In Praise of Something

Having a place that can offer you relaxation and freedom from work and the city is a

priceless gem. That place for me would be my family's camp. Each year my family and I

take a vacation to our camp in Pennsylvania. This camp has panoramic views of long

mountain ranges and an abundance of wildlife that roam the land and mountaintops. One

feature that we enjoy is waking up each morning with excitement, looking out the

window, and not being too surprised to see deer, elk, or even turkey grazing in the front

yard. Another one of my family's favorite things to do is to gather all of our swimming

gear; like our rafts, goggles, and creek shoes and hike to the local natural spring watered

creek. One reason we enjoy our time at the creek is that we appreciate relaxing trips

down the stream on our rafts as well as seeing all the beauty that nature offers. Nowhere

else can you hear various animals calls, view a variety of colors in the surrounding

foliage, and even, on occasion, witness an elk crossing the creek. After a long day of

swimming and enjoying the cold mountain water, we end the day by having a warm

dinner. What makes this so special is the fact that we cook our meals each evening,

outside, on an open flame. One of our traditional favorites is making mountain pies. To

make these pies you need two pieces of bread, pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and butter.

After making the sandwich itself, you place it inside of a mountain pie iron. You need to

leave the iron over the hot coals for a few minutes on each side. The melted mozzarella

cheese and steamed pepperoni is a perfect evening treat. Without a doubt our camp in

Pennsylvania is a place of praise.