A Fresh Air guest of the Knaggs/George family, Belleast Elisma "Bella" Smart, 11, "won every conceivable prize there is" at the Monroe carnival said Alexandra Knaggs, 10. She and Bella hurried toward the kitchen's center island where stuffed animals, previously hung on a carnival shelf, crowded other crafts, photographs, and a few snacks. Made of synthetic fur and plastic eyes were a dinosaur, duck, dog, horse, and a bear. Joining their menagerie was a lively sock puppet, which Bella animated with her hand and was soon tugging Alexandra's hair.

Visiting Alexandra and her family for the fifth year, Bella said, "I like how friendly Alex is and when I come - they treat me like family."

"It's interesting to see what having a sibling is like," said Alexandra. She and her father, Ryan Knaggs, and mother, Courtney George, formerly of Sandy Hook and now living at 54 Main Street, welcome Bella annually through the Fresh Air Fund. According to freshair.org, "Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has unlocked the limitless potential of more than 1.8 million New York City children. Each year, thousands of children enjoy outdoor summer adventures through visits with volunteer host families along the East Coast and Southern Canada and at The Fund's five overnight camps in Fishkill, NY. Fresh Air children also participate in year-round leadership and educational programs."

Soon after Bella arrived on July 7, she was part of a family trip to Rhode Island to visit Alexandra's grandmother. She had also spent some of her time at a West Hartford farm picking berries, and attended a farm camp where she made her puppet.

The girls' imaginations and chatter took rapid turns.

Glancing out at two scooters leaning on the porch, they laughed, "We really like going outside."

"You look out a window and you see trees and trees and more trees," Bella said.

With bedtime on her mind, Bella said, "It's not hard to sleep, no." With an eye toward the constant Main Street traffic, she said, "I am used to noise."

"It's white noise, like rain," said Alexandra.

"At the carnival I wore a pink wig and told everyone it was real," Bella said. The girls laughed again, remembering that the wig "almost flew off" while they rode the Scrambler.

Should they make a barn and a puppet theater?

"Can you show me how to make a puppet?" Alexandra asked.

"You get a sock and string or felt and cut out ears and eyes," Bella said. Turning her puppet toward Alexandra, she said, "When a llama breathes on you it means hello."

Then, rolling in circles on their scooters, the friends were quiet for a moment. Stopping side by side, Bella said, "It's nice to wake up and see my friend that I don't see during the school year."

She wants to grow up to be a doctor, Bella said. "What about you Alex?"

Alexandra "wants to do fashion," she said, and is also "interested in architecture."

"Architects have to do things perfect," Bella said.

"I like drawing and clothes and styles," Alexandra said. Her favorite television show is Project Runway.

"I like art shows," said Bella. "It shows you how to do art out of recycling."

Maybe on Wednesday they could open a lemonade stand, they said. They would need to paint it and make signs, and also make the lemonade. "Might have to postpone to Thursday," Alexandra said.

"My father told me a family secret seasoning, but I can't tell you … wait, how did we get here in the conversation?" asked Bella.

With one foot pushing against the pavement, Bella and Alexandra wove back and forth in front of a small garage. Are the orange flowers called day lilies? "I thought they were tiger lilies," Bella said.

Bella said she likes art and math. "In order to be a doctor you need science and chemistry," she said.

"What type?" Alexandra asked.

"The kind for kids," Bella said.

"A pediatrician?" Alexandra said.

Newtown is "quiet, nice, relaxing," said Bella.

"Lemonade, 50 cents a cup?" asked Bella, returning to the lemonade stand proposal.

"A dollar is too expensive," Alexandra said.

The girls had earlier seen a cluster of ants attacking a beetle. "But, the beetle won," Bella said.

"Was really interesting. We watched and tried to help the beetle," Alexandra said.

Maybe the beetle had wandered into "ant territory," Bella said.

Stepping back inside, Mr Knaggs said he would be starting dinner soon, and their evening together began.

Ms George said her family began hosting in 2013, "and Bella was our first guest. She was 7 years old and it was her first time away from her parents."

Familiar with the Fresh Air Fund, she had wanted to host for some time. "We weren't up to the challenge when we were new parents, but when Alexandra was nearly 7 we thought we had enough parenting chops to host." They hoped to host a child near in age to Alexandra so that they could do things together.

She said, "It has been a wonderful experience for us as a family - especially since Bella has returned and we have developed a close relationship. It has been fun to see the girls grow over the years and I think it has been a stronger experience for Bella to return to a family and community with which she is familiar. We try to do some things year after year - and some new things each year."

Ms George thinks of hosting as a "cross-cultural experience in which we all benefit from spending time together and learning about each other's ideas and background and traditions. It is rewarding for all of us."