The Good Things

   It's been a week since my last post and, after re-reading it, I thought it was sooooo negative. I guess it was fallout from so many miles and so many days away but I don't want you all to think things were bad else why would we continue to do it? With that in mind I want to present some good things to give you a more balanced perspective.

  Penny and I have traveled many thousands of miles over the years and almost all of them can be filed under "getting there". You've all done it. Get in the car, drive for endless hours to get to the destination where all the things are, then drive all those endless hours back when you're done. Flying? Get on the plane to fly to the special place, do all the things, fly back.

  For this trip we decided to experience all the things we'd been driving past over the years and that's what made it all so much fun. With the help of Atlas Obscura we found a giant fork, a restaurant catering to aliens, a house shaped like a fish... I could go on. The point is, during our previous travels we would have zipped right past in a rush to get where we were going. This time we were able to smell the proverbial roses.

  When we did move into our temporary lodgings to house and pet sit it was never like being in a hotel or an AirBnB. They weren't generic living spaces designed so as not to offend the paying visitors. These were peoples' homes, decorated the way they liked them, containing all their memories and belongings. They were also their pets' homes and, for a short time, ours as well.

  The people that agreed to let us into their homes took a giant leap of faith. They asked total strangers to look after their homes and their pets. I still have trouble with this concept. Most of the people we sat for interviewed us during Zoom calls so they had an idea of who we are. One couple only exchanged a couple of emails with me before deciding we were "the ones". In all cases they invited us into their homes and trusted us not to rob them, damage things or kidnap their pets. I'm not sure we would have done the same for them!

  I guess we were all the things they expected as we received sterling reviews from all of them. As we do more of this we'll gather enough reviews to form a sort of resume, a portfolio of our experiences that will stand us in good stead as we aim for more exotic locales. As well, we know for certain some of those people intend to invite us back, so that's something we didn't expect.

  Bonus fun fact: we spent a LOT less doing all this traveling than if we'd stayed home. With our belongings in storage we didn't have to pay for rent and utilities. Most of our gas costs were paid for by the money we received for sitting in San Francisco. Most of our hotel stays were paid for with points. We didn't eat in a lot of restaurants, except when we were on the road. Groceries, admission costs for attractions and the odd round of golf made up most of our expenses.

  In the end we did manage to answer all of the questions we had about this house sitting thing. Enjoy lots of traveling? Check. Enjoy caring for other peoples' pets? Check. Enjoy living in strangers' houses in strange places? Check. Save significant dollars over living at home? Check.

  While we're here at our temporary home base with Jen and the boys for the next two plus weeks I'll be hard at work planning the next sojourn. This one's more challenging though. Since we'll be away in October and November our goal is to find warm places to stay, preferably near beaches. For some bizarre reason there's a lot of competition for these spots. Can't understand why.

  Since we also want to go further afield next year, ie, outside North America, we'll also have to manage the "no car" challenge. Sits in urban areas aren't much of a problem given most cities' transit systems but rural properties require a car. Some homeowners will provide a car (again... to strangers?) but they're not common. One place where it seems more prevalent is Australia, so we may end up there next year. More questions to answer.

  Like everything else we've encountered, we're confident all of it will work itself out. We've challenged ourselves to get waaaaaayyyy out of our comfort zone this summer so we're well fixed to handle whatever comes our way. I guess that what makes it all so much fun.

  I'm not expecting to produce more episodes until we get ready to hit the road in two weeks, when we head off to Mobile, AL. Until then, we'll enjoy being home, surrounded by family and friends, squeezing a few more rounds of golf into our diminishing summer and rooting on my beloved Blue Jays. Those of you waiting for my next installment will have to take up other bad habits until I return. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.