Why Not.

Beth had to stare this idea in the face about a year ago.  She sold her house, moved into mine, stopped work, took her son to college, and started a new life with me, among other things in a relatively short time.  Why not…rhetorically speaking.  

Well, why not again?

So here we go… Downsizing?  Less maintenance?  A need for more stress?  Call it what you will, but we have decided to leave my residence of the last 25 years and join the townhome life.  No more lawn mowing, snow shoveling, exterior painting, etc…  Like your first jump off a high dive platform, making the move to take the plunge can come in different forms.  Some choose to run off the end and plummet, waving their arms and screaming in self inflicted terror.  For us, we put our toes in to test the water before climbing up the 30-foot ladder.  Then acclimatized to the altitude, while enjoying the views.  And finally, we snuck over to the edge, grabbed each other’s hand, and stepped off the edge into the daunting abyss of real estate.  The forms, the signatures, the walk-thrus, but ultimately the possibilities.

In the meantime, our foray into house sitting has us on our second sit.  Our first in Colorado, was pretty much what we were looking for and hoping for.  Actually more.  We made some good connections and hope to pick up where we left off, next time, trying to fit in and be as much of a “local” as we can, on a temporary basis. 

The couch trio is made of an old deaf
dog, a geriatric cat, and an epileptic
canine.

Previous to our first sit, after being rejected a number of times for other house sitting opportunities we had applied for, we made the connection between having experience and the lack of it.  The more references you have, the more trusting you appear to a prospective homeowner.  This brings us back to sit #2.  In order to add to our reference portfolio, we are close to home, just a few miles outside of a small town on a gravel road.  The air is fresh, the neighbors are more than an arms length away, and the farmland around us is being harvested daily this time of year.  Under our watch, this time, are three dogs, six cats, and an assortment of winged insect-like critters (bugs!) for 10 days.  The last of those creatures are not on the official watch list, but seem to appear as they wish.  Oh, and add an unexpected amphibian to the list.  Beth found a frog on her shirt following the morning feeding routine.  I was notified while still in bed, by a shrill sound I’ve not heard from her before.  So, the two of us, a small band of furry personalities, and a small town for ten days…what’s not to love?

The townhome purchase has begun.  We offered, they countered, we pondered, pondered some more, and accepted the counter.  We signed more papers under the heading of financing than I think I signed grade cards back in the day, but we are on track to own two properties in a short time.  Funny thing is, one property is the limit, so it is on…sell property #1!  While property #2 is proceeding… financing, inspection, appraisal, yada yada yada… we would like to be working towards selling property #1, but while we are house sitting in a location our GPS couldn’t even find, the plan is to plan.  Make lists, estimate costs, collect color samples, bookmarks websites, talk wants, needs, and wishes.  Hurry up and wait.

The cats come and go as they
please. Sometimes the tail wants
to stay in when the body goes out.

All of the animals are very pleasant in their individual ways.  The cats are generally invisible until they need something and the dogs, although more visible, are generally sleeping most of the time in plain sight.  The one common denominator, or should I say two, are pee and poop.  More times than not, we are greeted each day with a present (or three) of puddles and piles.  Haven’t been able to pin it to just the felines or the canines and there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to where or when it happens.  So the Waste Rapid Response Team has gotten pretty good with no shortage of practice.

So, why not.  Not really a question, but a way to look at things, make decisions, and decide what kind of day you are going to have, before you have it.  You don’t have to go out and buy a townhome before selling your current residence, house sit a menagerie of fur bearers, or pursue any number of questionable possibilities before you, but keep the thought nearby…why not.

The beagle is adopted from what must have been a very dark
past. He keeps his distance and is normally not approachable.
During a small miracle, Beth almost gets to pet him before he
takes off for a safer distance.

My Zen from the (Gravel) Road:  House sit #1 brought us hot tub issues. House sit #2 brought us a garbage disposal issue (easily replaced and working, thank you very much!).  When taking on new things, new adventures, expect issues to arise.  Why not?  They are part of it!

BONUS PICS

There is something to be said about a country view.

A Tweak on Traveling

A few years before retiring, I started to investigate the world of house sitting.  Why?  Because that’s what I do.  I dream a little bit, then see how close to reality I can get to it.  Hearing bits and pieces about it on the news and in print peaked my interest and thought that it might be something to check into when the time came.  I Googled house sitting, bookmarked a few sites and then forgot about it.

Well, the time came this past June, I looked into a number of those bookmarked websites that connect those who need a sitter with those that want to be a sitter. Beth and I joined one and have now begun our house sitting experiment to see if it is what we thought it to be.

The process is not so different than how I imagine match.com works, minus the dating and heartbreak.  Well, there is a little of that too.  We pay money to have our want to house sit put out there for those that need a house sitter to view on the website and vice versa.  But this is only after registering and filing out a profile online, not that different than a resume of sorts, selling yourself as a potential house sitter.  Of course this is accompanied by photos, a police check, and possibly a video (we are working up to the video).  In return, each day we receive a listing of “house sits” by email, a smorgasbord of homes around the world.  And each day we sift through the list, picturing ourselves with their pets, exploring the area, and maybe, just maybe, sitting in their hot tub (if there is one).  Having applied for and also turned down for a number of house sits (the “dating and heartbreak”), I began to realize its not as easy as wishing yourself into someone else’s home.

On June 22, we connected with a couple in a mountain town in Colorado, one of our favorite playgrounds, and after a few back and forth emails and a FaceTime interview of sorts (the dating thing again), we had our first house sit lined up!

Fast forward to the present and yesterday we met the homeowners; we’ll call Jack and Jill.  We arrived at their home for lunch before they headed off on their getaway to visit family.  They showed us around their beautiful home, introduced us to their two cats (most house sits involve caring for a pet), and we visited over lunch to get to know one another before they left for Denver and their flight out the next morning.  Jack and Jill, being very active, took their time, sharing their insight on hiking and biking in the area, suggesting mountain lakes to fish, and trail heads that weren’t on the maps…local knowledge…priceless.

As the garage door closed, the weight of this experience settled onto our shoulders.  Not just anyone can walk out of their home and leave it with virtually total strangers and entrust in them all that they own, except what they drove away with in their suitcases.  It’s easy to see how the idea of house sitting is all about trusting relationships.  So kudos to us for making them feel comfortable enough to trust us with their home and kudos to them for feeling confident enough to trust us with their home.

So spending time in one area is my tweak to traveling.  In the past, a limited amount of time urged me to get in as much as I could in the most efficient use of time.  Now, whether through house sitting or not, spending time and blending in is the new modus operandi (that’s right, I used modus operandi in a sentence… correctly!...I think?). 

Now…time to blend in like a local…

My Zen from the Road:  Wants and Needs...  From what was written above, it sounds like I want a hot tub as part of this whole tweak in travel thing.  I don't need it, but it would take some of the rough edges off the day, because blending in as a local is hard work.  Hiking, biking, golfing, fishing, sitting on decking, going to concerts in the park and listening, going to little towns and touristing, resupplying the kitchen shopping, and many other ing's not listing here.  But after a conversation with my sister about sitting in hot water and it's physiological benefits, from plain relaxation to lowering your blood pressure, it sounds like the want may become a need!  Needs and wants...how quickly one becomes the other with a few well placed facts.

No words can describe a want need like this.

Bonus Pics

Every early morning trip departure requires
sustenance.  The one was supplied by Lamars.
Apple Fitter!

The trip across Kansas always provides surprises.

Sentinels of the Sun!

The coolest temperature I'd experienced since last spring at the Eisenhower
Tunnel, but the next morning it was in the upper 30's!

Settling in to the rigors of house sitting!

A favorite in every yard.

One of two cats left in our charge.
Keeping them happy is a full time responsibility.

Keeping the cats away from this guy is important, but this guys was lurking
around the 15th hole, where someone spilled some french fries.

Bingo!

As darkness sets in, I could barely see my drive on the 18th hole,
as it soared into the middle of the fairway,
and the clouds were the last to catch the sun's rays.
Beautimus!

Beginnings and Endings

I woke up today like most other days.  Groggy.  I silently took roll call of my body parts to see if they were all in sync with the idea of getting up…and it was unanimous… all my parts were on board. Yea!  It’s the little things.   After a few bodily stretches, I lifted off the bed, and sought out gym shorts and t-shirt, the official retirement dress code of this guy.

I went through a few of the rooms of the house, opening “it’s eyes” to another day, as the curtains and blinds gave way to the morning light.  Made my way to my Kashi stash and prepared a bowl to wake my innards up.  And while waiting for the appropriate time to let my 2% soften the flakes of goodness, I latched on to my laptop to check Greg’s status on the Tour Divide (see June postings).  I was relieved to see that he did not pedal through the night.

Some 1829 miles to the east of Greg, in Charlotte, NC, my niece, Grace, has already woken (if she slept at all) to a special day, and was in the first moments, of her first professional career day, after graduating from Clemson, a mere 2 months earlier in May.  I was so excited to find all this out from her momma, in an email this morning.  I partake in my family’s lives, even though I’m not there (hope that doesn’t creep anyone out), through emails, texts, sporadic in person contact, and sometimes a vivid imagination.

When I checked Trackleaders.com for Greg’s position this morning, he had a mere 68 miles left before reaching Antelope Wells, NM, the finish line for The Tour Divide, a mere 2,700 miles from the starting line in Banff, Alberta, Canada.  Like many of Greg’s athletic supporters (HaHa), I get online to check his progress multiple times a day.  I partook in his adventure by dropping him off in Banff and then proceeded to will him from waypoint to waypoint with a vivid imagination.  I choose to believe the collective willing of his well-wishers pushed him along at times…knowingly or unknowingly to him at the time.

As Grace starts up her learning curve these first few days, probably not that different than some of the mountain passes Greg ascended along the continental divide over the last 30 days, she may be reliving her last hoorah with her sister last month in Europe, or moving into her dorm room her first year at Clemson, or driving to high school the first time after getting her license in search of her parking spot.  Actually, I’ll bet she is so focused on all that is new to her today, that the other stuff would be lucky to appear in a dream, when she falls dead asleep tonight at 8, with a reality show on and a pizza crust hanging from her lip!

The day that Grace begins one adventure, Greg ends another.  As Grace crosses her starting line, her well-wishers will collectively support her from their vantage point and push her along when the going gets tough and celebrate her summiting those tough peaks along the way.  She is starting a new collection of adult life memories to add to her rich and full body of work she has created so far.  Whereas, Greg will be processing his month of memories on the trail for some time to come.  Probably grateful to be sitting on something wider than a banana for the ride back to Dillon, taking a little more time to feel an embrace with Susi, and better connection between man and dog, when Bailey looks into her daddy’s eyes looking for a good belly rub.  So proud of Grace and Greg, I celebrate your beginnings and endings.

What is ending and beginning for you?  Whatever they might be, welcome your beginnings and hug your endings.  Don’t fight’em, join’em.

One more plug for Greg’s cause to raise money to connect

bicycles with vets dealing with PTSD…

www.gofundme.com/vvuugc

His goal is one dollar for every Tour Divide mile he rode.

He is close, but you can get him closer!

Turning toward home

The weather has been on our side this trip and it continued into Thursday when we traveled up to Lake Louise, one of the must sees in this part of Canada.  I had been here a long time ago and when we pulled in, it appeared as though it had a sense of Disney about it.  More parking primarily (which at the height of summer is probably out of control) and “ranger looking attendants” wandering the parking lots to assist in whatever way you can assist in a parking lot.  The area leading to the lake has been more developed with lodging and everything that goes with lodging.  But the essence of Lake Louise will most likely never change.  An incredible lake of turquoise colored, glacier fed water, surrounded by sky tickling peaks.  And rising out of the ground at the outlet of the lake stands and incredible hotel that began as a small structure, someone’s home, in the late 1800’s.  Today it has evolved into a multi story international destination.  Post card worthy, every visit. 

The Fairmont Hotel at Lake Louise (starting at $500 a night).

Victoria Glacier above Lake Louise

A digression...

A cathartic moment

It occurred to me on our last day in Banff (Friday) that I was still hung up on the fact that on our big hike day, that sooo many people did not appear to know there were other people on “their “trail.  As we walked down the main street in Banff to dinner, it was clear that most of the people we saw on the trail were surrounding us in town as well.  They seemed to be oblivious to anyone else around them.  There were four cyclists barricading the sidewalk (with their bicycles), just visiting, as the rest of us created our own detour around their social traffic jam that almost lead out into the street. Whether stopping to look in a store window from the middle of the sidewalk to stopping to take a drink of water on the trail, they (many of them not from around here) were in their own little world and I (and sometimes many others) was not a part of it.  Is being oblivious a learned behavior, an art, or just being damned unobservant?  Maybe I’ll stand in the middle of a busy crosswalk and ponder it for a while!

Now, where was I?

We are pointing our car towards home by way of Yellowstone and the Tetons.  But there is a lot of space between here and there, let alone here and home.  I’m sure we will be back some day, but our taxi service is done here and Greg is off to a good start on his adventure as we track him every time wifi is available (go to trackleaders.com and select Tour Divide 2015 and you too can track any of the 150+ riders on the leaderboard…it’s addicting!).

Au revoir Canada.  Til we meet again.

Back in the US...Back in the US...Back in the USSR... I mean A. (sorry Beatles)

As Greg heads towards the “grizzly bear highway,” we parallel him a few mountain valleys to the west as we head for Polson, Mt.  But what would a drive over peaks and valleys (literally) be without stopping at one of the seemingly many “hot springs” available as seen on numerous signs along the way.  Radium Hot Springs was our choice for a liquid mineral bath.  Not much more than a pool along the side of the road in the mountains, we stopped as the rain began to subside.  We were among just a handful of water seekers as we paid our $7 a person to soak in what looked like a public pool, surrounded by steep terrain.  The water was just cooler than sitting in a hot tub, so we soaked ourselves till our skin “pruned” up and headed back down the road.  Shortly after drying out we crossed back into the US, Looking for Polson, Montana.

On the south end of Flathead Lake, slightly larger than Lake Tahoe, lies Polson, our stop for the night.  Our motel was right across from the lake and next door to Betty’s Diner. 

Our room with a view, between cars on the road in front of our motel.

Cute diner next door, where everyone that works there has a name tag that says "Betty."

Next stop…Yellowstone National Park.  But to get there, we passed some pit mining and a billboard advertising the Testicle Festival.  There was not an easy turn around or I’d have a photo for sure of the bright yellow sign touting the event.  So if it’s the last weekend in July and you are in Clinton, Montana, you are most likely…well…

With our short time there, we hit some of the highlights and the following day moved to Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone’s neighbor to the south.

The colors here don't do it justice, but you get the idea.

Grand Prismatic Spring, down the road from Old Faithful.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, featuring the Yellowstone River.

The Grand Tetons and Jenny Lake.

Heading south through Jackson Hole and the famous antler arches.

We connected with Greg by text and got to talk with him on the phone last night.  He had cell service and we caught up on some highlights and lowlights he has encountered so far in his ride.  

 

Unless something comes up that is blog-worthy, this ends what must be one of the longest taxi rides I’ve ever been involved with.  Can’t wait for the tip!

My Zen from the road:  There is something about watching a thunderstorm build…from a distance.  Kind of puts you in your place if you think about it.