A Christmas Gift for ME!

December 26, 2007

Santa found me in Lansing! He thought I needed a traveling companion after making two long journeys alone. He found me a local friend who can be my constant travel companion. My friend's name is Theo. He tells me that he is named after Theophilus Abbot, president of Michigan State University (then called Michigan Agricultural College) from 1862-1885. There are currently more than 46,000 students on the 5,200-acre campus. If you want to learn more about MSU you can check out their website at http://msu.edu/

Write to you soon,

Millie and Theo

Meet my friends!

December 23, 2007 -- We finally had a few days at Danielle's house and I really got to know her four-footed companions. The first picture is me with Beyla. She's a lab/hound dog mix. She's pretty calm and not too big at only 80 pounds. She sounds really funny when she barks - it's like she is yodeling!

Next down is Cinder and me. Cinder is quite big -- about 100 pounds. She's a gentle giant though and likes to have me around the house. We were friends instantly.

The last photo is of Sierra and me. She's a fat cat, full of love. You can see that since she is giving me a big hug and kiss in the picture. Sierra has fellow cat in the house. His name is Oberon, but he doesn't like to get his picture taken. He's nice too, mostly likes to keep to himself.

Talk to you soon! Millie for Daisy

American Girl Place

We needed a break from the rain and cold, so we stopped in for a visit to The American Girl Place. I got to see so many friends --- it was awesome. Everyone was so nice. These American Girls invited me to their slumber party!

Having a blast,

Millie

Around Town

Today Danielle and I had a couple of hours free to take a little tour of the city. In this picture we're at the Water Tower. We wanted to find out why the Water Tower is such an important landmark in Chicago. This is what our research uncovered:

The Tower is situated at 800 N. Michigan Avenue, near the John Hancock Center. The Water Tower provides a sharp contrast with the surrounding high-rise buildings.

Constructed in 1869 using big limestone blocks, the Chicago Water Tower, with all its small towers in a 'gothic style', resembles more a tiny European 13th century castle than a water tower. It was designed by the architect William W. Boyington and houses a 40 meter standpipe which was needed to equalize the pressure of the water pumped from the pumping station to the east. The total height of the tower is 154 ft or 47 m.

Since its survival of the Great Fire, the Chicago Water Tower became one of Chicago's main symbols. The tower became functionally obsolete many years ago, although the pumping station still pumps water for the city. In May of 1969, during the year of its centennial anniversary, the Chicago Water Tower was selected by the American Water Works Association to be the first American Water Landmark. It now houses a visitor information center and has become one of the major tourist attractions in Chicago. (from the website http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/watertower.htm)

Talk to you soon,

Millie

Yummy Pancakes

On Sunday morning Danielle had a breakfast appointment with an MSU journalism alumnus. They met at The Original Pancake House, which is a Chicago breakfast landmark. I got to come along for breakfast and it was great! You know how much bears like sweet stuff, so I was delighted to find sweet potato pancakes with pecan maple syrup on the menu. I got mine topped off with sprinkles of powdered sugar. You can tell this place is popular because of the people lined up outside -- and this was during an ice storm! It was a slippery walk back to the hotel. This was our only adventure today because the rest of Danielle's meetings were at our hotel.

Looking forward to my next great meal,

Millie

Millie in Chicago

On December 8, 2007, Danielle and I left for a 6 day trip to Chicago. Danielle had to attend a conference and meet with alumni of Michigan State University. I got to go along for the ride. This picture is of me on the sofa in our room at the Sheraton Towers in downtown Chicago. Our room looked out over the Chicago River and Wacker Drive. If we looked to the east we could even catch a glimpse of Lake Michigan in the distance.

Talk to you soon,

Millie

Millie arrives in Michigan.

Hello 4th Grade Class at Proctor School:

I arrived in Michigan on December 7, 2007. As you know, I am travelling in place of my sister Daisy who is a little afraid of flying. I've called my blog "Daisy's Travels" to make Daisy feel like she's along for the ride.

The trip from Sarah's Aunt Donna's in California took about three days. It wasn't too bad. The people at the Post Office made sure my box stayed in a warm dry place and thanks to the air holes, I had plenty of fresh air. I was especially grateful that Sarah made sure I had a blanket and a t.v. to watch. It sure made the time go by faster.

I am now at Sarah's cousin Danielle's house. She lives in Lansing, MI with her husband Rod and their two dogs and two cats. The dogs are really big, but they aren't very scary. I'm not too sure about those cats though!

Danielle tells me we are going to have lots of fun together, so I can't wait to see where our travels will take us. I will be sure to blog to you all as often as I can and will post pictures too.

I'm enjoying my cross-country travels but will be glad to get back to Topsfield this spring. Until then, keep checking in on me!

Millie