SPRING TOUR 2004

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=110 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="040f0f21egerdp.jpg"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="041203c0.jpg" border=0 width="32" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#66334C" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Magic of Reading</B></FONT><B>      |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Magic of Reading"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03ff2f02egerdp.jpg"> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14">    <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14">  <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14">    <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="1073bed0.gif" border=0 width="315" height="493" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="042f0f03.jpg"> <div> <I>SPRING TOUR 2004 </I></div> <div> <B>Monday, January 12, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> CHEROKEE, NC  My Spring 2004 Tour began today, deep in the Smoky Mountains.  First stop was “The Hub” in Sylva, NC.  I spoke to grades 3 - 12 at a school that greeted me warmly and made me feel right at home.  “The Hub” is a school with heart, and when I left there after a couple of hours, I felt just great.  What a way to resume my schedule!</div> <bR> <div> Then it was off for a mad dash through the Nantahala Gorge to Andrews Elementary.  If you want to go white water kayaking or canoeing, this is the place to come.  In the summer you cannot drive down this road without seeing a million people trying to get on the swiftly flowing river that follows the road through the gorge.  Even in January I saw a few cars with those cute little sawed off kayaks tied to their roofs.</div> <bR> <div> My experience at Andrews Elementary was supreme!  They have a new, beautiful gym, and Ben Franklin was the first show to be held there.  A better bunch of kids I never saw.</div> <div> We hooted it up for 45 minutes, then it was back through the gorge to Cherokee.  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tuesday, January 13, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> GAFFNEY, SC  My day began at Cherokee Elementary School, in Cherokee, NC.  The school is on the Indian reservation, and most of the kids are native Americans.  I have never met sweeter or brighter children anywhere.  In fact, Glenda Crow, the principal, is also one of the nicest people I have ever met!  She called me about six weeks earlier and asked me to come to Cherokee to help the kids through the winter doldrums and to kick off the second half of the school year.  Well, I was very glad to do it!</div> <bR> <div> My afternoon program was at Hayesville, NC--a nice little drive of about 80 miles or so.  Up mountains.  Down mountains.  Around mountains.  And all at a pretty fast speed since most of the road was four lane.  The road from Franklin (the town!) to Hayesville is one of the prettiest I've seen.  On the way I saw an ice covered cliff which a bunch of college students were about to try to climb.  Good luck!</div> <bR> <div> Hayesville Elementary had a large audience off 500 or so in a really nice auditorium waiting for me.  Oh what a special time!  All in all today was a day marked by many, many wonderful children.  What a pleasure to visit schools where children are so well behaved and just plain nice!</div> <bR> <div> After my afternoon program, I turned the van around and headed back the way I'd come.  Passing the ice covered cliff I was relieved to see no ambulances or anything.  The colleges students had either conquered the cliff, or found something more sensible to do.</div> <div> I drove for several hours passing through Asheville, Hendersonville, Spartanburg . . . and I arrived at Gaffney, SC right at 6:00 p.m.  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Thursday, January 14, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> GAFFNEY, SC  This morning it was quite cool when I roused up and headed to Northwest Elementary School.  I had six miles to drive and with the aid of my new GPS unit it only took me 45 minutes to get there!  I'm going back to old fashioned maps, thank you!  Like the kind you download off Yahoo! </div> <bR> <div> The students at Northwest warmed me up, and I left the school glowing.  With long and hectic travel, and getting up early, and folks blowing their horns at you,  I do not always arrive at schools feeling warm and fuzzy.  But, I almost always leave feeling that way.  Kids are magical. </div> <bR> <div> Through for the week!  The drive from Gaffney to Summerville, a couple hundred miles, was like nothing at all.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tuesday, January 20, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> COLUMBIA, SC  Monday was a holiday this week, so it will be a short week for South Carolina.  Most of my programs will be in or around Columbia, the capital city.</div> <bR> <div> This morning I made a return visit to Calhoun Academy in Saint Matthews.  It was a frosty morning and when I arrived they said they had a problem:  no heat in the gym!  Not a problem.  Seldom has Ben ever been too cold!  Had a super time at Calhoun Academy  and then drove 30 miles to Pair Elementary in West Columbia.  Spoke to the fine kids at Pair in the afternoon, and spoke to the kids and parents after a hotdog supper in the evening.  I could not have had more fun.  It just makes me feel great to return to a school in the evening after performing at the same place that day.  The kids who've seen my program always eagerly anticipate a repeat performance--and that is just about the highest compliment I ever get.  By the time I left Pair Elementary at 8 p.m. a few of the kids there were genuine Ben Franklin experts.  Between the two programs they got everything I know about old Ben.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Wednesday, January 21, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> COLUMBIA, SC  Spoke at Herbert Wood Elementary in West Columbia this morning.  I was told I had spoken at this school before, but I really couldn't remember.  I certainly will remember my performance today!  The kids were super.  I love visiting a well-run school where everything just seems to be perfect.  That was my experience at Wood Elementary this morning.</div> <bR> <div> This afternoon I hoofed it over to Fort Jackson to speak to the Patriots at C. C. Pinckney Elementary.  These were 4th and 5th graders--and boy were they ready for Ben Franklin!</div> <div> I shook hands with many of the students before the program, and lots of wonderful things happened during the program.   I remember a boy named Donovan.  He just cracked me up every time I looked at him.  Sometimes <I>I</I> have that effect on kids.  Every time I looked at Donovan, he gave me a look and I lost my train of thought.  I think it is just great that some kids love being up on the stage and showing off a little bit for the audience.  I was a pretty old guy before I discovered my love for being in front of the group.  I hope I help some students learn this early by the opportunity they get to help Ben Franklin with his program.</div> <bR> <div> After C. C. Pinckney I went for a two mile run and then ordered a takeout feast at the China Chef.  The rest of the day and evening was spent eating, relaxing, and doing exactly as I pleased.  Life is great!  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Thursday, January 22, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> COLUMBIA, SC  Spoke at Mill Creek Ele in the morning and Fairfield Intermediate School in Winnsboro, SC in the afternoon.  I had been to Fairfield Intermediate before, but I could hardly remember the performance it had been so long.  Today, I spoke to students who earned the right to attend my show.  They did very well, I must say.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Friday, January 23, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> CHARLESTON, SC  Not often do I get to sleep in my own bed the night before a program.  I had just the best time imaginable at Springfield Elementary in Charleston.  I was worried about traffic because Charleston has some of the world's worst rush hour traffic.  Ben is charmed, however, and drivers just seem to get out of his way.  The kids at Springfield had prepared for Ben's coming, and they knew a lot!  Audience was small, intimate.  Boy that's a fun way to do it!</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tuesday, January 27, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> MILLEDGEVILLE, GA   What a week and it's only Tuesday!  Things began early yesterday morning when I left Summerville headed for Augusta, GA.  Thirty miles up the interstate, in the pitch black early morning dark, the van began behaving funny.  It was like the steering was going out.  Little or no control!  Then I saw a man waving a flashlight ahead, just as I drove onto an overpass.  I let off the gas and saw an interesting sight up ahead--six or eight vehicles off the highway, pointed in every which direction.  </div> <bR> <div> Black ice!  That's the stuff that can send you flying off the highway with the greatest of ease--until you happen to bump into a tree, another car, or flip.</div> <bR> <div> The rest of the trip to Augusta, I averaged 50 miles an hour or less.  Saw many, many cars and trucks off the road.  Lots of police and emergency vehicles.  And this was South Carolina!</div> <bR> <div> The program at T. C. Walker Traditional school in Augusta was perfect.  Perfect kids, perfect principal, perfect school, and perfect Ben Franklin!  Well, I was pretty good I must say.  And what I said about T. C. Walker is completely true.  They should put on a seminar on how to operate a school and educate geniuses--because they are very good at it!  </div> <bR> <div> Ice canceled my Monday afternoon program, and I got the news at the Comfort Inn yesterday evening that my programs today were cancelled as well.  I take this kind of news better than you might expect.  I take it pretty much the way kids and teachers take school closings.  Oh, well, I guess I will find something to do with my time with a whole day off!  What did I do?  I did some planning of future travel trips.  I went jogging in the ice.  I listened to a book on tape about--Benjamin Franklin!  And I just had a good old time.  Sometimes it is nice getting off the merry-go-round.  </div> <bR> <div> As I drove away from Augusta on I-20 I saw a long line of power company trucks coming in from Atlanta and points west.  Ice was still everywhere--trees were smashed and my van had a pretty silver coating--but I was unaware that most of the city still had no power.  Turned out Augusta received quite a blow from the winter storm, and I was fortunate to be heading elsewhere.</div> <bR> <div> The drive to Milledgeville was pure pleasure.  I listened to my biography of Ben Franklin.  I enjoyed the beautiful winter sights all around.  I felt pretty lucky the roads were open because pine trees were down all around.  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Wednesday, January 28, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> MILLEDGEVILLE, GA   This morning I spoke at Blandy Hills Elementary in Milledgeville, the former capital of Georgia, for two audiences of super kids.  Everyone was talking about the big ice storm that hit Augusta; apparently Milledgeville was completely spared.</div> <bR> <div> Jumped in the van and drove 70 miles north for a program at Nathanael Greene Academy in Siloam, GA at 1:30 PM.  Power was out in the community, but the school's electricity was just fine.  Everyone warmly welcomed Ben Franklin, and we had a great time.</div> <bR> <div> Jumped back in the van and drove southeast for 70 miles to Sandersville.  My program at Rosa Tarbutton Library began at 4:30.  Nice kids and the best parents in the world!</div> <bR> <div> Among the interesting things I saw today were large bolders and slabs of rock around White Plains in Hancock County.  These formations, apparently, are the last traces of the Appalachian Mountains.  They certainly did not appear conducive to farming.  I saw a lot of cows and goats, who probably loved the rocks.  The hilly pastures were lovely.</div> <bR> <div> Dinner was a Deluxe Seafood Platter at Captain D's--$7.30.  How on earth could somebody go out and catch two fish, two crabs, half a dozen shrimp, and toss in three hushpuppies, for seven dollars and thirty cents?</div> <bR> <div> <B>Thursday, January 29, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> CLEVELAND, GA  Got up well before daylight and set out into the cold dark headed from Milledgeville to Covington, a journey of some 75 miles northwest.  The students at Ficquett Elementary in downtown Covington were awesome.  I could not have been more pleased with my programs, and teachers and the principal said many nice things.  Good kids make everyone look good.  I say Ficquett Elementary ranks with the very best.</div> <bR> <div> Jumped in the van and drove for days to cover the few miles from Covington to Cleveland, GA.   Someone needs to build a highway from I-20  to I-85 that does not run through Atlanta.  Check out the map and you will see there is no easy way to get from one interstate to the next, unless you drive way out of your way to Atlanta.  </div> <bR> <div> By the time I pulled into Cleveland my brain was pretty much fried from the endless driving.  I found a room in a bed and breakfast lodge, and things began to improve quickly.  The nice people at the lodge brought me into their home and made my feel immediately welcomed and relaxed.  From 2:00 pm until bed time I listened to books on tape, read, napped, and generally led the life I am most fond.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Friday, January 30, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> CLEVELAND, GA  This morning I spoke at White County Intermediate School in Cleveland and had a blast!  Performing for audiences of school kids can be quite stressful and challenging.  I certainly never get bored!  I was able to relax much more than normal at WCIS because the kids were so good!   As I spoke the idea occurred to me that at the moment there was nowhere on earth I would rather be, nothing on earth I would rather be doing.   </div> <bR> <div> <B>Monday, February 2, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> ST AUGUSTINE, FL   Drove down from South Carolina this morning.  Found a tall, quiet Comfort Suites at the World Golf Village exit.  Booked a penthouse room on the 6th floor.  Ah!  Hotels are either great or they are horrible, it seems, and this one is GREAT!  Watched the visitors TV channel on St. Augustine, and I think this town is a place I'd like to spend a lot of time.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tuesday, February 3, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> ST AUGUSTINE, FL   Visited Hastings Library in St. John's county, and met the nicest librarian!  She hugged me when I arrived, and she hugged me when I left.  Ben Franklin never gets enough hugs!  The audience was a group of older elementary kids, and they were lively and fun.  Performed in an old building that had once been a school.  Now, it is just the nicest place.  All in all, I just loved my visit to Hastings and hope to return every year from now on!!</div> <bR> <div> At 3:30 PM I spoke at Ponte Vedra Beach Library and had a young but very capable audience.  The little ones astounded Ben Franklin with their ability to learn and appreciate his facts and stories.  Lots of fun.  Thanks Ponte Vedra Beach Library!</div> <bR> <div> Then it was grab a Subway, check my phone messages and boogie back to Jacksonville for a 7:00 p.m. performance at Holiday Hill Elementary School.  I just love doing evening programs at schools!  This show was actually a thrill to do.  Lots of kids that liked to ham it up in the audience.  They helped me a lot.  I am so appreciative of parents who bring their children to my programs.  I know it costs valuable time, but once they are there I am pretty sure they are glad they came.</div> <bR> <div> Drove back to my penthouse in St Augustine.  Crashed into the sack after a full day.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Wednesday, February 4, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> LAKE CITY, FL   Got up a couple hours before the chickens, set out into the black night, drove from St Augustine to Lake City via I-295.  Somehow I always seem to make it to my destination . . . knock on wood!</div> <bR> <div> Performances at Westside Elementary in Lake City were as good as they could have been.  Kudos to the super kids and the friendly teachers and staff.  It is such a pleasure to visit schools where everything is as it should be.</div> <bR> <div> Hooked up books on tape and began the long drive back to South Carolina.  Nothing quite so nice as driving homeward.</div> <bR> <div> That reminds me.  Met a retired school teacher at the Hastings performance.  She began talking about the Walter Isaacson biography of Ben Franklin.  I said I read it . . . on audio tape.  Reading books by listening to them on tape is how I constructively use the hours upon hours I spend in the car.  Other people could do the same on their daily commutes.</div> <div> I know if Ben Franklin were here and doing what I do, he would equally good or better ways to spend driving time. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Monday, February 9, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> PENSACOLA, FL   Old Ben spent Sunday, Feb 8, 2004 driving from Summerville, SC to Cordele, GA.  Listened to books on tape and XM radio and the time flew.  This morning I leisurely climbed out of the sack and prepared for the drive to Rebecca Comer School, near Comer, AL.</div> <bR> <div> Oh, the folks are nice in southern Alabama.  I was greeted warmly and made to feel right at home.  I was astounded at how much information the students at Rebecca Comer remembered since my visit last year.  It was if they saw a video of my program yesterday!</div> <bR> <div> The afternoon, I drove to Elba, AL.  Saw pictures in the library of the town half covered with flood waters.  I was glad it was not like that when I arrived.  Had a super time speaking to a number of lively and smart elementary kids--and one sixth grader, and one senior citizen!  I just love programs like this where I can give a lot of attention to each person present. There was a boy named Michael who got a little carried away by the awesome presence of Ben Franklin, but the librarian calmed him down straightaway.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tuesday, February 10, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> PENSACOLA, FL   Up early and off to one of my favorite places:  Baldwin County Alabama.  I don't know what it is about Baldwin County, but I reckon Ben has been to 20-30 % of the schools there.  This morning I visited Central Christian School in Robertsdale.  Had a superb time.  Wonderful.  Marvelous.  Awesome.  The kids were so responsive to me before, during, and even after the show.  I even signed a dozen autographs or so--and advised the kids, with a chuckle, they could sell them for $200 each on ebay.  Then I had to sign a dozen more for good measure.</div> <bR> <div> I had a shrimp poboy for lunch that was the best food I've eaten since the last time I was in New Orleans, about a quarter of a century ago.  The place is in Mobile on the Dauphin Island Parkway, about two miles after you turn off I-10 headed toward Dauphin Isl.</div> <bR> <div> Hollingers Island Elementary School gave Ben a warm welcome.  A lively, supercharged audience I must say!  They learned as fast as Ben could speak, and as anyone knows who has seen my program, that is fast!</div> <bR> <div> A cool, drizzly day.  Headed back to my lonely motel room in Pensacola with two books I picked up at Books-a-Million in Daphne, AL.  Ben works very hard, but when the day is done, nothing is nicer than a fine meal, a quiet motel room, and books.  I cooked up Rice-A-Roni in my hotpot and got a white chocolate candy bar from the vending machine.  I was set for hours of reading.  By accident my cell phone dialed my wife and she heard me talking to myself.  I would report the words of wisdom I spoke, but it's pretty personal, as Holden Caulfield in <U>Catcher in the Rye</U> might have said.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Wednesday, February 11, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> PENSACOLA, FL   Today was another yucky day weather wise.  Saw quite a smash-up on the highway in front of a small church, funeral in progress.  When I drove by all the people and their umbrellas were turned toward the highway.  Apparently a mourner looking for a parking space pulled out into the highway and was broadsided by a speeding car.</div> <bR> <div> I had the best time at Byrneville Elementary School, near Century, FL.  Lovely little school with the nicest people!  Met a boy named Josh who helped me with some technical problems back stage.  Kids love to be responsible.  Everyone needs a job, I suppose.</div> <bR> <div> Drove for days across the incredibly long panhandle of Florida.  Lost an hour to the time zone thing, which didn't help.  Also decidedly not in my favor was the cool rain that came down intermittently all afternoon, evening, and night! </div> <bR> <div> I pulled into a shabby Comfort Inn in St. Marys, GA after 9:00 p.m.  As I was unloading my van I heard the sound of ducks and looked up.  Walking across the parking lot were five or six of my wacky feathered friends.  They, like me, were looking for a quiet, comfortable place to spend the night.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Thursday, February 12, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> HINESVILLE, GA   Up early and out the door to Waynesville and Nahunta Elementary Schools.  The county, Brantley, has one stop light.  Other than that, you are free to move about the flat but treed countryside.  I had so much fun at the schools in Brantley County I should be arrested for impersonating someone working.  Put me in front of a good audience and magic happens every time.  The kids in Brantley County are the best!</div> <bR> <div> But this week was a hard driving week, so it was jump in the van and fly north to Hinesville, a trip of some 50 miles or so.</div> <bR> <div> I talked to myself a lot in the tape recorder this week and found, as usual, I am my own best company.  Funny, someone who loves to be alone can enjoy also being so publicly out there as when speaking to 500 kids.</div> <bR> <div> Super special late afternoon program at Taylors Creek Elementary.  I'd been to this school before, and it was nice coming back for a family literacy event.  Nice people, great fun.  Thanks Taylors Creek!</div> <bR> <div> <B>Friday, February 13, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> SAVANNAH, GA   If I had remembered it was Friday the 13th, I might have thought something was up when my highway ended with no directions for a detour.  Then, by dead reckoning, I drove up another long road only to be stymied by a train that couldn't make up its mind which way it wanted to go, so it just stopped straddled across the highway.  Then, I hooked up my fancy GPS unit and found my way to Port Wentworth Elementary School just in time!    </div> <bR> <div> Everyone was celebrating Valentine's day at Port Wentworth.  Soon as I walked in the door a very little girl said she loved me, and that certainly warmed old Ben's heart!  The program went very well and several teachers said kind words after the show.  </div> <bR> <div> Spoke to honor roll kids at Heard Elementary in Savannah.  They were sweet and lively. I wasn't feeling too good due to what I believe to be food poisoning at one of the local fast food joints.  Don't want to be sued so I won't tell you I think the broiled fish at Captain D's was the culprit.  It sure was tasty, though.</div> <bR> <div> My week was done, and I was done, and it was time to cover the last 100 miles to my house in Summerville, SC.  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Monday, February 23, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> HIGH POINT, NC  Up early and on the road before daylight.  I hate that!  Did not feel too good, either.  Hurrying around all weekend, old Ben just didn't get enough good old rest and relaxation.  Maybe I'll find it on the road.</div> <bR> <div> Began talking into the tape recorder and things changed.  Suddenly I was alert and being bombarded with idea after idea, kind of like a meteor shower.  Amazing how the recorder always works to stimulate my thought and creative powers.</div> <bR> <div> Drove about five hours and arrived at Farmville, NC.  Spoke at Sam Bundy Elementary for a large audience of upper elementary kids.  They were great and Ben was pretty good, too.  Many compliments after the program.  The best one was from a small black boy in a white tee shirt.  He said, “You did everything perfectly.”  I said, “Yes, I did, but it doesn't go like that always!”  I opened up my bag and gave the kid a bunch of extra bookmarks I carry for the purpose of handing to kids who compliment Ben.  Actually, I get nowhere near as many compliments as I should.  It's tough work exciting large audiences of little kids about reading and then keeping them manageable, too.  What I do is magical.</div> <bR> <div> After Farmville, I headed due west.  This afternoon I buzzed by a number of places you have probably heard of:  Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro . . . and somehow I ended up in High Point, furniture capital of the world.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Tuesday, February 24, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> FAYETTEVILLE, NC  Programs today in Lexington, Southern Pines, and Fayetteville.</div> <div> Began the day lost, was lost all day, and ended the day lost.  But, in the meantime, I performed three super programs.</div> <bR> <div> Davidson Academy in Lexington made Ben feel right at home.  Spent some time in kindergarten class waiting for the room to be set up.  Then I spoke to a hundred or more K-8s in a nice, intimate setting.  </div> <bR> <div> I could not have had more fun . . . then at the end of the program, a little girl said something that made me, and the whole room, guffaw.  When I asked for questions and comments after the program, I got a couple of very good, serious questions, and then Brianna Shipwash (a kindergartener) said:  “I went to a museum and a lady was telling me about Ben Franklin and she had this big electric ball and I put my hands on the ball and my hair shot strait out on my head and I said “I just know I am going to have a bad hair day!”  All of this was spoken to the entire group with a great deal of authority.  Everyone laughed.  It was really one of the best things I ever heard.</div> <bR> <div> Arrived at Episcopal Day School in Southern Pines, little expecting the adventures awaiting me.  First, my program was to be held in the Church, and I went into this beautiful old stone church . . . and saw a huge orange cat lounging on a chair in back where the preacher sits before beginning the church service.  Somehow the cat just made my day.  I love cats anyway, and recently I lost my best friend, my cat LaShang, who passed away.  This big orange cat in the church instantly made me feel great!  They called him the chapel cat.</div> <bR> <div> Next surprise were the 50 or 60 Ben Franklin and Mrs. Ben Franklin kids in costume that were to attend the program.  Afterwards, the real Ben Franklin, me, was to select the two best dressed up kids in a kind of Miss America contest for kids in costume.  Great fun!  I cannot tell you how much fun we had.  First contest of any kind that I judged.  Let me tell you it was not easy, but I really like the two I picked.  If email photos come in, I will put them on my website.  I'm also hopeful of getting photos for Davidson Academy.</div> <bR> <div> I've decided to focus only on the positives that happened this day, and forget the mishaps traveling.  I will say this, however, if you listen to very interesting books on tape while driving you can very easily get lost in the sand hills of North Carolina.</div> <bR> <div> The evening performance was at Headquarters Library in Fayetteville.  We had quite a mixture of folks from the very old to the toddler who wandered the room with reckless abandon until Ben finally asked her mother to come remove her from the stage.  We had home schoolers and several older kids who seemed to know a lot about everything.  Several people said very nice things after the program, so Ben left the library feeling pretty good about himself.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Wednesday, February 25, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> FAYETTEVILLE, NC  Hopped in the van at 6:45 AM and drove to Robbins, NC.   Remarkable to find that over half of the children in this school are Hispanic.  We had a large audience which included preschoolers and older elementary kids--and they were great!  Hats off to Robbins Elementary!  Afterward a couple of adult visitors said nice things about my program.  Once again I left a school feeling very good.  A couple of hours later I was back in Fayetteville, cooling my heals in my lonely motel room--a rare and wonderful afternoon off!</div> <bR> <div> <B>Thursday, February 26, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> WILMINGTON, NC  At 6:30 AM I pulled back the curtains and did a double take.  Out the window a blizzard was going on.  Snow!  Oh, no!  There goes the rest of my week!</div> <bR> <div> No one called to cancel, so I set out toward Wilmington at 8:30 AM.  Drove 30 miles an hour through some of the loveliest and most treacherous snow you ever saw.  I saw about 10 cars on 36 miles of highway, and half of those were off the road stuck in the snow.  </div> <bR> <div> After Elizabethtown, I was listening to a book on tape and suddenly noticed the snow was gone!  Lucky me.  I was probably headed to the only section of the state where schools weren't closed.</div> <bR> <div> The sun peeked out when I got to my motel on Carolina Beach.  Wind was blowing 100 miles an hour, and when I stepped out of my van I got the feeling I just might blow away.</div> <div> Traffic lights were horizontal to the road.  My suitcase which weighs at least 100 pounds blew over and started moving across the parking lot at a high rate of speed.  On the fifth floor of the hotel I looked out the window and saw a pelican trying to get some sleep on the roof of a building close-by.  I was astounded.  How did the bird not blow off the roof?</div> <div> I watched him a long time and never quite figured out how he remained on the roof.  Every-so-often a gust of wind would knock him askew, but with his long bill and huge wings, the pelican would just reposition himself.  His toes must have been imbedded in the roof is all I can imagine. </div> <bR> <div> Tonight the wind howls.  The Atlantic Ocean is ragging and palmetto trees are dancing the hulla out my window.  It is soooo nice being inside this warm, nicely appointed, decidedly upscale, motel room.  A little while ago, after dark, I looked and the pelican was still on the roof.  I may open my balcony door and invite him inside.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Friday, February 27, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> WILMINGTON, NC  Spoke at Sunset Park and Winter Park Elementary Schools in Wilmington today.  Sunset Park I remember as the only school Ben has ever arrived at in a Taxi cab!  That was a couple of years ago when I lost my car keys.  That year, and this year, the kids at Sunset Park were absolutely super!  </div> <bR> <div> Had a great program in the afternoon at Winter Park then it was jump in the van, head out of town on 74 West, and drive homeward. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Monday, March 1, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> CANTON, GA  Drove from Summerville, SC to Canton, GA yesterday.  Listened to Mary Shelly's <I>Frankenstein</I> on tape.  Time flew and suddenly I was rushing around I-285 in Atlanta.</div> <bR> <div> Visited Liberty Elementary School in Canton on their special reading day.  Large audiences of very well-behaved students.  Everyone at Liberty Elementary treated me special, and I thought they were special.  Lots of fun!</div> <bR> <div> As I was leaving the school a gust of wind took off Ben Franklin's hat and rolled it across the parking lot on its rim.  It rolled under a very large SUV.  I did not bother to look around to see if anyone was watching; I just got down on my hands and knees and crawled under that huge vehicle and retrieved my hat.</div> <bR> <div> The afternoon school was Armuchie Elementary near Rome, GA.  Oh, I had lots of fun at Armuchie!  Big audience, absolutely super kids.  A nice little girl in the front row said I visited another school she was at last year.</div> <bR> <div> Drove for days . . . and finally came to Vance, AL.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tuesday, March 2, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> VANCE, AL  I am going to stay at my very nice motel in Vance a couple of days while I visit schools in the Tuscaloosa area.  First stop, Cottendale Elementary School.</div> <bR> <div> Very nice principal.  Very nice kids.  I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Cottendale Ele.  As I was packing up my stuff to leave, the media specialist came up to me and said kind words about my program.  She wanted information to give to a local private school.  I positively live on encouraging words from students, teachers, librarians, and principals.  THANKS!   </div> <bR> <div> <B>Wednesday, March 3, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> VANCE, AL  Up early and off to Northport, AL for two programs at Faucett-Vestavia Elementary.  On a scale of 1-100 in my opinion the kids and staff at this school are 100.</div> <div> The second and third graders were as mature and knowledgeable as any I have ever seen.</div> <div> Had lots of fun with the older kids, too.  Audience size was perfect . . . less than 200 in each program.  The kids were perfect.  Ben rarely is treated so well in his school visits.</div> <div> I am willing to speak to 600+ students in program, and I feel very satisfied when these presentations go well.  But everything is so much easier and usually better with half that many kids. </div> <bR> <div> Tomorrow is a travel day, and this afternoon is R and R in the good old motel room.</div> <div> This time of year I'm either driving or speaking or getting mailings out or returning phone calls and emails.  What a luxury an afternoon with absolutely nothing to do is!</div> <bR> <div> <B>Friday, March 5, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> ATHENS, AL  A busy, fun day.  First stop, Johnson Elementary.  Ben was treated like a king and everyone was in pajamas.  I just loved this school.  School size seemed perfect, and they had a wonderful library, and everyone was just as nice as they could be.</div> <bR> <div> Second stop:  Piney Chapel.  Kids seemed to enjoy the program, and I had fun doing it!</div> <div> Thanks Piney Chapel.  I would love to return sometime!</div> <bR> <div> Third stop:  Creekside Elementary, Harvest, AL.  Over 800 came, and it was a special day of reading celebration with many activities going on.  Kids were exceptional.  Ben was challenged with the audience size, but several people said nice things after the show.  One kid during the show, Benjamin, was absolutely beside himself with being in the presence of the great man.  It is not easy to stand out in an audience of 800, but Benjamin did.  Another kid that stood out was the one dressed as Dracula.  He had the biggest fake ears!  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tuesday, March 9, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> COLUMBIA, TN  Spent the weekend at the Hampton Inn on I-65 near Columbia.  I checked in on a stormy Friday night with tornadoes in the area.  It was so nice to get off the highway and into a hotel where people were friendly and took care of you.  The room was very nice.</div> <bR> <div> Saturday I was up early, but only because I am an early bird by nature.  It is different when you have to get up early.  Having been “out there” all week it was nice to spend time indoors sorting through business and personal plans.</div> <bR> <div> Sunday, more of the same.</div> <bR> <div> Monday, a rare day off during the week.  Exactly what the doctor ordered!</div> <bR> <div> Tuesday:  This morning I drove to Fairview, TN for a program at Fairview Elementary School.  Warmly greeted by the principal.  The kids seemed to enjoy my program, and I certainly had fun doing it.  </div> <bR> <div> This afternoon, it was hop in the van and drive to Hendersonville, TN.  I visited Indian Lake Elementary School last year, so it was a fine compliment to be invited back.  I must say, the kids seemed quite pleased to see old Ben.  They were a lively, enthusiastic group and Ben had a positively thrilling time speaking to these wonderful third, fourth, and fifth graders.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Wednesday, March 10, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> LEBANON, TN  Got up before 6:00 AM to leave before 7:00 for my travels to Cason Lane Academy in Murfreesboro.  The drive was nice and pleasant and was over before I knew it.  </div> <bR> <div> In the school parking lot I could tell Cason Lane Academy was different from most schools I visit.  Many kids started arriving at the school on foot, on bike, on scooter!  And I saw kids jump off their bikes or scooters and not even bother to carry them inside or lock them to the bike rack!</div> <bR> <div> Inside I could see Cason Lane Academy was a very nice place, and I just had a very good feeling about this school.  Back in the 60s we would have said:  “It had good vibes.”</div> <bR> <div> I had a great time speaking to the lively and enthusiastic and well-mannered kids at Cason Lane.  Interesting, just after the conclusion of my second program a fire drill siren went off.  There went Ben out into the cool, blue sky morning to line up with the rest of the folks.  I am thinking:  Sure glad that buzzer did not go off one minute before when I was giving my super duper closing remarks!</div> <bR> <div> Enjoyed a pleasant drive to Lebanon.  Found a nice Comfort Suites hotel and then drove up the interstate highway to Tuckers Crossroad School.  Did I have fun at this school?  I must say I did.  Lots and lots of fun.  I felt like the Beatles in 1964:  loved, appreciated, adored.  This says tons about the manners and enthusiasm of the kids at Tuckers Cross Road.  They even applauded my singing and dancing!</div> <bR> <div> On the way back to my hotel room, I stopped off at an outlet mall, found a nice discount book store, and bought a hundred dollars worth of books for $54.  One book was called <I>Benjamin Franklin and His Electric Kite Hoax</I>.  Nothing like an armful of books, a Mountain Due and several chocolate bars to wind down after an positively electric day!</div> <bR> <div> <B>Thursday, March 10, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> MOUNT JULIET, TN   Drove 15 miles or so from Lebanon to Mount Juliet.  I notice gas is $1.65 everywhere, and that's a little depressing.  Before long it will take a hundred bucks, one Ben Franklin, to fill a tank.</div> <bR> <div> Enjoyed thoroughly my visit to Stoner Creek Elementary.  The bobcats are just super kids and once again I enjoyed wonderful Tennessee hospitality.    </div> <bR> <div> After the program it was turn the van around, point it south, and drive to Atlanta.  To avoid the Chattanooga rush hour traffic, I took a short cut across the top of Lookout Mountain.  What an interesting and historical place!  Nice views too.</div> <bR> <div> I breezed into Atlanta and lined up on I-285.  Sometime way after dark I settled into my not-so-nice-this-time Comfort Suites room off I-85 north.  All there was to do was sleep, so the room and the motel didn't matter much.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Friday, March 11, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> ATLANTA, GA  Treated warmly at M. H. Mason Elementary School in Duluth, GA.  My PTA contact helped with program set-up details and made old Ben feel very comfortable.  The principal and assistant principal welcomed me to their school.  The kids were just as good as they could be!  Afterwards kind words were said to speed me on my way with very happy thoughts about M. H. Mason Elementary.  Thanks!!!</div> <bR> <div> Cherry trees and forsythia blooming in Duluth.  Saw a redbud or two near Greenville, SC.  Drove from Duluth to Greenville to Columbia to Summerville.  It took exactly five hours and I listened to books on tape the whole way.  </div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Bens Travel Journal "><U>  Ben's Travel Journal  </U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>