Binks says Goodbye to the Brit
Caretaking Couple officially moved to Santa Fe in October. We are here on a long-term sit (a year or longer). The drive from Oregon to New Mexico was an adventurous one, and we arrived just in time for me to help unload and clean before heading off to spend three weeks with family in Connecticut (stay tuned for a separate post).
Our New Neighbors
Sadly, I don’t have many photos to share. My beloved Canon G12 is now beyond repair. It was never the same after having broken a fall I took back in Oregon (lots of cracked and uneven sidewalks in Portland), and it finally kicked the bucket for good. So, the few pictures I have are from my i-Phone.
Original Appliances
We are actually living on a reservation on the outskirts of Santa Fe. It is full of peace and quiet and we are smitten. There are horses and cows in the backyard, along with rabbits, roadrunners, lizards, and the occasional coyote. The house is a 1950’s ranch with an open floor plan and a fabulous fireplace.
Keeping Warm
Our social lives are much different here than they were in Portland. We had so much fun there, living right off Alberta Street and being able to walk everywhere. Now, we are doing a whole lot of hunkering. It feels right. We’ve been out on the town (in Santa Fe) twice so far, and both times were great. I will talk about our favorite spots to go and some of the cool people and pets we’ve met soon.
In the meantime, Happy Holidays to you and yours! Love,
Valynne & Paul
Thanks for the update, Valynne! I’m traveling vicariously through you and Paul. We do miss you here!
We miss all of our Portland pals as well, Sara. Things are different here – meeting great people, but so far no unicorns or gnomes walking the streets : ) I have yet to find a bloggers group or a venue as cool as Tabor Space but I am on the look-out. Wishing you and yours a lovely Holiday Season XO
I love Santa Fe and will make a point of coming down to visit (like how I just force myself upon you two ?!!!! LOL) Most likely for a long weekend in the spring. Until then, … it’s time for you two to learn to ride horses!
We enjoyed a spring weekend in Santa Fe almost seven years ago now (it was our first road trip as a couple) and it was perfection. It was snowing when we left Evergreen and in the seventies when we arrived in Santa Fe. We have both ridden horses but only on occasion. Paul is having knee surgery next month, so no riding for him anytime soon. We are really enjoying simply having them around – beautiful creatures. See you in the spring, unless we manage to get ourselves to Evergreen first!
Hi, We are caretaking in Santa Fe as well. Moved here from Hawaii after running our own B & B. We arrived on Mother’s Day this year and just as you said, we are doing a lot of “hunkering”..next snow storm moving in this weekend of course. We got this position thru “Caretaker Gazette” and are considering the Housecarer’s subscription. How do you handle when the email response is the only way to contact the person advertising and they never respond at all. Do you do a follow up within a certain period of time? This kind of job application is so different than the usual professional type. I find it kind of unnerving to send out all of the requested information, very personal, to a stranger and then never hearing back. Sounds like you’ve had a lot of experience with this process, a lot more than we have (this is our 1st). If you have time I’d love to hear your advice. Thank you for sharing your great blog!
Hi Tricia,
Thank you for your comment – it is always fun to hear from other caretakers. I enjoy perusing both Caretaker.org and housecarers.com and the bulk of our sits have come from housecarers, so I would definitely recommend having at least two memberships in order to increase your chances of finding your next great sit.
If e-mail is the only contact option on a sit opportunity and I don’t hear back, I let it go, figuring they’ve already found someone. This is not the most assertive approach, I admit, but I figure there are so many opportunities out there and we’ve been doing this long enough that we can simply go on to the next one. It is always nice when the homeowner lets the interested parties know that they’ve already chosen their sitters, but not everyone wants to take the time to do that.
As far as giving personal info – it can be tricky. If you feel uncomfortable answering anything personal initially, my suggestion would be “don’t”. If you would like to go over some specific questions with me, I would be happy to give you my opinion on whether or not they are appropriate. We have never taken a sit without at least talking to the homeowners several times via phone/skype, and our preference is to meet in person. You are right – it is a a totally different process than interviewing for your typical job!
Best of luck to you, and feel free to message me here or privately at valynne@caretakingcouple.com.
Valynne, It’s so great to finally sit down and catch up on posts and to hear about your new spot in Santa Fe. (Side story – I grew up watching and loving the musical “Newsies” and Christian Bale’s song about Santa Fe just gets me every time…) That fireplace looks so cozy and inviting, and I love the idea of settling in and discovering the neighbors and the community around you. Sending love from (home-sweet-home!) Oregon!
xx
Bethany
Bethany, now I have to see “Newsies”! Yes, this fireplace is wonderful…I forgot how great having a fireplace is in the wintertime! Now I have to visit your blog and see what part of the world you are currently in. Hopefully someone will be saying that to us one of these days : ) XO,
V
PS Wait! Are you back home?! Sounds like it – wow! If so, may our paths cross again soon!