“We should start seeing some of it in the next few months. I’m really looking forward to being the first gallery in LA to show her work.”

“Yeah. I’m sure she will be in demand by then.

***

“So what do you think about the summer camp idea?”

“What more can you tell us?” Tina asked.

“Well I discovered it when I was online looking for summer activities for the kids. You know it’s not so easy to entertain a five year old, a three year old and an 18 month old all at the same time. Needless to say they have varied interests and attention spans. Anyway, I came across a sleep-away camp located about two hours from here and they take kids as young as three. I did the research, got recommendations and even spoke to some of the parents whose kids have been there. They have a really good reputation. They are accredited by the American Camp Association and they also hold membership in the Western Association of Independent Camps which requires them to adhere to health and safety, program activity, staff training and facility-maintenance guidelines. They offer a traditional summer camp experience where they emphasize the outdoors and do activities that build self-confidence and promote individual growth. The staff is mature and well-trained. They are all CPR, First Aid, and Life-Guard certified. Several of the parents that I spoke to said their kids loved it so much that they return year after year.”

“That sounds really great Lisa. You’ve done a lot of research, but we can’t trust our little girls to just anybody. What about staff to camper ratios?” Bette inquired.

“They will be in groups of 6 per cabin and assigned one counselor that stays with them overnight. They have another relief counselor that will rotate in and out to help out.”

“What about the programs? Are the activities prescheduled or do they have flexibility to choose on their own?” Tina asked since this was an area of expertise for her.

“It’s a combination of both. They have scheduled supervised activities like water sports, horseback riding, basketball and volleyball. But they also have arts and crafts and music and drama and such where the kids can decide what they want to do. I really think it will be a great experience for Sophie. I would love if Angie can do it with her. The best part is that they offer family weekends so we can all go up and spend the weekend with the kids. I was thinking of maybe sending her for two weeks and we could do the family weekend either the first weekend or the last one before they come home.”