Dear Linda and the Flintstone Gang--

I miss you all, but I am having a smashing time. (Mr. Giles, the librarian, says that word, smashing, and it means something good, not breaking something. Isn't he funny?) we're going horseback riding this afternoon, and the camp activity for today is seashell art! I will be getting my uniform tomorrow. I can't wait.

Love, Hitty Julie

Dear Mom Pat,

We are all having a great time! Did you know that there were other Hittys here that were Thompson girls besides US? We found a box of flyswatters. They were a lot of fun to chase each other with, until Mr. Giles came along and took them away. Oh well, there's always the pond! No, wait. We are banned from the pond. I can't remember why. Something to do with mud and the nature journals.

Love from All, the Thompson Girls

Dear Hitty Mom Barbara!

It is a lot of fun here. I found a fishworm. I have a new best friend, Hitty Iris Raikes. I'm going diving tomorrow! I went fishing yesterday, but didn't catch any fish. The water here is cold, but I like it. There are lots of trees to climb! I like ALL of the girls in my cabin.

SWAK, Hitty Sue Starkey

Dear Sylvia and Hitty family,

It is way hotter here than Texas because of the humidity, but I don't mind. We ate outside last night, and great-Aunt Teddie gave us all homemade ice-cream for dessert. I dropped mine, but there was plenty, and I got another cone. We made banners yesterday, and today my cabin will go fishing.

Sincerely, Hitty Rachel

Dear Mom Eileen,

The weather has been nice, and we've been swimming. I passed up to level five, and am allowed to go in the deep end past the ropes. Miss Summers says that I am a natural and should try out for a swim team. She is teaching us field hockey this afternoon. I don't know if I'll do as good there.

Yours, Hitty Pat

Letter to the Hittygirls and Hittyschat Groups:

Hello, every Hitty on our lists! And all your people too! We are having a fun time. Mrs. Plum said we could write a big group letter today, telling about last night. We had a humongous cookout. Hitty Iris Raikes dropped two hot-dogs, but Roger ate them, so it was OK. Roger is Mrs. Plum's Saint Bernard. He is the not-drooling kind, though, so he's really cool. He doesn't have a barrel under his neck. Hitty Violet loves him and calls him sweetums. We have two Hitty Violets, and A Hitty Rose and Hitty Wendy Rose. It's cool having name twins!

After the cookout, our counselors took us to the top of a big hill where they had another smaller campfire, and we sang songs until dark. We played a game called 'Mafia', that was really fun, although it was a sitting down game, and we didn't get to run around. Then, when it got dark, they showed us the big surprise. There were two telescopes, and we got to see Mars through them! We took turns, and everybody got to look as long as they wanted. I looked at the moon too, which was cool. Hitty Rose was the luckiest, because a shooting star went over when she was looking. But the rest of us got to see the shooting star, so it was OK, really. Mrs. Plum says that Mars won't be this close to earth again for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years, and so this is something to tell our grandchildren. That we saw Mars, I mean, not that we saw the shooting star.

Today we will get to ride on the horses! My cabin is up first, which will be fun. Hitty Daphne brought her own horse, so that means there are three horses, two ponies, and even our goat! Mrs. Plum says us bigger girls can't ride on the goat, but the smaller girls can! They will have fun. First we are going to make apple slices for the horses, and then we will feed them, and let them get to know us. Of course, they know all the AGA girls, but they don't know the other campers. Mrs. Plum says that our horses have the patience of Job. Whatever that means.

OK, gotta go. Hitty Sue and Hitty Pat are yanking on me to hurry up, so we can go feed the horses!

Sincerely, Hitty Iris Raikes and the whole camp.