Tanya over at The Other Side of the Road posted today that her daughter is off to a summer program, living in a college dorm, taking an academic course, and getting a taste of college life. It reminded me of the summer we took Sophia to Houghton College for a week-long riding camp. She was considering an equine major for college so it seemed a great way to check out the college's facilities and have a fun summer experience. We drove from Rhode Island to western New York and since it was her first lengthy stay away from us, we stayed in an inn on the edge of the campus just in case she wasn't comfortable with the experience. As it turned out, we didn't see her again after we dropped her off until it was time to pick her up - she had a wonderful time.
Houghton College is a Christian liberal arts and sciences college located just south of Buffalo, New York. They have a beautiful campus and an excellent Equestrian Studies program.
While Sophia was at camp, Vic and I took off in a different direction each day and explored the local area. We visited Letchworth State Park with its Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls; Cuba, the birthplace of Charles "Pa" Ingalls, the father of Laura Ingalls Wilder; Jamestown, the birthplace of Lucille Ball with its great Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center museum; Lake Erie; Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario, and we made an overnight trip to Niagara Falls. This particular section of western New York has a large Amish community. It was quite a trip in the summer that gas prices hit $4.29 a gallon.
Sophia enjoyed the camp so much, she went back the following summer.
2008 and 2009.
