NH Agrees with Them

Just wanted to post a couple photos of the boys while they are at camp enjoying all things sports and nature and manly.


The first is a rare photo of Henry smiling at camp. I am attached to this photo as it is proof in my mind that he just smiles and smiles and smiles the whole time he is at camp. This is a blatant lie since most photos show Henry with his trademark look of staidness and solemnity. But it makes me feel better to see this one.



George the Younger, on the other hand, really does smile in all his photos. Here is the best one so far. He is acting as "mini" chief of his tribe, the Beavers. There's nothing like a summer filled with guys painting things on their bodies and then dancing around a campfire. It's so primal.

As for communication, we have been getting letters from the boys. George has been uncharacteristically verbose in the sense of what he typically writes. This year, letters can contain as many as three to four nearly complete sentences! A veritable tome of information - mainly pertaining to the number of home runs that he has hit playing whiffle ball or the fact that "it sucks" that there is no Iron Man competition at Winaukee this summer.



Henry has been significantly less bombastic in his letters. Case in point: Dear Mom. Everything is Great. Love, Henry" Shannon reports that last year she got one from him that said "Dear Shannon. Write Back. Love, Henry". There has been one exception to this. Yesterday George the Elder and I received a fairly long letter in Henry's scrawl:




If you cannot read this, do not be alarmed. The photo is kind of bad - - but it likely has more to do with H's erratic penmanship. What is interesting is that this letter, the longest of his camping experience to date, reads exactly like a letter to Amazon.com. Here is my response to him:





Hi Beans! Thanks for the long letter that we got today. Dad and I were wondering whether or not you were writing to us to tell us what you were doing at camp or whether you were writing to us thinking we were Amazon.com? Tell you what. I will send the books after you write me a real letter. That seems a fair trade, don't you think? I'm really looking forward to hearing from you!! You write me and Dad a real letter and I'll pop those books in the mail to you, o.k.? I get the letter first.


See how well I know my son? Quid Pro Quo. Gets him every time. Do I feel badly about holding his books hostage until I get a letter. Ummmm. Nope. Not a single shred of guilt.