Summer Vacation by Edith Kunhardt Ilustrated by Kathy Alert

Peter and Patrick were frpends. They lived next door to each other and went to the same school.  Now  it was summer and time for vacation. Patrick was going to the moutains. Peter was going to the seashore. "Good-by, good-by," they called to each other. "See you in two weeks!"   Patrick and his parents drove and drove until they came to the mountains, where the trees were talland piny. Their cabin was near a lake.  Every day Patrick and his parents went canoeing and fishing on the lake. One day Patrick caught a sunfish. Another day he caught a trout.  Every day they went swimming. Sometimes Patrick dived off Turtle Rock. Sometimes he put on goggles and looked at the lake bottom.  Every day patrick took home a somooth stone from the lake shore. One day he foumd a gray stone with a red speckles. "Red is Peter's favorite color," he thought. "I'll save this one for him.   Patrick had a pup tent. His father helped him set it up. Patrick put his sleeping bag and canteen in the tent and pretended he was camping. At bedtime, though, he liked to sleep in his own bed in the cabin.  Every night after supper Pattrick lay in his hammock and looked up  at the sky throughthe trees. He thought about the tree house  where he and Peter played togethter at home. He missed Peter, but he knew that they would see each other soon.   When it was time to go home Patrick packed his climbing stick and his smooth stones. He thought about Peter at the seashorre. He couldn't wait to see him again  and tell him allabout the mountains and the lake.   At the seashore, Peter had played in the sand every day. One day he built a sand castle.  It was very big, with lots of tunnels and turrets. He put sticks of driftwood on the turrets to make them taller.   One piece of driftwood looked like an old man's face. "This looks like those funny faces Patrick is always drawing,"   Peter thought. "I'll save it for him,"   Peter's sister burried him in the sand, all of him except his head. She patted the warm sand down all over him. He lay very still and then  let his toes wiggle. When they poked through the sand hia sister giggled and tried to cover them up.   One day it rained when they were on the beach. First there were just a few raindrops that made little dimples in the sand. People gathered up their towels and put them under beach umbrellas. When it started to thunder, everyone packed up andwent home.   The next day was bright and sunny again. Peter and his mother rode their bycycles to the light house. They climbed the winding staircase and saw the big light that shined at night for the ships at sea. Being up high remained Peter of Patrick and their tree house.   On the last night of vacation Peter and his family had a picnic on the beach. They built a fire and cooked lobster and corn on the cob. Peter didn't like lobster, so he had a peanut-butter-and -jelly sandwich and corn on the cob. Later everyone toasted marshmallows in the fire.   The next morning Peter packed his sea shells and his piece of driftwood that looked like an old man's face.   Vacations over.   Peter ran over to Patrick's house as soon as he got home.  "I brought you some driftwood from th beach," he said.  "And I brought you a red-and-grrey stone from the lake," said Patrick.   "Vacation is nice," said Peter, but I like coming home too."  "I missed our tree house," said Patrick.  "Me too," said Peter. "Want to go out there now?"   "Sure!" said Patrick.  So they did.  On the last day of vacation Patrick and his mom and dad climbed a moutain.Patrick found a stick that  helped him climb the steep parts.  At the top of the moutain Patrick and his parents ate lunch. They picked wild blueberries for dessert.