"Flat" Cauli II Travel Log

Boss Lady sent moi an email that included "Flat" Cauli II's travel log on their cruise.  Unfortunately, photos did not turn out, due probably to rough seas making it difficult to hold the camera steady (see my previous post about steadicams--just saying).  But we do have a detailed itinerary report.

Valor (of the Carnival Cruise Lines)

"Flat" Cauli was the celebrity passenger on the Carnival Cruise ship, Valor, upon which "Flat" Cauli and her entourage (Boss Lady and family minions) sailed from Miami port on the last Sunday in October.  Valor departed port (wouldn't that be deported?  Makes sense to moi) at 4 p.m.

The theme for the first two days was "fun at sea."  "Flat" Cauli enjoyed the seafood bar and those cute umbrella drinks.  So that she could watch her human shipmates better, she lounged on the upper deck.

Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman Island

On Tuesday of their voyage, "Flat" Cauli walked the plank to Grand Cayman island.  She enjoyed the white, sandy beach.  There was a human who climbed inside an inflatable ball and attempted to walk on top of the ocean.  I would have paid good money from the library's coffers to have seen a video of that.

Roatan Island, Honduras

Wednesday's visit was to Roatan Island (Honduras), but "Flat" Cauli found it covered in jungle, loaded with spider monkeys (no fun being chased by them!), parrots (not nice like Sammy the Toucan), and pirates (more fun to hang with, but kind of rough gamesters).  Boss Lady treated "Flat" Cauli to a spa and massage.  That must have been heavenly!

Snorkeling at the Belize Barrier Reef

Belize Barrier Reef

Kinda Shallow . . . Now What?

Thursday "Flat" Cauli's retinue disembarked at Belize to snorkel the great barrier reef.  Like many felines, "Flat" Cauli is not a water baby, and so she elected to remain aboard ship.  She ventured aboard a dinghy, sitting along the side in anticipation of swimming dinners jumping out of the water into her mouth.  No such luck, reported Boss Lady.

Swimming Dinners . . . NOT!

Boss Lady was concerned about shark encounters, but, fortunately, none occurred.  She was equipped with a Swiss army knife, however, in the event that a shark attacked--not to use against the shark, but rather to stab her husband (and official "Flat" Cauli security dude) to save herself!  That's fairly harsh, but we gals sometimes have to do what we have to do.

Cozumel

"Friday was Cozumel," reported Boss Lady.  "We headed for the beach where we participated in a Mexican cuisine experience."  They were the chefs for the meal, which strikes moi as slightly inconvenient, since travellers are supposed to be served forepaw-and-hindpaw rather than be forced to cook for others or themselves.  It was, after all, a full-service cruise.  On the upside, Boss Lady prepared "Flat" Cauli's favorite dish (salmon).  "She licked the platter clean," observed Boss Lady.

Example of Henna Tattoo

In a somewhat startling development, "Flat" Cauli considered getting a Henna tattoo!  I'm not sure that would have fit with my feline image, but, hey, when travelling to exotic places, one considers all kinds of wild adventures.  "Flat" Cauli also enrolled in an animal towel class.  Boss Lady said that she made a monkey out of her towels, but that may have been euphemistic.

Don't All Cruise Ship Captains Look Like Captain Stubing?

(Gavin MacLeod from The Love Boat Television Series)

On Saturday Boss Lady and "Flat" Cauli met the captain of the Valor.  The captain was naturally charmed by "Flat" Cauli, and he promptly provided her extra helpings from the seafood bar.

South Beach, Florida

Sunday saw the journey's end when the ship landed in Miami.  "Flat" Cauli found her retirement home in South Beach, as she and her entourage absorbed the local color and cuisine.

Many thanks to Boss Lady for helping "Flat" Cauli II serve as special feline correspondent on the cruise.  Boss Lady has been awfully busy since returning, so I appreciate her taking time to assemble an excellent news report.  "Flat" Cauli II would have written it herself, but she's still trying to get the sand out of her cardboard fur, so keyboarding on the Library's computers remains off-limits.

Still Jealous That I Didn't Get to Go Along, Too,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Travel News Beat

P.S.  Enjoy this video of the Belize Garifuna Woman's Group performing a traditional song at Dangriga Town, Belize.

"Flat" Cauli Stars on the Radio

As previously discussed in this fine feature, "Flat" Cauli has been visiting with our Homeschool patrons, and their official reports are beginning to trickle into Broadway Gal's office.  The Sullivan family kindly took my thin, laminated alter ego home for many adventures.  For privacy reasons, we're not going to publish the first names of the family members pictured, but rest assured that they were working hard as my "special correspondents" reporting all the "Flat" Cauli news you need and want to know.  Believe moi, that's a lot.

The Sullivan family filed a "'Flat' Cauli Report" (with photos) for the dates of 10/10/11 through 10/21/11.  "Flat" Cauli visited WCBK (102.3 FM), a radio station in Martinsville, Indiana.  Pictured here is WCBK regular DJ Randall Wayne, along with "Flat" Cauli and our Sullivan special correspondent, who served as guest disk jockeys (DJs) on the radio.  You can tell they're official DJs because they wore headphones and spoke into the microphone.  They talked about home schooling and our favorite Library (no offense, Morgan the Library Bunny and MCPL).

Do you know how utterly cool it is to broadcast on the radio?  I wish I had been there, but, then, that's why we have "Flat" Cauli.  I can't be everywhere all the time.  I only have four paws.

Two Sullivan special correspondents (SSCs) further reported that "Flat" Cauli learned about miniature horseys (I call all horses "horseys," because, well, they're so cute!)  Here's a photo of "Flat" Cauli riding a miniature horsey named Apache, along with my SSCs.  We learned about horsey grooming, feeding, and cleaning (very important to be clean and have nice, clean quarters for snoozing and eating).  As one of my SSCs stated, "We think ["Flat" Cauli] wants a horse of his [sic] own now!"  (I'm a girl, BTW.)  Well, I certainly want a miniature horsey, and I (being the genuine article) rank higher than "Flat" Cauli.  Just saying.

Many thanks to the Sullivans for their fine journalism and excellent photography.  Watch for these special correspondents in a few years, because they will probably have their own radio or television programs.  We need great broadcast journalists like them.

Looking Forward to More "Flat" Cauli Reports,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

"Flat" Cauli News Beat

P.S.  All this talk about "Flat" Cauli reminded me of The Flat Cats, a Chicago-based jazz and blues swing band that perform in a wide variety of venues.  Here is a video of the group appearing live on Chicago's WGN Channel 9 morning show.

Lithuanian Adventures, Continued

by "Flat" Cauli IV

Flat Feline Foreign Correspondent

AND

Shay Laws

English Teaching Assistant
Vincas Grybas Gymnasium
Luksiai, Lithuania

While playing a pick-up basketball game with my new Lithuanian friends, I pulled a paw muscle, which sounds worse than it actually is, but it prevents moi from typing this report.  By the way, I scored eight points (including two dunks), had 12 assists, and pulled down nine rebounds.  I'm short, but I can really jump high!

Miss Shay came to my rescue by offering to type an "open letter" to my eager readers around the globe.  She concisely captured the excitement of our adventures around her school with her students.  So, without further ado, I turn the blog over to Miss Shay.

Labas, friends at the Mooresville Public Library! 

My name is Shay, and I am so excited to be hanging out with Flat Cauli and showing her around Lithuania! She arrived the other day and spent a few days recovering from jetlag (it's a long trip all the way from Indiana to Lithuania! I think Flat Cauli said that she was on the plane for over seven hours! Wow!) 

Now that she is nice and relaxed, Flat Cauli is ready to start going on some adventures. To begin her trip, she came to Luksiai Vincas Grybas Gymnasium with me to meet some of the students who sent their friends Flat Geidre, Flat Aiste, and Flat Dovydas to visit her in Indiana. The students showed her around the school and told her a little bit about its history and what it's like to be a student there today.

Here is a picture of our school. In Lithuania, "gymnasium" is usually the name given to a school that has grades 9-12 (like an American high school). Our school is a little different because we have an elementary school and middle school partnered with the gymnasium. That's why our school has students from 2nd grade to 12th grade (children in Lithuania go to Kindergarten until they are 6 or 7; that's why elementary schools start in the 2nd grade). Flat Cauli is hanging out mostly with the students in the 8th grade, but she's making friends with everyone. You can see in the picture that it has been snowing here. Usually in the winter, there is a lot of snow. It has been pretty warm here, though, this year, and this is the most snow we've seen yet!

Here is Flat Cauli visiting the students and making new friends.

Some of the students showed Flat Cauli around school.  Here she is next to the trophy case.  Our students are very accomplished. There are some awards for basketball tournaments that the school has won, music awards won by the choir, dance trophies from different competitions, and academic awards from when students won Olympiad and Informatics competitions.

Not only do our students win competitions for sports, music, and academics, but they are also great artists.  Student art decorates the halls of our school.  Here Flat Cauli is with one of her favorite pieces.

Flat Cauli likes all of the plants that we have around our school. It is very popular for people in Lithuania to have plants in their houses and offices, so of course we have a lot of plants throughout the school. Here is Flat Cauli playing in one of them!

Flat Cauli  took a break in the computer lab to check her email.  Then she went to watch some basketball. 

Flat Cauli isn't our only visitor right now.  We also have Flat Kiana from Las Vegas visiting us.  They wanted to go outside and play in the snow, but we had to tell them that they'd have to wait until after school.  We had to get back to our lessons! Here they are by the big windows so that they could look at the snow!

That was our first day at Luksiai Vincas Grybas Gymnasium together! We can't wait to go on more adventures! 

Talk to you soon,

Shay

Now that, my friends, is how you write a travel log.  Many thanks, Miss Shay, for filling-in for moi as special correspondent while my paw recovers.  Maybe it was dunking the basketball that strained it.

"Flat" Cauli IV

Flat Feline Foreign Correspondent

Reporting for Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  How huge a sport is basketball in Lithuania?  Check out this amazing finish in a game between Zalgiris and Lietuvos rytas.  That's some fantastic playing!  Are all basketball games in Lithuania this exciting?

"Flat" Cauli Captures a Friend's Heart

I am not--repeat--NOT going to catch that rattermeece that came out of the hole in the floor in the Library's Grand Hall.  Minions, make with the capturing.  Wait--That's a job for "Flat" Cauli, who needs to redeem herself anyway after that cow-tipping episode.

"Flat" Cauli, cow-tipper
(Click images to bigify)

Okay, "Flat" Cauli.  Here's the plan.  You'll hide near the hole in the floor and wait for the rattermeece to either climb out of, or (if s/he's already out somewhere) to return to, it.  Then--BOOM!--you spring for the capture. Piece of tuna-in-oil, I'd wager.

Something's different about that hole

Let's take a closer look-see, shall we?

That hole's been plugged

Well, that plug will keep the rattermeece from exiting the hole, if s/he's still inside it in the Library basement.  What if the rattermeece is upstairs somewhere?  Take cover!  I'll be hiding in the Indiana Roving Reporter Room.

Shhhhhhh!  The rattermeece is looking

for a way past the plug

Okay, "Flat" Cauli, you know what to do.

Great capture, "Flat" Cauli

"Flat" Cauli has "bagged" herself a rattermeece!  Great work!  Now we need to release the rattermeece into the wild.  Let's transfer him/her to a box.  Don't forget the air-holes.

Careful, or the rattermeece will escape!

Looks like the rattermeece is fascinated by "Flat" Cauli's smile

What's this?!?

Nose-touching between felines (or even felines and other critters) is a universal sign of affection and mutual respect.  What about the predator/prey relationship, "Flat" Cauli?  You can't be good buds with a rattermeece.

Rattermeece and "Flat" Cauli working together

at the MPL Circulation Desk

Apparently, you can.

You know what this means, of course?  We'll have to give this rattermeece a "Cauli" name.  I think Technigal already has a name picked out, however. Let's use that.

Technigal, Make It So,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Library Critters News Beat

P.S.  "One Brown Mouse," by Jethro Tull, appeared on the LP Heavy Horses (1978).  Who is in that cage, indeed?

P.P.S.  Hey, that rattermeece reminds moi of one of our book trailers.

"Flat" Cauli II on the Seven Seas

"Flat" Cauli II has returned from her cruise with Boss Lady on the Seven Seas (not the salad dressing), but I've not received a captain's log yet about the trip.  So far, Boss Lady has sent moi just one photo of "Flat" Cauli II in her cabin resting on a comfortable-looking bunk.

"Flat" Cauli II Resting in Her Cabin

(But Where's Boss Lady Going to Sleep?  Just Asking)

Since it's a distance shot, you might have trouble spotting "Flat" Cauli.  A quick edit should help.

Maybe "Flat" Cauli II secured a rollaway bed for Boss Lady.  We Caulis, "flat" or otherwise, don't like to be crowded when we're cat-napping.

Nice of Boss Lady to engage a security dude to keep "Flat" Cauli II from being overrun by legions of my fans.  He looks plenty tough, so I bet no paparazzi messed with him.  (Hey, paparazzi, you can plunk down your dollar for a pawtographed photo of yours truly, just like every other journalist.  Regular folks get them free.)  It's nice to be guarded when you're a celebrity.

Boss Lady is busy today, what with a library board meeting to wrangle tonight and all the catch-up work to do, so she'll probably submit her travel reports to moi later in the week.  Slack I can cut, especially to a colleague who signs my pay vouchers.

Looking Forward to Hearing All About "Flat" Cauli II's Adventures,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

"Flat" Cauli News Beat

P.S.  Thinking of sailing the ocean blue reminded me of "Ride Captain Ride," by Blues Image, from the group's album, Open (1970).  Sadly, it was the group's first, and only, pop chart hit.

A Ghost of a Chance

Local folklore around Mooresville, Indiana maintains that you will get one wish granted if you make it at exactly midnight on Halloween night (October 31/November 1) at the base of the gravestone of Samuel Moore, town founder (1799-1889), who is buried in the Old Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Cemetery (commonly known as "Old Cemetery") one block from the center of downtown.  I learned this from Broadway Gal, who held a truly cool and kinda scary Halloween stories reading last evening (Friday, October 28, 2011) at Mooresville Pioneer Park, where a candlelit crowd sat spell-bound as she told her moderately terrifying tales.

Broadway Gal's Spooky Halloween Storytelling

at Mooresville Pioneer Park Last Evening

(Broadway Gal is Standing on the Right)

Besides several families attending were moi, accompanied by minions (The Lady With the Red Hair and Scowl-Face), as well as "Flat" Cauli III.  I kept in the dark at some distance away, as I like to observe news events unobtrusively, and, anyway, candle flames could scorch my fur.  "Flat" Cauli appeared in my stead.

The Lady With the Red Hair and "Flat" Cauli III

(Extra-Spooky With Those Golden Eyes!)

I've blogged about Samuel Moore before, but if you really want the low-down on our town founder, you need to visit Scowl-Face's blog; or you may watch the video (below).  He can tell you more than you ever wanted to know, or listen to, about Samuel or the town's history generally.

"Narration" of Samuel Moore at the Old Settlers Picnic (1885)

by Mooresville Public Library

I was intrigued by Broadway Gal's firm grasp on our local folklore, but I had anticipated this particular legend and visited Old Cemetery before coming to the Scary Stories Reading.  It was approaching dusk when minions, "Flat" Cauli III and I arrived.  I was prepared for anything, and The Lady With the Red Hair and "Flat" Cauli showed considerable spunk, but Scowl-Face hid in the backseat of the car and refused to get out.  (Can you say wuss-puppy?)  So I had to operate the digital camera.

T.L.W.T.R.H. & "Flat" Cauli III

at Old Cemetery Entrance (Founded 1829)

"Flat" Cauli III Standing Guard

by the Maple Tree at

Old Cemetery Entrance

Samuel & Eliza Moore are buried near the back of the cemetery.  "Flat" Cauli climbed the tombstone, but no disrespect was intended, since kitties climb everything, and Samuel liked cats.  Eliza, not so much, but she appreciated hard-working, mouse-catching felines.

My little expedition also visited the graves of Washington and Mary Conduitt, which are just a few feet from Samuel and Eliza's.  Mary was their daughter.  Wash Conduitt built her a house, but she died before moving in.  Broken-hearted, Wash couldn't bring himself to live there alone, so his parents-in-law, Samuel and Eliza, took possession of the house.  It is the last standing home of the founder of Mooresville.

As we left Old Cemetery, The Lady With the Red Hair and "Flat" Cauli III posed by the commemorative stone indicating the approximate location of the old M.E. Church (1839-1882).  You can learn more about the site by clicking here.

T.L.W.T.R.H. and "Flat" Cauli III

on the Old M.E. Church Stone

That's the Washington/Mary Conduitt grave marker sticking out of the top of The Lady With the Red Hair's head.  Sorry about that.

Have we got a couple of videos detailing the history of the Mooresville M.E. Church?  You had to ask.  Once Scowl-Face gets going on local history, there's no stopping him.

So, what about my Halloween wish at Samuel Moore's grave?  Well, for starters, it's not Halloween yet, so I'll have to return next Monday (October 31).  Then we'll see how much canned tuna-in-oil Samuel's spirit can deliver for moi.  That would probably be quite a bit, since, in life, Samuel Moore was a merchant.  He established the first trading post in the area and had a general merchandising store for over half a century at the center of downtown (the intersections of Main and Indiana Streets). Once again, ol' Scowlly can clue you into the details.  That is, if you can get him out from the backseat of our car.  He's still shaking like a leaf, hiding there from the boogie men.

R.I.P., Town Founding Family,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Cemetery News Beat