Little Rock, Arkansas

Date: JANUARY 2013
Destination: Little Rock, Arkansas
Miles from Mart, TX: 428

Flat Kinsey went on an adventure with my Aunt Angie today.  She works at a photography studio in Little Rock, Arkansas.   

She interviewed Flat Kinsey for a studio position. 

After work they headed to Baptist Health Schools of Nursing. 

I hope Flat Kinsey was quiet while Aunt Angie studied!

Hot Springs, Arkansas

Date: JANUARY 2013
Destination: Hot Springs, Arkansas
Miles from Mart, TX:403


Flat Kinsey went to "opening day" at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas with Granna, T, Aunt Angie, and Uncle Nick.  They watched the races with a crowd of 19,633.

Oaklawn first opened on February 24, 1905 with a crowd of 3,000.  The Hot Springs Mayor John Belding declared a half-day holiday for the city. The first race at the new track was won by Duelist, owned by John W. Schorr.  Oaklawn is one of the premier race meets in the country. Best known as the home of the Racing Festival of the South and Arkansas Derby, the track has played host to some of the biggest names in the sport including champions Temperence Hill, Cigar, Curlin, Paseana, Azeri, Tiffany Lass, Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Rachel Alexandra, Lookin At Lucky, Blind Luck and Zenyatta.

  Below are some pictures of me hanging out with my family at the Arkansas Derby on April 16, 2011 at

Oaklawn Park.

This is my cousin Liam.  We got to watch the races from the infield.

This statue is in the infield.

Me at the entrance.  Can you see the race horse and jockey behind me?

A day at the races with the Kelly Family!

North Little Rock, Arkansas

Date: SEPTEMBER and NOVEMBER 2012
Destination: North Little Rock, Arkansas
Miles from Mart, TX:432 

Flat Kinsey visited my dad's parents, Tim and Katie Kelly, also known as Granna and T.  They live in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  North Little Rock is a city located across the Arkansas River from Little Rock in the middle of Arkansas. It's population is about 65,000.  Burns Park, located about 6 miles from Granna and T's house, is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States. 

Flat Kinsey loved to watch cars drive by their house.  City streets are a lot busier than where we live.

This is the house my dad lived in until he was 10 years old.

This is a picture of the Old Mill, located in North Little Rock.  It was featured in the opening scene of Gone With the Wind.  It is free to visit and is open from dawn until dusk.  There are picnic areas, open grass for playing, and places you can play in the water.  The park is filled with sculptures of toadstools, tree stumps, rustic seats, and a tree branch entwined bridge that connects the mill to the rest of the park.  Each piece is made to represent wood, iron or stone.  We visit the park often to take family pictures.

My mom and dad had their first picture taken together here in August 2004.

This is one of my first pictures at the Old Mill.  It was taken in February 2007.  I am sitting in one of the sculptures.  It looks so real!

I really wanted to play in the water, but it was too cold and mom and dad wouldn't let me. This picture was taken in September 2007, just seven months after the picture above.  WOW I grew fast!!!

This is a picture of Granna sitting on a stone tree and bench sculpture.

A basket sculpture.

It looks like Granna had fun playing in the park train!

T's turn! Check out this awesome tree sculpture! It looks sooooo real! Hey, how did he get in there?

T and Granna took Flat Kinsey on a tour of North Little Rock, to show her some places that might bring back some memories for my dad.

This is where my dad used to play soccer.  He was really good back in the day!

When I visit, we get to order pizza and have it delivered to the house!!!

Hanging out with Granna and T!

This is where my dad and his three brothers went to school from kindergarten to eighth grade.  It is located in North Little Rock.

This is a statue of Mary that stands in front of the school's church.

This is where my dad and his brothers went to High School.  It is located in Little Rock, about 30 minutes away from where they lived.

This is a statue of Father Tribou and a student in front of the high school my dad attended.

I took Flat Kinsey to eat at Wendy's, on our way to watch my dad and uncles play kickball at their old high school.

This is my Uncle Nick.  He had a shirt made with his brother, my Uncle Adam's picture on it.  I called it Flat Adam!  Flat Adam can travel wherever Nick wants to go. LOL!!!

Redding, California

Date: November 2012
Destination: Redding, California
Miles from Mart, TX:1,960

Redding, California is located in the north end of the Sacramento Valley, in Shasta County.  The population is approximately 89, 861. Redding is halfway between Mexico and Canada.  The biggest employers are hospitals, state and local governments.  It was formed in 1887 with 600 people.  Copper, iron, and cinnabar mining were the main industries by 1910.  Redding is also a tourist area with two very large lakes.  The average temperature in January is 46 degrees and in July it’s 82 degrees.

Flat Kinsey visited my Aunt Miriam's mom, Catherine, and her husband, Ramsey, in Redding, California.  Below are a few pictures they have sent me of their adventures with Flat Kinsey.

Flat Kinsey at Catherine's favorite Italian restaurant.

WOW! Look at that delicious California pizza!

Ran some errands with Ramsey today.  Gas in California is $3.59 a gallon!  That's about 59 cents higher than Waco! Glad we live in Texas!

They ate at his favorite restaurant, which serves Greek food.  It looks like Flat Kinsey ate some too.  She has some yogurt sauce from the gyro on her face!  Ramsey said she had some coffee too and was up all night!!!

Next they went to the bank.  Flat Kinsey got to ride in a tray where you put your deposits at the bank.  The bank tellers were so kind and held Flat Kinsey for a picture.

Finally, they stopped by Lowe's and Home Depot looking for a new hose for their dishwasher.  It was raining!!!

Copley Mountain is a mountain summit in Shasta County, California. Copley Mountain climbs to 2,927 feet above sea level.

Ramsey took Flat Kinsey for a little off road adventure. This is Angus!  Ramsey said he is a big baby! LOL!!!

Ramsey didn't have a car seat so he buckled Flat Kinsey in for the ride!

They got stuck, but Ramsey saved the day.  Neither of them were ready to stay the night outdoors!

Flat Kinsey loved seeing the beautiful mountains!!!

This is the Sundial Bridge in Redding.  It has a frosted glass deck and beautiful Spanish tile. The bridge has a very unique design. The 217-foot pylon acts as a sundial, which tell time on a tile covered garden border on the north side of the bridge. The designer was Santiago Calatrava.  To him the bridge resembles a bird in flight. The bridge was completed in 2004. The 217 foot mast points due north at a cantilevered angle, allowing it to serve as the pointer of a sundial; it has been said to be the world's largest sundial. The Sundial Bridge pointer's shadow is cast upon a large dial to the north of the bridge, although the shadow cast by the tower is exactly accurate on only one day in a year – the summer solstice, June 20 or 21. The time is given as Pacific Daylight Time. The tip of the shadow moves at approximately one foot per minute so that the Earth's rotation about its axis can be seen with the naked eye.

If you look real closely you can see a lightening rod at the top of the structure.

A sundial is an instrument showing the time by the shadow of a pointer cast by the sun onto a plate marked with the hours of the day. The sun passed over these two markers while we were visiting the bridge.

Ramsey is walking on glass!!!!! They were going to make the glass clear, but someone decided at the last minute that people might get scared if they could see the water moving below their feet. When people are walking on it you can feel the bridge move. Scary huh? See the big cables? They will move if you shake them.

This is the view from the Sundial Bridge. The Sacramento River runs under bridge.

This is the Kennedy Memorial Plaque at the Whiskeytown Dam.

Ramsey recorded President Kennedy's speech, but it was difficult to hear. 

Wiskeytown was a popular mining town during the Gold Rush era.  It is now under water.  The Whiskeytown Dam is the home of the “glory hole.”  The "Glory Hole" is a giant drain.  Water spills over its lip when the lake reaches 1,602,000 acre-feet. The funnel's largest diameter is 72 feet and narrows to about 28 feet. It is designed to handle a maximum of 362,000 gallons of water per second, which occurs when the lake level rises to 15.5 feet above the level of the funnel.

President John F. Kennedy greeted more than 10,000 people on September 28, 1963 at the Whiskeytown Dam dedication. Water from the dam was intended to provide irrigation water to the Central Valley.

Picture of the Whiskeytown Dam.

This is what they call the "Glory Hole".

Picture online of the "Glory Hole" in action. (Uploaded by CarlMcCabe)

This is Shasta State Park, also referred to as "Old Shasta Town."  In 1850, Shasta was the center of Northern California. Temporary camps, tents, and shacks turned into permanent residences. It became a "town" with hotels, stores, and saloons. You can visit ruins of remaining buildings and imagine what it was like to live there during the "Gold Rush."  The "Gold Rush" brought people to the area, seeking their fortunes. A couple of initial settlements grew together into a "town," but a couple of big fires soon led to the construction of the "fireproof walls" and Iron Shutters.

Restored Old Shasta Bakery Building
There is also an old jail that has now been turned into a museum.  The jail cells are downstairs and have mannequins dressed up as bad guys in the cells..

Old Shasta Fireproof Buildings from 1852

More Old Shasta Fireproof Buildings from 1852

Old Shasta Masonic Building

Old Shasta Courthouse Museum opened in 1950

We visited the Tuscan Heights Lavender Gardens. It is located on the mountain side in Whitmore, California in the Shasta Cascade Mountain Range, 35 miles east of Redding, California. It smelled soooooo good! The Tuscan Lavender is a great producer of essential Lavender oil and is one of their main plantings. It produces one of the sweetest smelling oils distilled. Tuscan Oil is what they use when making some of the products they sell, such as, organic bath and body products. 

This is Richard.  He is making oil from the lavender plants.

This dog belongs to one of Ramsey's friends.  The dog's name is KINSEY!