My third week at camp is proving to be really exciting. Finally cousin Luke arrived today and you’re not going to believe it but he sneaked Laci the cat into camp with him. Oh my goodness it’s the first time a cat has been to camp. Laci is very clever and really knows how to hide so this may get very interesting. What ever will we find for Laci to eat? All of us pups hang around the kitchen back door and scrounge for scraps. I suppose Laci will figure it out. I’m told she really loves rat so I suppose that will be the end of our rat meatloaf for a while. But wait, maybe she’ll catch a big ole supply of rats and leave them at the back door of the kitchen. Then we can have our full menu of rat main dishes. Other than my favorite, rat meatloaf, we all love rat burgers, fried rat legs, rat soup, rat nachos and rat tacos. So I’m not worried at all about Laci.

I hear there’s to be a huge bonfire tonight down by the lake. I sure hope those coyotes across the lake don’t decide to make a surprise visit tonight. I heard they really love cat meat! Yikes, Laci, stick close to me and especially our camp chairman Radar. Bear is even bigger than Radar so I think we’ll all be ok. I sure hope those kids toast marshmallows and make smores. There’s normally tons of scraps because all those kids drop their marshmallows and graham crackers before they ever begin toasting. Yum, I can hardly wait. But until then it’s play time. Little Coco and I have been hard at work digging holes all under the front porch of the main cabin. We have made tunnels from the main camp to each cabin. That way we are connected underground and can hide when too many kids are screaming and running. After digging all those tunnels Coco and I headed to the lake for a swim. Little Coco’s white fur looked solid gray from all the dirt we dug out and well I looked pretty gray myself. Dive in Coco! Watch me. I go out on the edge of a big old root sticking out over the water and dive. Come on, it’s fun. Coco soon got the hang of how to dive. We were having a great time when all of a sudden I looked up and saw all of the camp kids. They were jumping in for their afternoon swim. Talk about speed dog paddling, Coco and I hurried to the side of the lake and got out of their way. Those kids soon began jumping on that huge blob and bouncing all over! I tell you, we got out just in time. I thought those kids were in craft time but I suppose we were greatly mistaken.

After a cool nap under some trees, Coco and I caught up to all our pup friends. Where have you all been this afternoon I asked Radar. Radar said, we ran into town and waited outside this really great steak house for scraps. It was beyond amazing!

Seriously? You didn’t wait for me and little Coco? Coco and I have worked hard all afternoon digging our tunnels. What about Laci? Where was she all this time. Radar said, Laci is the one who directed us to the steakhouse. Cats have a very keen sense of smell so she had no trouble at all finding the best place to hang out as we waited for scraps of food. Well, thanks a lot for sharing with me and Coco.

Evening is here and all the kids are down by the lake waiting to make smores. Pop, pop, pop, bang! Radar, what’s that loud noise? It sounds like lightning. Oh no, wait. I see sparkles up in the sky. Please tell me its not fireworks! No! Those things hurt my little ears so bad and they are so scary! They are sort of pretty with all the colors they create up in the night sky. Coco is shivering and she’s so scared and Laci ran up a nearby tree. Run for the tunnels everyone! We can wait there until the fireworks are done. Just when I thought we were going to have a lovely evening. It will be midnight now before we can go scavenge for smores leftovers.

So down in the tunnels it’s story time. Coco asks, why do all the kids like fireworks? Radar, the wise camp chairman tells him they have this celebration each year on July 4^th to celebrate the birth of our great country, The United States of America!