On the Road - Fall 2009
I have one more question before CC’s seventy two hour experiment comes to an end…
If you could go anywhere, and stay there free of charge, and maybe even get paid to be there; where would it be?!?
Two Hours to Go & One More Quick Question
Hi Vaynne,
I guess you know what I’m thinking.
A small villa in Tuscany or Umbria with a traditional farmhouse kitchen and views across the olive groves and neighboring vineyard towards the small town or village. There we would do our organic shopping in the piazza and take a glass or wine two with the locals. Sounds good hey…get her done.
Paul
We are so on the same page! With the exception of me being more of a redneck than you…
“get her done” is how my sophisticated Englishman says “git r done”. Teehee…
Urban Dictionary Definition of GIT R DONE:
the modern use of git r done was developed in the early 90’s by hard working white males who reached a point in their life where they wanted to actually accomplish something in life… instead of getting completely hammered and rebuilding transmissions, they started doing projects that really mattered – projects like fixing the mailbox, cleaning the house, possibly even taking a few loads to the dump. This sudden surge of progress made these men feel good, like they were doing something. So, they had to have a way in their simple minds to reaffirm that feeling of getting something done. Thus, “GITRDONE!” was born. This can be said before a task is completed to motivate them, or after a task is completed to celebrate. It is also used profusely during the process of completing a task for no apparent reason which is very obnoxious and ambient. Often used with a drawn out “Woooooo!” yelling before or after. GITRDONE!
Buck: “Hey Stew, I just mowed the lawn and weeded the old ladies’ flower bed!”
Stew: “GIT R DONE!!!!!!!!!!”
Buck: “Woooooooooooooooo!”
PS This is one of the “nicer” definitions…
I have a series of books by Carol Drinkwater, the first one is titled “The Olive Farm – a memoir of life, love and olive oil in the South of France.”
I think there’s 3 books, maybe 4 in the series. I thought they were excellent and TOTALLY inspired me to sell everything I own and move to an old house in the middle of an olive grove!
To answer your question though, I would probably head to Spain…or some fantastical island, beachy place.
Get her done!
Christine,
I am going to see if the library has these books – they sound divine!
One of my favorite authors is Ferenc Mate, who writes about much of the same, except the setting is typically Tuscan and there are vineyards involved.
We went to dinner at a neighbors’ house last weekend and I came away with three books by Joan Anderson. They all take place in Cape Cod. I devoured the first two (A Year By the Sea and An Unfinished Marriage) and cannot wait to begin A Walk on the Beach.
Here is a 2008 article on Joan Anderson:
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080425/LIFE/80424026/-1/NEWS
Thank you, Joanne for lending these treasures to me!
OK, Spain. My father spent eight years or so in Madrid, but I have never been; alas. There is an available sit posted in Housecarers.com for Moraira in March.
Just for fun, The Caretaker Gazette has two availabe sits posted for France; both in Normandy – one a “small holding” which I gather means farm, and one a Chateau.
This took me two seconds to look up. So many possiblilities…
The International Space Station.
Italy comes in second.
Well, I did not find any current available sits under my “International Space Station” search : )
However, I did find a long term sit in Tuscany, between Montecatini Terme and Lucca, between olive trees and a vineyard. Ahhh. This was in the latest issue of The Caretaker Gazette.
As for Housecarers, they have two sits posted; one in Rome and one in Carpeneto.
These are the only two sites we have memberships with – I am sure there are tons of other possibilities out there…
Easy. Like Sean, the International Space Station, by far. Any number of places could come in second, but probably Antarctica would be at the top of the list.
Antarctica, really? I would not have guessed that about you! Must be your scientific side!
OK, lets see…according to http://www.WorldAtlas.com, the current population is…none. That would explain my failure to find any current sits there.
However, there ARE research stations! Good luck getting Francoise to join you on that adventure : )
ah, what a great question. i would ride the roads of italy on a vespa. making sure to stop at all the local places to drink, eat and enjoy. ciao bella!
Oh, how wonderful that would be…they drive like maniacs there but I think you could handle it. If you decide to go for it and the hubster isn’t available, do let me know…I will check my calendar!
Nothing beats the Caribbean. The Cayman Islands has always been my fav. I’ve been to many a tropical location too. There’s a preserve on the Island that protects and showcases native plants and animals. I’d volunteer there: protecting the precious blue iguana. I’d also volunteer at the animal shelter, where you can walk the homeless dogs down the beach anytime you want.
I could go for some tropical right about now! *Sean, do you know if K&G are still looking for sitters in Antigua?
Paul and I would love that sit, but this one we are on now is long term and I would miss Milo too much : )
Heather; I wonder what kind of a response you would get if you wrote the shelters and let them know you were available for a certain period of time if they could provide room and board…
Would the hubster and Morgan be up for that???
I would totally go to Italy and absolutely want to be in Tuscany (Bella Vita!!!!). San Gimignano is one of my favorites – cobble stone streets, sunflowers, grapes, olive trees, sun, wine – what good be better?!
PS: Paul’s description captures it all!
Perhaps we’ll be neighbors. What? I am serious : )
I have a list of favorite Tuscan Books – the latest being The Wisdom of Tuscany by Ferenc Mate.
Let’s keep inspiring each other with all things Bella Vita, yes?!?
Where would I go…………..the Seychelles and/or Comoros. Simple really.
There is a sit available in the Seychelles Islands through The Caretaker Gazette right now.
They are looking for a couple to take care of a luxury villa…
All of this talk is fun and such a great way to polish up on one’s geography : )
Thank you, everyone for sharing!
I can’t name just one, so I would have to start with Ireland.
I love Ireland…but this isn’t about me. It’s about you.
OK, posted in The Caretaker Gazette is a house and pet-swap request. They live in a three bedroom bungalow near Galway and are flexible with swap-dates. FUN! And a great way to get your feet wet : )
As for Housecares, there are currently five requests for sits in Ireland posted on the site…
This one sounds nice – Derry (Northern Island) peeps need petsitters for their two beloved Irish wolfhounds (six month sit). Or how about Sligo for the months of August and September? Send me a postcard!
The Maine coast, near Portland.
Are you from the East Coast, Amy? I grew up on both coasts (CT and CA) and am loving being back at sea level – CO is grand but how I love the ocean!
Nothing currently on the Maine coast in Housecarers; however the The Caretaker Gazette e-mailed an update a couple of weeks ago regarding a need for caretakers on Whaleboat Island…
Housecarers is very interactive and ever changing as both homeowners and caretakers can enter requests at any time. The Caretaker Gazette is more old school, sending out newsletters with hundreds of opportunities every two months, and e-mail updates in between.
Both sites advertise sits all over the world. Even though we are curently enjoying a long term sit, I still love perusing the possibilities – it is fun to imagine these places, and it costs a lot less than cable : )
I’m easy, and I’d stay in state – Redstone Castle -and get to stay in the castle this time.
Perhaps the castle could use a caretaker or two? Do you believe it is haunted? Please let me know when you do stay there, Faith – I would love to hear all about it!
* Redstone is just south of Carbondale, CO
I would love to live in Lugano, Switzerland. It is right next to Tuscany, which calls me…and, sits next to one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
I see myself rowing on this lake in a small kayak, and taking bike rides along the country roads…no vespas for me…i love biking.
When I get strong with the Kayak, I can cross the border into Italy from there. Actually, that does not seem possible; apparently there is a dam.
I admire your committment to exercise and diet, Valynne. Me, if I am not outdoors doing something, I forget about it.
I don’t see any sit requests for Lugano or surrounding areas right now…but you never know when something will pop up!
Also, I am only a member of two sites, and now there are several to choose from. Hard to believe that when I sat for people in my twenties it was all via word of mouth. Now, the opportunities seem endless!
I am very much looking forward to being in excellent shape for a summer of rollerblading, biking, sailing, and swimming (of course!)…it feels so good to be back on the water. My skin does struggle with the winter cold, alas.
PS Is Liz planning on staying in Switzerland? You could have her put feelers out for you : ) Word of mouth…
Thank you for your sweet comments you left on my blog the other day…I love your question. I think I would go to the Greece..sounds so romantic. Happy week to you!
I would love to visit Greece, as well. The climate, the architecture, the history, the sea(s)…aahhh.
How about something near Athens? There is a sit request for Anavissos on the Housecarers site this morning…
“We live 1 km from the beach, the Temple of Poseidon
at Cape Sounion is a 15km ride away, the area is
non-touristic most of the year, but when there are
tourists they are Greek. This is authentic Greece”.
Happy week to you as well, Koralee : )
Thanks for following my new blog, Valynne. I’m afraid my comment here may be past your 72-hour deadline, but I thought I would share a place I’d enjoy to go: St. Petersburg, Russia for literary and historical reasons. The first novel I truly loved reading was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, which takes place among the streets and alleys of that great city. I’d like to follow in the footsteps of Raskolnikov, the protagonist, cross bridges over the Neva River and learn more about how Peter the Great, a lover of ships, decided from distant Moscow back in the early 18th century that this location on swampy ground would make for the site of a fine city. Well, he succeeded.
These comments are so fun – I hope people aren’t put off by the experiment deadline…
A few of my blog savvy friends close their posts to comments when they are running a contest or experiment, but I love getting a random comment now and then – especially on older posts; I think, “Wow, someone is perusing the blog!”.
I can’t get enough of comments in general. Besides, analytics will give you the numbers you need for the experiment period. Bet you become a bit addicted to the commentary yourself – that is really what makes a blog so much fun in my opinion : )
I did not find any current sits in St. Petersburg, or anywhere in Russia for that matter. However, I am looking on two sites only and both of them have new sit requests on a regular basis. Haven’t seen much for Russia in general though, to be honest.
I googled something like “Russia Caretaker” and found what I thought was an interesting article (the polar bear caught my eye – they fascinate me)…
http://rbth.ru/articles/2009/05/26/260509_bestjob.html
Many a writer take advantage of housesitting and caretaking positions. Most positions allow for less bill paying and more time to focus on one’s passions.
Thank you for sharing your love for Russian literature, Joe. I can’t contribute much there as I am embarassed to say I have yet to study the greats…in my mind they are dark and daunting reads. Will let you know when I do, though!
Valynne,
My apologies for not checking your blog for the past few days. (Ask me about the saga of the hidden dishwasher leak/mold abatement/contractor search sometime).
I have always wanted to visit France. I had some idea of visiting the area where our ancestors lived. Unfortunately, I have only been able to trace them to Quebec thus far. The earliest ancestor I have been able to verify thus far was born in Quebec in 1680. For now, it is important to have goals.
Speaking of goals, have I told you recently how proud of you? You inspire me.
Love to you both,
Mom
Thanks, Mom! How about this one…
“We have a beautiful five bedroom house on over an acre of secluded garden and woodland. The home has a large covered terrace for wining
and dining and a 10 by 5 metre pool (which will need no maintenance at this time of year). There are 200 sq. metres of living space and the garden is lovely throughout the year. St Yrieix is a small rural town on the Haute Vienne / Dordogne border, some 30km south of Limoges. We are close to the popular Dordogne region – Montignac, Sarlat. Ours is a region of undulating countryside – woods, meadows and lakes”.
This one is my current favorite France sit (The Caretaker Gazette).
One of these days I would love to see what you have done so far with tracing our ancestors. It is something I would like to research. Still a struggle for me; not letting life get in the way of itself.
I have been going back and forth with Emily regarding her Spring Break…need to talk to you about it. The homeowners may be here but I think they would get a kick out of Em and it would free us up to do more day trips…will phone you today.
Sounds wonderful, on all levels. I think Joe & Joey would be fine while I go off to France, and Emily could visit you…that would take care of one week. Well, a mom can dream, right?
Seriously, I am trying to input my ton of research into the computer so I can eventually download everything into a gedcom file and share it. There are so many people; it is not nearly ready yet, so no worries. Let me know if you can’t stand the suspense and want me to send what I have. Your siblings nod off when I bring up the subject. Did I mention that my high school French has really come in handy?
The Italian class sounds great. I continue to struggle with Spanish.
Love you. Please call.
Mom
I can wait, Mom…but it will be really cool to see what you’ve found when you are ready to download. I still want to get copies of whatever pics I can, as well. I should have made that more of a priority when you came to CO with the sibs but the time went by so fast…
The really cool thing about doing genealogy now is that so much is available on the web; not just accepting someone’s flawed research, but being able to do a great deal of your own research from your computer. Traveling to genealogy libraries, scanning miles of microfilm hoping to get lucky, and visiting the sites where your ancestors lived are all wonderful, and sometimes there is no recourse to find the answer you seek. Also, the people who are adept at genealogical research can be found at the local LDS Family History Centers.)
The current programs (including the free program offered on the LDS website) accept pictures, copies of the documentation, and stories about the people and places they lived. With the size of our family, you can only imagine the size of the task. I haven’t even started to scan the pictures and documentation yet.
My focus on my last visit with Nonnie was collecting family pictures that I will be able to download (upload?) and share with you first and,ultimately, make available to any family member with the interest. This is a long range goal with a pretty steep learning curve. Meantime, if there are any specific pictures you would like to have, please let me know and I will furnish them if at all possible.
Love, Mom
you know, i don’t really sit around thinking about where i would like to go, but your post got me to thinking, and i just like being where mike and the dogs are. right now they are all on the couch, so that’s where i’d like to be, and of course, it’s always free : )
looks like you need to call your mother.
bisous,
em
I can’t imagine not sitting around thinking about where I would like to go. It’s one of my favorite things to daydream about; always has been.
Your couch is quite comfy, though…and Mike and the dogs are quite nice…we’ve got our first staycationer, folks!
BTW I called my mother tonight. My little sister already reprimanded me once this week – tough crowd. Must be an Emily thing…