Canada

       Meagan and Patrick arrived at Shawmere at 11 a.m. on a Saturday. Andy had been there for two hours already. He was waiting impatiently when they arrived at Meagan and Patrick’s grandfather’s cabin to pick Andy up. They sat by the fire pit almost silently for about a half hour until Emily and her crew drove up. The three of them walked across the road to their cabins to help them unpack. Meagan, Patrick, Emily, and Rachel have been going up to Shawmere since before they were born. This year was only Andy’s second time. Jessica and Erica, Emily’s two best friends, and her boyfriend, Jonathan are completely new to Shawmere. It didn’t take long for everyone to become friends. Vacation had finally begun.

       Emily and Meagan have been anticipating how much fun their Canada visit was going to be ever since they left Canada last year. Until February, they had no idea there would be so many people. That fact made them even more excited. They knew this year would be unforgettable.

       Jon and Emily have been dating for six months. Emily invited him and his sister Jessica to stay in the cabin next to the Disbrows. The problem with Jon being up is that Andy liked Emily. They live in two different states, so he thought it would be pointless to like her. Everyone else is convinced that Andy hasn’t given up yet. He claims he hasn’t liked her since last year, but he’s very stubborn so it’s hard to tell. He wouldn’t even go to the hospital to get stitches or to get a hook removed from his thumb.

       On Tuesday night, it was too damp to have a campfire. Everyone was inside when Andy, Meagan, and Patrick heard rustling outside, but they brushed it off as the trees blowing in the breeze. They knew they were wrong when there was a thump and a bang at the door. Meagan opened the inside door and looked down to see a raccoon! Andy tried to scare it away by barking. It worked for about two minutes. When the raccoons came back, Andy, being the crazy, stubborn person that he is, ran outside and chased them away. Meagan and Patrick were able to hear his barking from inside the cabin!

       When Andy found out that Meagan and Rachel thought he was flirting with Emily, he wasn’t very happy. He wasn’t upset for very long, though. Andy built a campfire on the day of the fish fry, which was also the day he hit Meagan in the face with a tennis ball. He lit it when he came back from fishing and it was too dark to see your hand in front of your face. Everyone came that night, except for Jessica because she was already sleeping. When Andy, Emily, and Patrick went to get more firewood, Erica, Jon, Meagan, and Rachel decided to hide. When they came back from the woodshed, the others were nowhere to be found. They finally found them face-down on the ground, away from the fire’s light. Everyone was laughing and Emily was freaking out because they scared her. She then decided to play dead, and Jon had to carry her back to the fire.

       Friday was the annual good-bye fire. Andy built and lit that one too. Jessica and Jon were already gone. The remaining six were sitting around the fire when a raccoon showed up and, of course, Andy scared it away again. Emily decided to play with a flammable pine branch that was taller than her. The branch was huge and she couldn’t handle it. She dropped it in the fire, engulfing the branch in flames. Andy grabbed it from her and brought it down the lake to put it out. After that series of events, it was time for the most hated part of the trip: saying good-bye. Everyone exchanged numbers, promising to keep in touch until next year. The bucket of water was poured over the fire, and everyone walked away as the flames went out.