As I said in my initial post about the Summer Program in our town, I intend to join the kids for at least one activity per week, which was supposed to be last Wednesday, July 17. It just happened that I was asked to help a little sooner, so on Tuesday, July 16, I went with the kids to the Kaatskill Kaleidoscope and Belleayre Beach.

On Wednesday, because of the oppressive heat, the Walkway over the Hudson objective was smartly replaced with the Kerhonkson pool, so the morning trip to Poughkeepsie was made only to the Children Museum, followed by lunch with a Walkway view…

Participating to these activities confirmed what an excellent program we have in Rochester! I find it superbly organized and extremely rich; I was impressed by the Director’s (MaryAnne Gates) and the counselors’ attention to details and dedication to the kids. Also, by how smart and well-behaving the kids are. Little Brook (4-year old) is beyond adorable and it was a pleasure to watch enjoying the beach and the water… Cheyenne is the perfect example of a kid who always lets a counselor know where she is. I was also extremely pleased to have in my groups Weston, Cyrus (who immediately detected my foreign accent and asked me about Romania!), Richie, Aleah and Lucy.

The Kaleidoscope, the Emerson’s gift shop, Belleayre beach and the picnic there, visiting the Children’s Museum in Poughkeepsie – all a real pleasure. Hopefully the photos are worth thousands of words…

Manuela Michailescu