back to being a girl and running around.

2007-11-11T15:06:00.001-08:00

Down to the Springs I went it’s what the locals call Colorado Springs. My host mom and grandma took Marisol and myself to the Air Force Academy. It was a quiet day down at the Academy no planes flying around but there was still plenty of things to see.

After we got on base we first headed up to Cadet Chapel it was closed so we could not go in but still got a few picture of it.

Out side the Cadet Chapel was a courtyard full of statues mostly of planes of Air Force also were statues of important people. Marisol and I got to run and play around the courtyard it’s so nice when you’re the only ones there.

Up at the visitor center we found this Falcon statue to take a quick picture at. It did not take me long after seeing Falcon everywhere to figure out it’s the mascot of Air Force Academy. I even got stuff Falcon to take home with me.

Goodbye Utah!

2007-11-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

Oh the fun I've had here in Utah! I will miss it very much, I have really grown to love the mountains. Before I leave I wanted to share a few more of my photos, and my album, which can be viewed here. I think you will really like my album, we did a lot of fun stuff.

Here I am doing one of my favorite things in autumn, hiking! Check out those beautiful mountains, the one you see in the distance is called Mt. Olympus (like in Greece!). The air was cool and crisp on that day, and the leaves were so yellow!Did you know the 2002 Winter Olympics were hosted in Salt Lake City Utah? Jessica and I went up to the Utah Olympic park. We even got to see some ski jumpers and luge runners practicing! And I have photos of both in my album!
Not all our activities were outdoors (although I love being outside when the weather is so nice!). One day I got to go to a doll show. It was in downtown Salt Lake City in the Fairgrounds. I had such a great time visiting with some of the other girls. Did you know that the tall girl next to me is over 100 years old and from France? She had the prettiest accent! After the doll show we went out for tea, I ordered Vanilla Bean Tea, it was delightful!
Goodbye Utah, I'm off to Colorado!

What a busy week it has been!

2007-10-27T20:35:00.001-07:00

What have I been doing this last week in Utah? Keeping busy! Here are a few preview photos from the album FarmhouseGirl and I are working on:

One of the first things we did here in Utah was to go to the visitors center downtown, I got some trinkets to bring home, and I liked looking at the big interactive map of the state.The autumn in Utah is very pretty. One day was warm enough to play monkey in the trees!
Another day Rachel and I went to the pumpkin patch to pick out perfect Halloween pumpkins, look at this one I found!
This guy was also at the pumpkin patch. He was crying because he said nobody wanted to be his friend. I asked why, and he said because everyone thought he was scary, but he really wasn't. So I decided to become his friend, his name was Ralph.
On Saturday we went downtown to a doll show. Can you believe it? Another doll show! It was really fun, and the other dolls were very pretty.
After the doll show we went to the "Beehive Tea Room". I ordered Vanilla Bean Tea, and it was very tasty!
Another day we went on a autumn walk, the colors are really pretty here. In Utah there are a lot of yellow leaves, but not many red leaves.
See all the yellow?
And I got to visit the State Capitol Building. I pretended I was in Washington DC.

Hi Mom! I'm in Utah!

2007-10-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am here, I am here! What a day it has been. This morning at 5:00 am I felt my box moving around, and then I realized I was loaded into a truck. I was happy to be finally on my way to Jessica's (FarmhouseGirl's) home, but I realized I probably would spend most of the day in the UPS truck. I tried to sleep, but it was freezing! Sheesh! It is only October! Finally the truck warmed up a little and I was able to nap. Then, around 3:00 pm I felt my box jostle again, and I was delivered!

I was freed from my box by my new host and her kitty Mabel. I was so glad to finally be able to stretch my legs. I was in my box for a week! Jessica knew I was very tired so she led me to a new room, and said I could rest up as long as I would like. This was nice, I could rest, brush my teeth, and change my undies before I met any of her girls. Jessica did lead me to a new room, Traveling Violet's room! Jessica told me Violet is out traveling again, she is in Calgary Canada, and while I was here I could use her room. Wow! It was perfect, and the best part was that Violet has a laptop! I took off my shoes, relaxed, played with her American Girl doll, and then worked on this very blog entry!

So guess what Mom? I have a lot in common with my host family. She too loves kitties (she has three of them), she loves when the seasons change, loves the Utah outdoors, and she LOVES pasta and fruit! I guess one night while I'm here I might be able to help with dinner.

Another great thing is that the Utah autumn is in full swing, all the leaves have started to change and the mountains are capped in white snow! It is very pretty!

It is so fun to finally be in Violet's room, she has been a blog friend for awhile, but we've never met!

My Adventures in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2007-10-15T16:25:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe I'm about to climb back into the travel box! It seems like just yesterday that I arrived in Pittsburgh, but I've actually been here for over two weeks.

I was amazed to discover that my hostess' name is also Eleanor...except that it really isn't. She said that Eleanor is the name she uses when she writes on the computer, but her real name is different. She chose that name because it belonged to a famous queen she admired who lived in England and France over 700 years ago! Who knew I had such a regal name myself! My hostess said I could refer to her as Miss Eleanor, and that's what I shall do in this blog. Miss Eleanor and her husband have two children: a Princess who is 8 and a Prince who is almost 4. I got to play with them a lot while I was here, and we went on many adventures! Earhart hung out with all of the stuffed dogs in Princess' room most of the time.

We did so many things! On my first day, we went to the Mall to visit a doll store. I was relieved that I never had to stand around in my underwear like these dolls. They must be so embarrassed...and cold!
On the other hand, I loved visiting the nursery. Look at all of these cute babies!
Okay, so they aren't real babies. They're dolls. But they surely look real!

Now this was just plain spooky!
All of these doll heads were just sitting there on boxes! Miss Eleanor explained that people can choose what they want their baby dolls to look like and the store will put them together right there. I'm glad my head wasn't sitting around on any old shelves at the American Girl store, waiting for a body.

The next day, Jess and I played outside.

She let me ride the scooter, and I got pretty good at it if I do say so myself! I was proud that I could keep my balance so well.

I had a neat surprise the first weekend -- I got to see Miss Mia! She came to a conference in Pittsburgh and visited with Miss Eleanor! She said that Sprout and Bird missed me but were reading on the computer about my adventures. Hi, Sprout and Bird! Miss Mia also said she got to ride an incline when she was here. An incline is a train track that goes straight up a steep hill. One train car goes up the hill, while a pulley system brings another one into the bottom station. You can see the station and maybe the tracks behind me in this picture of the Duquesne Incline: Pittsburgh is a very hilly place, and there used to be more than a dozen inclines going up and down this steep hill called Mount Washington. They were used to carry passengers and freight between the coal mines, railroads, and neighborhoods. Now there are only two left. This one behind me still uses cars that are almost 130 years old! The train cars don't go very fast, but I'm not sure I'd like to go on one. I'll have to remember to ask Miss Mia what she thought of her incline ride.

Pittsburgh's downtown is actually pretty small. It is called the Golden Triangle because the three rivers that surround it force the land into a triangular shape. The Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers join together at the tip of the triangle to form the Ohio River. There is a nice park at the triangle's tip called Point Park. The fountain at Point State Park is fed by a glacial formation and sprays 6,000 gallons per minute. You can see the fountain in this picture:

Hey, can you find me?
I'm standing beside a huge paddlewheel from an old riverboat! Pittsburgh was a major industrial city. At one time most of the country's steel was produced here. It was carried up and down the rivers, and on the railroads, all over the nation.

Okay, did you find me? I'm way down in the corner. See?

The next day, Miss Eleanor, Princess, and I traveled to a colonial tea party at old Hanna's Town, in the county where Miss Eleanor grew up. I wondered if Felicity might want to come with us, but Princess explained that Felicity refused to drink tea because it was imported from England. In her time, this country and England were at war. Felicity's best friend Elizabeth is originally from England, and she was pleased to join us. I borrowed one of Felicity's gowns.

Hanna's Town dates back to 1773, which is almost exactly the time when Felicity lived in Williamburg, Virginia. Hanna's Town was destroyed in 1782 by an American Indian tribe who fought against us during the Revolutionary War. Hanna's Town is an archeological site for people who want to learn about Pennsylvania's past. It has been excavated, restored and partially rebuilt. We visited the reconstructed Hanna Tavern/Courthouse, three log houses that were over 100 years old and had been moved to and rebuilt on this site, a reconstruction of the Revolutionary-era fort and blockhouse, and a wagon shed with a real Conestoga wagon like Laura Ingalls or Kirsten Larson might have ridden on.

Elizabeth told me to go put my head in the stocks because I ate so many tea treats. Good thing I didn't get stuck!

We had lots of fun the next week. We started to decorate for Halloween, stopped at Miss Eleanor's favorite children's bookstore, the library (where I met a very large Paddington Bear), a brewpub for Oktoberfest where I got to peek at the vats of Penn Pilsner beer, and we even went to a pumpkin festival where I got to ride on an inflatable pirate ship and climb a rock wall!

Avast, mateys!

Boom.
Don't try this at home.

Our last big outing was to the National Aviary. I've never seen so many birds!

We got to visit the tropical rainforest, and I loved the flamingos. Their feathers are pink because their main diet is shrimp. We also got to feed these little lorakeets.
One even landed on my head! I saw penguins, Bald Eagles, condors, and lots of owls. There was a contest to name the new baby condor, and Princess thought up a really good name. I hope she wins. We also got to look at the kitchen, where we saw all the things that different birds might eat. I don't want to think too much about some of the things on this tray!

On my last day, I got my picture taken with the doll school that Princess has in her room. See if you can find me with all of my new friends!

I also got a wonderful surprise from Miss Eleanor. She said that since I share the name of a famous medieval queen, I need to have the clothing to match. So here I am in my Eleanor of Aquitaine gown. It's even my favorite color -- purple!

I've loved my time here in Pittsburgh and hope I can come back to visit again some day. The fall leaves are crisp and beautiful. But now, Earhart and I are off to Utah for more adventures!

Vacation in Florida

2007-09-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

After my host family took me to AG-Atlanta, they took me to visit Florida (although I was just in Florida with my first host.) This visit we got to go to the Gulf Coast. It was certainly hot and sunny down in Florida. Here I am being given a WARM welcome.
Julie and I enjoyed a day at the Reddington Beach on the Gulf coast of sunny Florida. Being that it was a weekday in September, we basically had the beach to ourselves.

We went to Florida to visit with my hosts' grandma. She lives in a really nice retirement area where most of the folks only live there in the winter. So basically we had the run of the streets. Playing street hockey was lots of fun. I had a bit of trouble with Molly's skates at first, but I learned pretty quickly.

Look at me go!!!

And, of course, being a retirement community there was a chance to play shuffleboard. Here are Julie and I facing off.

Now it's time for me to leave this host's home. I'm certainly going to miss all these girls here. I've had lots of fun with my host in Tennessee.
Goodbye!
(click on the picture to get a bigger view of us all)

Georgia

2007-09-16T19:07:00.001-07:00

We traveled to Georgia and took lots of pictures. However, we are only going to share a few with you here. It was hard to pick which ones to post and write about, but here goes.

First is AG Boutique and Bistro in Atlanta! I can't believe we are here. This is going to be so much fun.

We had lots of fun posing with the various girls in the store. I even got to help my host pick out a Julie for her to adopt into her family. I couldn't believe this girl here....it was ME! So here is a picture of me and my twin me baking some goodies with the new sweet treats set.

After we shopped for like, forever, we finally got to go eat at the Bistro. This is Earhart and I trying to decide what to eat for lunch. Julie ate with us too, she's at the other end of this table.

After we did the fun girl kind of thing (American Girl shopping!) we did some fun stuff for the boys. We went to see expensive imported sports cars. Here are Julie and I as we hang on to the back of an Italian sports car....a Lamborghini.

Ah, this is the life. After a hard day of shopping and browsing, Julie and I got to relax by the pool.

Then we got into the car (again) to continue our trip on to Florida. No car trip is complete without a nice BIG cup of coffee.

Fun things we did

2007-09-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Kailey and I start our morning off with a good exercise routine. Just watch our muscles bulge.

Darcy, Kailey and I played with the pattern blocks.

It was a beautiful day, so I finally got to try out what fishing is all about. I didn't catch anything, and I ended up loosing my bait AND my bobber. It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be.

Now this was relaxing, as long as I hung on tightly and didn't fall off into that dirt below me!

Then we had to go to piano lessons. This is youngest son as he tries to teach me some songs. The piano teacher thought I was just beautiful. Well, of course she did!

Some of us played a board game later in the day. This is me with my new friends, Kailey, Jess, Kaya, Samantha and Darcy.

Downtown Knoxville

2007-09-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was taking Earhart for his morning walk, we got to meet the BIG dog who lives at our host's home. He's really friendly, but his size usually scares people. I wasn't too afraid because I had Earhart to protect me.

As we walked around the yard, we realized we hadn't been up in the treehouse yet, so we climbed up and had a look around. We could see really far from there. But not as far as where we would go later in the afternoon!

The Sunsphere!
It started to rain, but we went to visit the Sunsphere anyway. It wasn't good for pictures, so here's a great picture from the Wiki entry where you can read more about this 266 foot tall tower that was built for the 1982 World's Fair that was held in Knoxville. The glass sphere is 74 feet in diameter! And yes, you can go up in it (and we did) and have a wonderful view of the city and the Tennessee River. The glass sphere part has real gold flecks embedded in the glass to give it that permanent golden glow from the outside. The inside has five levels (once you get up to the sphere part!) but you're only allowed on level 3 right now. The other levels are being re-constructed (1982 WAS a long time ago, you know) and a restaurant inside the sphere is supposed to re-open this month. For more technical information you can visit Sunsphere.info.

This is me from the inside looking out. It's kind of hard to see very far in the picture because the camera couldn't see well through the gold tinted glass, but we could. We would have been able to see further if it hadn't been raining. It still was a great view and a little bit scary.

Earhart thought he was on top of the world!

Later we went to the library. Earhart and Toast had to wait outside, because dogs aren't allowed in the library. They look so sad out there, don't they?

I chose a book about Josefina. I just love reading about all my sisters!

Our last stop with to recycle the plastics and a few glass bottles. It was still raining, but I tried to help and stay dry at the same time.

A few more pictures

2007-09-11T06:49:00.001-07:00

We started Sunday morning off by going to church.

Then Jess and I played a little Sunday afternoon football.

And climbed the Dogwood tree in the front yard.

We had a birthday party with all those cool Totally Tropical doll sized party wear and treats. It wasn't really anybody's birthday, but we had fun.

Oh, and here's a picture of me at a falls in Dollywood that I forgot to post last time!

Dollywood

2007-09-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Dollywood theme park is a one-of-a-kind Smoky Mountain Family Adventure! Spanning 125 acres and nestled in the lush foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near Gatlinburg, Dollywood is one of the most popular family vacation destinations. Read more about that at their web site Dollywood.com

I just had to stop at this road sign on our way to Dollywood on Saturday. I was confused as to which direction the road we are traveling on was heading.
Can you tell?

We are finally here. Well, actually it's only about a 40 minute drive, but when you're my size, it seems like it takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get anywhere.

I tried this ride (The Timber Tower) but the worker said that I was a bit small and would probably fall out into the water when the tower tilted.
Oh, well. I look pretty cute trying out the seat.

Now, some of these rides are just too frightening. This is the Mystery Mine.
My host family rides everything.
They're pretty much fearless. I just watched.

I tried the seats at the Thunderhead (a wooden roller-coaster) too.
Again, I didn't pass the height requirement.

So I'll just settle for watching the craftsmen at work.
This is Mr. Cal. He's working with leather.

I watched, with fascination, the glass blower making a vase out of really, really REALLY hot sand! How that works, I can never understand.

I got to try to pick out a duck for a prize in the games area.
I didn't win anything, but it was fun to play.

Ah, the Carousel!! Now this was something that I wasn't too small to get on. I did have trouble hanging on to this slick pole when the ride started and the horse began moving up and down.

They have a real steam locomotive at Dollywood that you can take for a 5 mile ride. We didn't go on it because my host was afraid I would get too sooty. She said she usually gets soot in her eyes and on her clothes when she rides. I didn't want to get Nicki's pretty tie-top outfit dirty, so I just posed with the engine.

There are many beautiful trees and flowers in Dollywood. It's very shaded and we had lots of fun there. It certainly was a long, hot day, but I enjoyed it.

I was so exhausted when we left, though, that I fell asleep in the car on the way home. What a day!

Fun Friday

2007-09-08T04:27:00.001-07:00

Whew, it's hot here, so Jess let me wear her meet dress today. All I brought was long pants and jackets. Lindsey let me borrow her laptop so I could do my blogging in the morning.

At lunch time, I got to join with the family at the big table. Kaya was kind enough to share her foods with me. All the girls here are very generous.

Later in the day, one of the boys took me out on a real go-kart! That was sooooo exciting! I'm wearing Lindsey's helmet here, to protect my head in case we wrecked. I have a neat bungee cord as a seat belt so I won't go flying off the kart. This certainly was a thrilling ride for me!

He also took me a ride on the front of the motor scooter. That was a bit scary and my dress kept blowing up, but it was fun. Next time I'll put on my pants first!

After riding the kart and scooter for a while, I took a relaxing walk near the pond. Here I am among the beautiful cat tails. I ask my host if this is really where they grow cats, but she said they're just called that. The real cats are inside the house.

Here is Earhart taking a rest with one of the inside cats. Her name is Molly. Which can be confusing sometimes for the 'real' Molly.

As is typical in this family, Friday night is family movie night. I got my own flip-chair and my own bowl of popcorn. We watched some movie called "Kart Racer." It was about racing go-karts, of course! It was pretty good. I had a fun Friday in Tennessee.

Golfing in Tennessee

2007-09-07T07:55:00.001-07:00

Earhart has his own set of clubs and he and Nora head for the links.

"Wow, my club is a bit big for me, but I'll try this anyway." Nora declared.

"This place is HUGE," Nora said. "Do we really have to walk it all?"

"The flag is pretty big too, but I think I can manage to get it out of the hole, " Nora added helpfully.

"The hardest part of golfing is trying to convince Earhart that he shouldn't be chasing the balls!"

"Wait, I see a beautiful pebble in here.....if I could just reach down a little further."

After her long day of traveling, moving in and golfing, Nora is greatly relieved to be able to get in her jammies and into a comfortable bed. "Goodnight!" she says.

I arrive in Tennessee

2007-09-06T11:15:00.001-07:00

"It's been a long, hot week, Earhart," said Nora, "But I think we're almost to our new host's home in Tennessee." Nora and Earhart continued their journey down the lane.

"Yep, this certainly looks like where we're supposed to be. Let's go up to the door and see if anyone's home," declared Nora.

Nora gets to meet all the other sisters who already live at her new host's home. "Boy, there certainly are a lot of other girls who already live here," Nora exclaimed. "Are you all traveling too?" "No," said Jess. "We all live here."

Earhart is introduced to the other AG pets that live at his new host's home. Rascal (Marisol's kitty), Posie (Felicity's lamb), Tatlo (Kaya's dog), Sandy (Kailey's dog), Original Coconut, Coconut, Licorice, another original Coconut and another Licorice! That's not counting the two real cats and one real dog that are here!

The other girls clear out a closet for Nora to be able to unpack and hang up her things. "Wow, I'm going to have a lot of fun at this house, I can tell," Nora exclaimed. "I'm glad I got to come to Tennessee."

Hello from Florida!

2007-08-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

I've finally arrived in Florida, and boy is it hot outside! It's summertime, but there's no kids playing in their yards or on the street because it's so hot. I guess they're at the beach or at swimming pools, or maybe they're inside playing.

Earhart and I got to see a lot of Jacksonville before we went to our host's house. Jacksonville is the city where she lives. It's in the northeast part of Florida, right next to the ocean, and almost in Georgia when you look at maps. I'll draw a picture to show you where I am later!

This is a really big city! There is a river called the St John's River, and it's special because it flows north. Most rivers in the United States go south. There is also something called the Intracoastal Waterway. That's kind of like a river that goes between two parts of Jacksonville. There are lots of marshes along it, so sometimes if you're going over a bridge and the tide is low (that means there isn't as much water there), it's really stinky! Animals like snakes, turtles, frogs, and lots of birds like to live in the marsh. There is also a lot of beaches in Jacksonville!

This picture is me and Earhart at our host's house. I was wearing my jacket while traveling, but I had to take it off when we got here. I had a really good trip from Wisconsin, but I think Earhart was ready to run around and play.

I was ready to go inside and cool off!

Unfortunately, palm trees aren't very good for making shade. They need some good trees down here so you can find a nice and shady place outside!

This palm tree across the street looks a lot shadier, but it has even more prickly parts on the trunk! Maybe those big trees far away will be nice and shady.

This picture shows me and Beatrice in her room. Beatrice is the doll who lives here with Keri, her big person. She's really nice and is letting me share her bed while I'm here.

Bea is going to show me the lizards that live in the backyard later, but first she let me borrow some clothes. I got a skirt and a t-shirt that were nice and cold from being kept near the air conditioning all day. It was so nice to change my clothes after being outside! The thermometer by the back door said it was 101 degrees today! That's really hot!

It's really important to stay cool when it's hot out, so Keri and Beatrice made sure that Earhart and I had lots of water! I also got a nice apple snack, and that was really yummy.

Earhart got to sit at the end of the bed, so he could cool off, too. Dogs have so much fur, they're probably hot all the time!

Beatrice also has lots of cool books and toys. She let me read her Nancy Drew book this afternoon, while I rested from my trip.

We have so much planned while I'm here, I can't wait!

Meet Traveling Nora

2007-08-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Eleanor, but you can call me Nora. I am a Traveling Doll--nomad and ambassador to the world! I may be coming to your neck of the woods, so let me tell you a little bit about myself. First of all, I love to travel. I love seeing different places and learning about them as I go. I'm a big nature lover too, and I especially enjoy the changing seasons. I collect rocks and pebbles because they're one of my favorite things about the great outdoors! As I travel, I love trying the local food. I'm a vegetarian and can always find something great to try, but my favorites are pasta and fruit. Yum! I really love animals, especially cats, turtles, and my dog, Earhart. He travels with me everywhere I go, though he sometimes prefers to rest rather than go on outings with me. (His legs are awfully short for big hikes!)

I just arrived in Wisconsin today, and this is going to be my home base. I'll report back on my journeys as I go. I met some of the other dolls who live here and told them all about my plans to see the world. I want to see it all! So far I'm scheduled to go Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Utah, and Colorado! After that I'll be home for the holidays, but once the New Year comes, I'll be off again--this time on an overseas journey! If you'd like me to visit you, e-mail me at TravelingNora@yahoo.com. I'm scheduled for takeoff in just a couple of days, and I can hardly wait to start my journey. I hope you enjoy learning about all of the new places I visit as I go.