Tag Archives: housesit

Hello Austin

26 Apr

After a long winter hibernation in my mom’s home in the midwest, I have freshly arrived at my latest housesit in Austin, TX.  In my recent years of house and pet sitting, Austin has become a bit of a second base, a hub of sorts. And though it’s been a little while since I have been here, it’s nice to return.

Presently I am nestled in the heart of Austin a little south of the river and downtown.  I lived in Austin for a few years back in 2005 after the floods from the levee breach of Hurricane Katrina sent me and the whole city packing. I am freshly reminded how much Austin has boomed and continues to boom since my residence there some years ago. My current neighborhood has largely given way to new sleek modern homes with a few dots and blocks of funky old Austin bungalows remaining. As I drive around to reacquaint myself with the city, much of it can feel foreign to me with glimpses of remembrance of old funky Austin.

My housesits in the Austin area in recent years have mostly been in the outskirts and surrounding burbs and towns. While I am not one lately to be drawn to the hustle and bustle in the center of things, I still appreciate my latest abode with it’s old Austin charm tucked in a funky tree-lined neighborhood safely nestled in the heart of the city. The neighborhood has a simple, earthy feel to it and the quiet streets are frequented by neighbors leisurely walking by with their dogs, friends, children.

And so begins the latest chapter of my extended escapade. I made the gentle three-day trek arriving almost a week ago. I took my time on the way down from the Kansas City area stopping near Tulsa, Oklahoma, my old stomping grounds from college which is becoming more and more long ago. I was happy to take a little time to connect for lunch with a college friend in Tulsa who settled in the area.

Next, I took a stop in Wichita Falls Texas to tend to a few things including connecting with my appreciated Texas mail handler, Texas Home Base. I also stopped by a friend’s house for a quick visit.  As strange coincidences would go, a Korean friend I worked with at English Village in South Korea now resides in Texas! So it was great and out of the ordinary to have an opportunity to connect in Texas!

Technically, I did not stay in Wichita Falls, but about 20 minutes out of town in Electra, Texas.  I stayed in a simple but sweet and workable airbnb tiny cabin.  I had a few minutes to connect with the owner, Anthony, who went out of his way to be of service while I was there. If you’re traveling through North Texas, it’s a great spot for a little affordable and comfortable respite along the way! 

I am sporting a new vehicle. After selling my beloved 1998 Honda CRV before departing for Hawaii, I am oh so grateful to have another CRV. This one is a bit of a newer model, a 2012.  Also silver. Sort of a Gypsywoman 2.0 mobile. My new CRV is officially a “Texas Girl” now and while adjustments are always necessary with the latest change, we are both happy to be here.

It’s a quiet, not too hot day in Austin. I can feel the city’s funky vibe at my doorstep and appreciate hearing the sounds of the water fountain in the backyard.  It’s been raining since yesterday, but this afternoon has given way to some sun and satisfying but not too hot gentle heat.

So long for now from the beginning of this next step. Taking my time to be and allowing myself to settle a bit, tune in and relax into the latest rhythm of my journey.

Photo: A quick visit to Austin’s well-loved Barton Springs

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Beauty of the Big Island

17 Sep

It’s a windy day in my little corner of the world on the Big Island of Hawaii. I landed here just a few weeks ago in a small island leap to begin a new housesit. I am nestled in a little neighborhood located between the mountains of Mauna Kea and Kohala. The tradewinds blowing from the northeast are known for stirring up some dust in my new temporary neighborhood so here I am watching the wind blow. I am tucked away in a little studio apartment just next door to the main house where I am caring for a tough but sweet ginger kitty and a sassy pretty calico.

When I arrived at the small open air airport on the Big Island, it felt a little more “island style” than my original more contemporary arrival in Honolulu. I was greeted by a totally new landscape and wide open spaces.

I have heard others say that each of the islands have their own distinct personality. And while this is only my second island of Hawaii to experience so far, I can say truly that it is oh so different from Oahu. The biggest difference to immediately notice of course is that… it’s Big! No more dashing from one end to the other in under about an hour. At my current location on the big island it’s about a 30 – 45 minutes drive just to get to the surrounding towns and the landscape is miles and miles of lava desert christened by the beauty of the surrounding ocean. It can be quite a thrill for me simply driving in this new landscape, the sun shining, the wind blowing and the beauty of this foreign terrain surrounding me. Like my new house sitting host said, it’s like being on the moon!

The Big Island is roughly six times larger than Oahu. From my current location I can wiz off the the city of Hilo in about an hour. Hilo is in fact the rainiest city in the United States and after a bit of reading I learned it rains mostly at night which feeds the rich and lush landscape. In about 45 minutes I am in the famous tourist town Kailua-Kona known for it’s sunny days, warmer climate and very little rain.

My new housesit is in a little neighborhood development located in the midst of the lava desert surrounded by miles and miles of this open landscape. It has it’s own little grocery store, gas station and other services. Beyond this little village, the neighbors are scattered five and ten miles away in the shape of beachside resort communities which speckle the Kona coast featuring golf courses, grocery stores and specialty shops plus beach access open to the public. It’s a little decadent to have so many crystal blue beaches conviently located like the neighborhood 7-11.

As a full-time traveling house and pet sitter, there are plenty of times when I find myself less inclined to hunt out a new adventure and content with the simpler things like preparing meals, finding the best grocery stores and tending to the day to day needs of the pets and housesit all within the beauty of a new backdrop. In my new housesit I am enjoying the comfort zone of my new place, the fresh (but windy!) ocean air and the dependable beauty of the blues skies. And of course I can’t forget the simple pleasure of the ocean which I take a dip in frequently, can see off in the distance from my current housesit and blankets most of my day to day traveling about town.

Bye for now from the quiet windy days on the Big Island as my journey in Hawaii continues!


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Return to the Islands

17 May

It’s been a while since I have dropped a line to share a bit of my story and journey. The truth is for me with so much shift, change, questions and uncertainty happening in the world around us I find I have equally the same stirrings on the inside. It feels like a good time, even a necessary time, to step back a little further, reflect, and be with all the whacky feelings and adjustments on the inside as well as those whirling about in the world right now. 

The good news is that I am back in Hawaii. When I returned to Texas a few months ago, I knew it was likely I would get to return to resume my wonderful housesit on Oahu just beyond Honolulu. My time in Texas was appreciated but just the same filled with a fair share of modest discomforts, ups and downs. Some of that was merely the adjustment to “not being in Hawaii” after three months of softer energy, warm moderate weather, tropical landscapes, blue skies and rainbows around every bend. But still there were many things I appreciated about my Texas respite nestled in my sweet little temporary abode.

As my time in Texas was growing to a close, I faced once again the dilemma of what to do with my car. There was no obvious choice of a workable place to keep it long term that was also close to my current location outside Austin, TX.  So I looked about for options, drove myself a little mad and in the end just shouted a prayer out for help and let it go.

In the wake of this, as things sometimes go, I found myself at a local storage facility exploring the option to park it long term. While he didn’t have any parking space available, as “fate” would have it… he was interested in buying my car. So I just went with it, we took it for a spin and by the end of the day he made an offer to buy it. And another day later, it was done. My car was sold and I would soon be off to Hawaii again.

In the midst of this adjustment, I had just a few more things to tend to. Prior to my first trip to Hawaii I had already slimmed down my modest collection of belongings that I kept in my SUV as I drove about the country from housesit to housesit. Now with my car sold and just a very small load – a few plastic bins, some bedding and a few other miscellaneous items – I had to make some quick new choices before I departed for Hawaii. With such a modest amount of items, it didn’t make sense to rent a storage unit. So I took another small leap and got down to the nitty gritty with sorting out the last of my belongings and would only keep what I could pack in my suitcases. I sent a small box to my mom, mailed a few things to a friend and the rest went to the local thrift store.

It did my heart good to see the little tokens of my journey I kept and tucked away in my suitcases. The hand carved wooden spatula from a Christmas market in Vienna, the weathered picture map of Chiang Mai, my magnet collection from all of my destinations, and a modest bag of coins tracking my journey.

I have been back in Oahu for a few weeks now. Arriving this time around was different. It was good to return but still an adjustment to living on a small island after hunkering down in the big state of Texas for a few months.  It was a bit of an odd feeling as I still felt new, but yet also familiar. I felt like less of a tourist and had less of an urge to run out and explore everything and more of a desire to hunker down and lay low.

That said, there is certainly something in my heart and soul that is just undeniably blown away by the tropical beauty of the island. It is an unmistakable pleasure to have the luxury to just take off to the North Shore for the afternoon, sink into the sand and bask in the beauty of the incoming waves and surrounding mountains and landscape.

It does seem that traffic has returned to Oahu since I was last here.  Places that I casually went to before are now loaded with folks and it seems that this time around a little more strategy will be needed to avoid the crowds and even…. simply get a parking spot. That said, I certainly consider myself fortunate to have had a pocket of time here when there really weren’t many people around.

And today, well, it’s a beautiful day.  It’s warm but there’s a gentle breeze outside keeping things feeling soft and cool. The yellow trumpet flowers are blossoming out back.  And earlier with a practically clear blue sky, it was raining… what I have heard described as liquid sunshine.

So I will leave you for now – hunkered down and happy in Hawaii.  How are things in your neck of the woods?  It’s always good to hear from you!

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