A Very Thurber Summer

I have been re-reading “Carnival” by James Thurber and I had forgotten how much I missed his voice. With my nephew off to summer camp, I had been encouraged to drop him a letter. So I have. One every day since the suggestion. The problem is that he probably thinks I am insane, because now all of them sound like James Thurber has been writing my nephew. I am going to share them with you.

Here is the first letter.

Dear E, The Intrepid Camp Conqueror,

I imagine this letter finds you wrestling gallantly with the raw enigmas of the untamed outdoors. Yes, the wilderness in its most genuine sense: forests so thick they could hide a battalion of Bigfoot, lakes so clear you could read a love letter at the bottom, and possibly an amiable bear or two with a peculiar affinity for strawberries and cream.

It takes me back to my youth at camp when I was as young and fearless as you. I battled mosquitoes as if they were ferocious dragons and held my ground against raccoons who mistook my sleeping bag for an all-you-can-eat buffet. Yet, amidst such rambunctious chaos, I found the seeds of tales that continue to amuse and amaze me.

Your Aunt sends her love and asks if you’ve seen the mysterious tie-dye Sasquatch, which, as rumors whisper, is fond of Emily Dickinson and long walks by the moonlight. In her infinite wisdom and appreciation for the peculiar, she has decided that such a creature might be a delightful companion for her morning tea. Should you encounter this illustrious being…