Our Austin House Sitting Gig!

We originally only planned to be in College Station for one month but after my first eye surgery it was obvious we needed to extend another month. As a result we have done all the things we wanted to do and still had a long time to be in College Station. So what did we do?

Well we found another house sit to beak up the monotony.  We had been planning to take a day trip over to Austin Texas (another town we lived in for a while) but after  some searching online I found a great house sit in Austin.

The beauty of housesitting is YOU choose which houses and pets you want to sit for. You apply and hope to be selected. This one was in a high rise condo on Town Lake right in the center of downtown Austin.

We applied for it only to be told that they had already found a sitter for the condo. Sigh, back to the drawing board. We always have believed if it was meant to be it would be… Well, a day later we received an email via Trusted House Sitters from the Austin condo people saying that their sitter had to back out so the couple invited us to take the job!

We agreed, packed our bags and drove the 100 miles west over to Austin. Finding the high rise condo in downtown Austin through some construction was a bit confusing but soon we were winding our way up through the parking garage. We were met by one of the condo owners who gave us a tour of the condo and the building’s facilities.

She introduced us to Mooch the cat and Ginger the sweetest most laid back dog we have ever been around. Once the owners left we went back to our car for our bags  and settled in for our 5 night stay in downtown Austin.

  

The view from the condo’s patio was no doubt one of the best views one could have in the entire city of Austin. Looking down to our right we could see the pool on the tenth floor, Front and center was a panorama of Town Lake looking into Congress Avenue’s famous “bat” bridge sweeping over to a great view of the downtown skyline.

Well the five days went by fast and we never ever once drove the car because everything we wanted to see and do was within walking distance from the condo. We toured the Texas state capitol building, toured the University of Texas campus and walked all around downtown Austin.

We had a blast visiting Austin once again and really enjoyed the fur babies we house sat for. With us not having pets anymore it is always a treat to have the opportunity to love on these pets.. Mooch and Ginger were a delight to take care of and to provide belly rubs or ear scratches whenever needed. Another successful house sit is now under our belt and we both really look forward to the next one…

NOTE: We are now eastbound and will stay in Vidor TX for one night…

Our First Time House Sitting…

As mentioned in previous blogs we have been investigating house sitting as a means to travel part time once we finish with our RV lifestyle. While in Phoenix we joined Trusted Housesitters, went through the vetting process and found our first gig. This assignment sadly fell through but we continued looking and while in Tucson we found one in Queen Creek that coincided with a medical follow up appointment John had for his eye in Phoenix. Perfect! Luckily we were accepted and began corresponding with the homeowners regarding their expectations for caring for their home and pets.

We were excited to learn that we would be caring not only for the home but for 2 boxers named JoJo and Doug. Our son has had three boxers so we know the breed to be very loveable and energetic. We had the option of spending the night before their departure or arriving the morning of. We chose the morning of so we packed the night before, woke up early and drove over.

Upon ringing the doorbell we heard the dogs welcome us with a little barking but as the door opened the lady of the house commanded them to “place” which meant they were to sit beside the couch until she released them with the command to “break”. We were very impressed because knowing boxers we knew it had to be difficult for them to contain their excitement.

We received a tour of the home and some last minute instructions. We had the choice of two guest bedrooms and would have our own bathroom. The house was beautiful with a resort like feel. The large backyard had a pool, outdoor kitchen, party lights and a gas fireplace. It was beautiful! Once the owners left we began loving on our two charges. They immediately indicated they wanted to play fetch so we happily obliged. They each have their own toy and will fetch until they are too tired to take one more step. We took turns taking them outside for play and watched as they entered the pool a few times too! I sent pictures and videos throughout the stay at the homeowner's request. It was fun!

The home was a smart home so sometimes we would hear Alexa command the robo vacuum each day. Thankfully the couple likes to cook at home as we do so we had all the cooking utensils we needed. Mealtimes for the dogs were twice a day and they were so good at the commands we were instructed to give. First we told them to sit as they watched us prepare their bowls then we would place the bowls in the designated eating areas and first told JoJo to “break” and then Doug to “break” . The dogs waited patiently until hearing the command and I filmed it with the owners permission as I wanted to show my son how awesome these two boxers were!

We had a blast and the time passed quickly. We left feeling great about our first real sit. The homeowners gave us a 5 star rating and we did a 5 star review for them as well. It felt like a great getaway and once we were back at home I think both John and I missed our two new fur buddies!

NOTE: We have now left Tucson AZ heading to San Antonio for the Christmas holidays…

Chilling (or is it Sweating) in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

There are two places we love to stop at every other year when we return to the east coast. The first is a stop in North Carolina to visit our daughter Katie. Just north of Katie’s home is the second stop which is at our friend's farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

We spent a month at the farm last year to house sit for them and this year we are just enjoying our stay for a few weeks. Our visit this year is later in the summer than at past visits and as such it is a lot hotter and drier than we remember. Nevertheless it is still a very beautiful place to sit back and relax.

Each morning Sharon and I have breakfast and lounge around a bit before heading outside for our morning walk. We walk down the hillside into the Shenandoah Valley until we cross the Shenandoah River. From there we can check on the two rental properties our friend has on his farm and address any issues that may need our attention. The mountains on the east side of the farm remain vibrant and green Sharon often refers to them as looking like fresh broccoli.

We have been treated to several interesting sightings during our walks. We observed several deer along with some young newborn fawns by their sides. We also saw a bald eagle soaring about the valley on a couple of our walks. The coolest critter we saw was a ground hog swimming across the Shenandoah River.

Another great sighting occurred one morning as we were crossing the small bridge over the Shenandoah River. As we looked to our left there in the middle of the water was a doe standing “knee” deep in the river. What made this interesting was that she was gorging herself on the freshwater grasses growing in the river. We stayed and watched her eat for about 10-15 minutes. She wasn’t the least bit worried about us as we were apparently perceived to be of no danger.

Each day at the farm ends with another fabulous view of the valley below and the changing natural lighting creating different palettes of green. Happy hour then a great home cooked dinner on the back deck while looking our over the luscious Shenandoah Valley is a great way to spend our time.  We never tire of the beautiful expanse of mountain and valley scenery.

NOTE: We will stay here in the Shenandoah Valley until the end of the month and then move on northward.

Sometimes you have to go with the flow…

Our two night stay in Martinsville, VA was over it was time to move on but i sure am going to miss this scenic spot we had on the Smith River. It was nice being able to go right behind our RV and try my luck at a little trout fishing. I didn’t catch anything but sure had fun trying!

Our next planned stop was Harrisonburg, VA. Notice I said planned and “was”… When we pulled into the Rockingham Fairgrounds just south of Harrisonburg we were greeted with all the gates closed. No one answered the office phone and there was no way to leave a message nor was there any emergency contact information. We had contacted the park on a previous workday but due to miscommunication between Sharon and I we didn’t send in our preregistration papers to ensure someone would be there to let us in. Combine that with the fact the last time we stayed here we simply parked in a site and paid later…Oh well....

Anyhow since we weren’t going to be able to stay in Harrisonburg we called our friend from Toms Brook Virginia to see if it was okay to show up three days early at their farm in the Shenandoah Valley. They are not at the farm but said, Sure, come on up” and so we continued north another 60 or so miles to the farm.

We have house sat for them here before and will do so again until the end of the month. We love staying at their farm outside of Toms Brook Virginia and look forward to this extended stay. We will do a few things around the farm to repay our most kind benefactors for their generosity in letting stay at their farm.

Our first day at the farm we unloaded the food from our fridge so we would have something to eat during our stay. We also did the owners a favor and took all the trash from their two rental units to the dump. Otherwise we spent the last few days ogling out the picture windows at the views of the Shenandoah River, the Shenandoah Valley and rolling mountains on the other side of the river. Fantastic!

Yes, our life is rough on the Road of Retirement…

NOTE: We will stay here in the Shenandoah Valley until the end of the month and then move on northwards.

What we have been doing in the Shenandoah Valley…

While we certainly didn’t plan on spending a month here in the Shenandoah Valley house sitting we have surely enjoyed our stay. When we decided to stay longer we wondered what we would do here for a month. It didn’t take long to realize that we had the equivalent a small state park all to ourselves. With nearly 200 acres to hike and with the Shenandoah River flowing through the middle of it the days passed by quickly.

We marked out a nice walk of about 2.5 miles with most of it traveling along the the river frontage. With the beautiful red barn in the backdrop there is always a good photo opportunity. The hike is along a dirt road, the river, hay meadows and a forested edge. We have seen lots of deer and birds including wild turkey, osprey, pileated woodpeckers, lots of goldfinches and even a lone bald eagle.

When not hiking we took many day trips out to such cool spots as Washington DC, Shenandoah National Park and Annapolis which we have blogged about in the past several blogs. We also spent one day playing disc golf in nearby Winchester as well as exploring the town. We have found several really nice crafted beer breweries in the area. A couple of really neat ones we visited were in Wardensville, WV (yes we are very close to WV) and one in Middleton, VA. Our favorite beers however are at the one closest to us in Woodstock VA.

I would be remiss to not mention how much fun we have had at the Shenandoah River on this property. I have done a lot of fishing and caught lots of fish. Mostly smaller small mouth bass and some sunfish but still it has been loads of fun. We have access to kayaks so we have been kayaking on the river as well. The Shenandoah River is amazingly clear so one can see all the detail on the bottom thus, we also see fish scurrying about as our kayaks pass by. An occasional green heron, great blue heron or belted kingfisher are often spotted on these floats.

There is also a large flock of Canadian geese that are residents of the property and they hang around the river seemingly lounging throughout the day.  We also often see them grazing on the grasses in the hay meadows. There are a few hammocks down by the river that make watching the geese and the rippling waters of the river one of my favorite pastimes. Happy hours down by the river and on the back deck of the house are filled with beautiful vistas.

We have done a few chores for our friends (the owners) along the way as our big thank you to them for inviting us to house sit.  It is such a beautiful place to be and with a such a fantastic kitchen which we have especially enjoyed.  Our foodie needs have surely been met during our stay as we have whipped up some of our favorite dishes. There are also lots of windows in the home which bring the outside in providing views of the valley below.  Its been great and the time sure has been flying by as our month is going to be up before we know it…