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!