Camp Ah Wahn Gohom

Dear Mom,

Thanks for the package. Unfortunately, Mr. Bulliman was in charge of mail call and he makes us "pay" for our packages by doing something embarrassing. I had to massage his stinky feet. Gross!  I washed my hands ten times before they finally smelled clean.  I guess the homemade cookies from Granny made it worth it. I ate them for lunch.

We've been busy and I've made a few friends. On Monday, our group took a canoe trip around Lake Sludge. (Don't worry, Mom, we wore life jackets.) Jeremy fell out of the canoe while leaning over the edge of the boat to poke a fish. He tumbled in, head first. Fortunately, the water was only two feet deep. He had to walk back so he wouldn't track slimy mud from the bottom of the lake into the canoe.

On Tuesday we practiced archery. It's harder than doing it on the Wii!  I could barely pull that string-thingy back far enough to make the arrow go anywhere. One camper learned how to shoot a bow from his uncle. According to Brutus, Uncle Elmer hunts rabbits in the woods behind his house. He showed me a rabbit's foot on his key chain and now I can't stop thinking about some poor three-legged bunny hiding from Uncle Elmer. Creepy. Once Mr. Hood, the instructor, held the bow steady and I hit the target, but the arrow bounced off the hay bale and landed in the grass. I guess I won't be hunting "wabbits" when I grow up.

We hiked Mount Cumulus on Wednesday. It took all day, but at the summit it was too cloudy to see anything. My hiking buddy, Michelle, was a whiner. She kept asking our leader how much further it was to the top. Eventually, Miss Sandy snapped. "Not another word or I'll cover your mouth with masking tape!" That silenced her. Anytime Michelle started to speak, she'd look over at Miss Sandy and then clamp her mouth shut. The hike was nicer after that.

Yesterday was the Tournament of Strength. Ugh. You know me, I would rather read than see how many chin-ups I can do (which, apparently, is only one). The counselors organized challenges: log rolling, rope climbing, a bungee run and an obstacle course. We finished with a massive game of tug-of-war which resulted in two skinned knees and rope burns on both hands. Our team won. Yipee, I guess.

They're serving grilled cheese for dinner. The food here hasn't been great, but I suppose they can't ruin that, right? Tomorrow's final dinner is International Night with foods from around the world. I heard a terrible rumor they're serving sushi.  I don't know if you'll get this letter before you arrive on Sunday, but if so, please bring me a hamburger from Greasy Jay's. I think I'm going to be hungry.

Give Dad a hug. I can't wait to come home. Next summer, I promise I won't say, "I'm bored," if you promise you won't send me away.

Love,
Joe

__________________________

I actually love sushi, but I know
a few kids who don't, wink, wink.

Linking up this week with Writings and Ruminations. 512 words inspired by the picture above and including the following 5 words: Granny, masking tape, cheese, mud and massage.