Boise is beautiful in May.  Anna and Bob welcomed my daughter and I into their home.  We were quickly introduced to Charlie their sweet golden retriever mix – who also welcomed us with a little happy dance.

Their home was warm and well kept, so not much for us to do.  Most days, Charlie sat on the porch with my daughter listening to music during the afternoons.  He and she shared similar music choices.  It was darling to see him lie his head on her feet while she was working on her school work.  They became quick friends, he accompanied her on walks to the near by market for soda and snacks whenever she felt the need.  And we all walked up the steep hill behind the house to watch the sunset each evening.  It was a beautiful view and the hike up the hill was great exercise for all of us.

During the day their two cats, Kelly and Kathy, who warmed up to me quickly snuggled at my feet while I worked on my laptop and nestled in my lap while I read or watched tv during the evening.  Wonderful companions – who weren’t shy about letting me know when they were hungry or wanted to go outside.

Anna and Bob graciously gave us access to their Jeep for short drives into downtown Boise.  We checked their P.O. box daily and grab lunch or dinner at one of the wonderful restaurants downtown a few times as well.  The food and wine in Boise was surprising wonderful.  But mostly we just hung out at the house, playing with Charlie in the yard, working on the back patio, walking around the neighborhood, hiking up some of the nearby hills or relaxing inside watching a movies and eating popcorn.   It was a lovely two weeks.

Responsibilities:

• 1 ~ 7-year old golden retriever mix, Charlie
• 2 ~ rescue cats, Kathy and Kelly
• Daily visits to the downtown post office, to pick up mail and packages
• met with and paid the weekly gardener, Mark
• Several indoor plants to water and deadhead

Extras:

• Daily email messages to Anna on the how everyone was doing – with an occasional picture
• We were enjoying the patio, which led us to spend an afternoon to spring clean the patio furniture, sweep the deck and wash down the railing and sliding glass door.  A delightful surprise for Anna and Bob when they returned.

Charlie lounging the yard with us.

The beautiful deck where we spent hours working and eating.

Kathy and Kelly taken in the sunshine.

Costa Rica was lovely.  It is a prime retirement location, and I can see why.  Beautiful, lush landscapes and kind, friendly people.

I spent three weeks at a small hostel in Play Samara.  It was a 27-bed hostel that catered to young travelers.  I spent 4-hours a day manning the reception desk.  I checked in guests, offered directions, answered questions and scheduled taxi pick-ups for travelers.   This was my first experience working at a hostel, and I enjoyed the interaction with the guests and the staff was helpful when I wasn’t able to answer someone’s question.

In my spare time I was able to spend hours on the beach and evenings in the local cafes and pubs.  I will definitely return to Costa Rica.

Responsibilities:

• Front desk duties:
  • Guest check-ins (collecting fees, distributing keys, towels and taking reservations)
  • Providing directions and assistance to guests
  • Scheduling taxi pick-ups for guests
  • Recommending shopping locations and cafes

Extras:

• Aided a few potted plants in the reception area that were wilting
• Re-organized the collection of menus and brochures and laminated a small map for the front desk

Downtown Samara

The beach near the hostel.

The front desk where I spent my working hours.

Cheval and Dana connected with me through MindMyHouse.  They were looking for someone to house sit and dog sit for them while they took a short vacation to Santa Fe, NM.   I had plans to spend the fall in the East Coast, so it worked perfectly for me.  Their home is just a short metro ride from downtown Washington D.C.

I had the pleasure of joining their adorable Corgi, Marzipan for walks along the trail across the street from their home.   Marzi was a delight.  She stayed by my side and made sure I followed her schedule.   We took daily walks and played hide-n-seek with her treats.

I was able to take the metro in to Washington D.C. a couple of times for tourist-y adventures — but most of the time I spent on home reading and cooking.  Marzipan was happy to follow me around the house and keep me alerted of the squirrel activity in the backyard.

Responsibilities:

• Corgi dog, Marzipan
• Indoor plants to water
• Taking trash bins to the curb and back
• Daily mail pick up

Extras:

• Daily text messages to Cheval with an occasional picture of Marzipan
• Baked “Welcome Home” banana bread for Cheval and Dana.

Marzipan enjoying the sunshine!

Elaine and Rich are a young retired couple, from Southern Georgia.  Their accent was a treat in Panama.  They’ve lived in Panama for eight years and love it.  Their home was beautifully decorated, as Elaine is a interior decorator.

Boquete is beautiful!  My daughter joined me on this trip and we loved exploring the little town and shops.  We drank too much coffee and experimented with new fruits.   The house was quiet during the day and their two Cocker Spaniels, Oscar and Felix gave us plenty of love and attention.

There was a disruption in their internet service on the first weekend, but a quick text to Rich gave us George’s number.  George came over the same day and immediately found the issue and we were back in business.

Elaine made Oscar and Felix special meals throughout the day that we followed – it required a bit of cooking each day, but I enjoyed the time in the kitchen.  Along with the special diet, Oscar and Felix they enjoyed afternoon games of fetch and hikes up the hill and early evening baths several nights a week.  We enjoyed spoiling these lively dogs.  They were a joy to play with and full of personality that we quickly came to love.  We were sad to leave them and Boquete at the end of our stay.

Responsibilities:

• 2 ~ 4-year old Cocker Spaniels, Oscar and Felix
• Indoor plants to water, turn and deadhead
• Outdoor plants to monitor and fertilize
• Daily trips to their P.O. box, to pick up mail and packages

Extras:

• Daily email messages to Elaine on how Oscar and Felix were doing.
• There were a couple of sofa cushions that were in need of repair, small tears in the seams.  My daughter and I spent a quiet evening stitching these up.  Their house was kept immaculant by Elizabeth their twice weekly housekeeper – but she doesn’t do windows – so I cleaned the front windows, inside and out.  It was a full afternoon chore, but the house sparkled from the inside and out after .  I also cleaned and washed the dog beds.
• I perfected my banana bread recipe and had a fresh loaf in the oven on the day Elaine and Rich returned – a warm welcome back home.

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Oscar stretching the boundaries of his bed.

Felix napping in the afternoon.

The yard at Elaine and Rich’s place.

The lovely patio at Elaine and Rich’s place.

The lovely hike nearby – that we took several times.

Pete found me at the last minute in need of some assistance over the holidays- given West Hollywood was just a short 25 minute drive from my home, I was able to help out without disrupting my holiday plans.

Shiloa, a Persian lovely was our companion for the holidays.  She was a delight.  Pete thought she might be shy, but surprising she came out to welcome us.   She was always happy to see us when we visited.  We came by twice a day  to feed and love her.  Pete had Shiloa on a specific diet, nothing too difficult.  Just carefully measuring her food and adding some medicine to her evening meal.

We also stayed the night a few times, including a long weekend, when we went to a holiday show on the West side and explored a few new areas for our holiday shopping ~ a mini-holiday vacation for us.  Shiloa was always happy to see us and cuddled with us on the sofa.   It was a wonderful addition to our holiday activities.

Responsibilities:

• 1 ~ 3-year old Persian cat, Shiloa
• Indoor plants to water
• Daily mail pick up
• Package delivery.  (Pete had a couple of Christmas presents he wanted delivered on Christmas Eve to his office and a neighbor.  This was an easy addition to our daily visits with Shiloa)

Extras:

• Daily email messages to Pete, with an occasional picture of Shiloa
• Pete’s home was tidy and well maintained.  My daughter did find several of Shiloa’s toys that were in need of repair.  So with a needle and thread, she patched up a few little stuffed toys – I cleaned and organized the rest of the toys in the box, leaving her toy box looking new.

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Shiloa napping in the late afternoon.

I loved Belize, the country was beautiful and the people were so kind and helpful.  I spent 8 days of my month long trip at Doug and Christina’s home.  They have a lovely home just outside of San Ignacio.  Their rescued greyhound, Martini, was cheerful and sweet.  He was always by my side the whole time.  He even slept at the foot of the bed at night.  Being alone in the house, it was a comfort to have such a sweet dog near by.

There wasn’t an extra car for drives into town, but the little blue bike they left for me was perfect for quick trips into town for supplies or for lunch.  It was an easy flat 20 minute ride.  I avoided the roads during the evening, it was too dark even with the lights on the bike.  If I needed a ride into town after dark it was a cheap taxi ride.

The kitchen was large and I spent lot of time baking and cooking ~ one of my favorite hobbies.  The Saturday market in town gave me plenty of fresh produce to work into my culinary adventures.   A few times I took Martini into town with me for lunch.  We left early and had a leisurely walk, barking at birds and sniffing neighbors along the way.  There was a good selection of outdoor seating places for us to eat and people watch.

Doug and Christina’s yard was more like a jungle, and there was not much work needed outside.  I did putter around, picking off dead leaves and flowers and clears some vines from the walk way, but mostly my help was needed inside.  Christina’s indoor plants required daily watering and I turned them to face the sun and continue healthy growth.

Their neighbor across the street, Hector came by to check on me several times.  And offered to drive me into town for some shopping on one occasion – I paid him for the trip with a pineapple upside down cake.  He was fully of information about the area and pointed me the Cahal Peche and Xunantunich ruins which I was able to visit during my stay.

Responsibilities:

• 1 ~ 5-year old greyhound, Martini
• Indoor plants to water, turn and deadhead

Extras:

• Daily text messages to Doug on things were going
• I made fresh bread and had a bowl of fresh fruit from the market waiting in the kitchen when Doug and Christina returned.

The jungle garden yard.

Martini, relaxing after our walk into town.

Cahal Pech

Xunantunich

Xunantunich