It's Not a Horse Camp
With the elevated risk of travel and the need for a two-week quarantine on both ends, we are staying in Jerusalem for the summer. Lena's biggest regrets were to not see friends and family, but also to miss out on her promised horse-riding camp. Luckily, there are riding schools in the area and one in particular had a program for the summer. The stable is on a forested hill with trails and is cool and breezy, even with the intense summer sun and heat. The owner is a South African-born Israeli who fully enjoys the American cowboy lifestyle, complete with Stetson hat and an office full of memorabilia. So for two weeks, Lena has been working on her archery and lassoing skills. She does not know any of the other children, but she quickly memorized the names of every single horse. At a certain point, the Israeli authorities declared that all summer camps would close, worrying us greatly. When asked, the owner plainly said, "We're not a camp, we're a working stable." So....