Bev and John take a Break from the Joyful Rigors of Pet Sitting

Even International House & Pet Sitters need an occasional break.

After all, there is stress and wear-and-tear to recover from after weeks of the rigors of walking dogs and feeding horses.

During the eight months ending May 30, 2019, we visited 21 cities in 6 countries. In 2 of those countries and 8 cities we did house & pet sits for 6 cats, 10 dogs, 2 horses, 4 Alpaca, 8 hens, 4 ducks, and several assorted fish.  Phew, pretty exhausting, huh?

Visiting New Zealand, Bali, Viet Nam, and Thailand was for what we call “Tweeners” (places we visit between house & pet sits). When we travel to another hemisphere as far away as Australia, it makes good sense to stay for awhile. We planned the Bali, Viet Nam, and Thailand trips before going to France for 3 months of house & pet sitting. When we returned to the U.S., largely to see our new granddaughter, Whitney, we needed another break.

Returning to the US is always a big event for us. On the one hand, we are excited to see family and friends. On the other, we know it will get us out of our “on the road rhythm”. Yes it’s a small price to pay but we seem to have a concern about getting the rhythm back! By the way…we always do.

We had a wonderful time visiting our kids and grandkids, seeing family and friends in Maine, Western Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and Baltimore before heading back to Arizona. Below are a few pictures from our trip.

Daughter Kate and family have a new Lake Home that we had a chance to visit. WOW, right on the Lake!

The boys, Michael and Chris, are so busy with hockey and baseball, it is crazy. We did get to spend some time with the girls, Lauren, Coco (Courtney) and Whitney (2 months old here). And the new puppy, Floyd.

Two days in Maine visiting John’s brother Bart and Jan was refreshing. Their property is private, secluded and peaceful. The lush morning walk through the woods with Jenny, the whimsical English lab puppy was just fabulous. And, one afternoon we went bee hunting for a project that Jan is working on. Bev with a net can be dangerous!

Following Maine, we drove to western Massachusetts close to Tanglewood, to visit John’s sister Carole and Larry and their two horses. Unfortunately the photographer (John) was down with a cold so we didn’t get but one beautiful shot of their picturesque property. We should have taken some shots of the Turkish meals that Bev and Carole prepared. Wow!

We then went off to Truro, on Cape Cod next to Provincetown, to visit our dear friends of more than 30 years, Skip and Marcia. It is always fun to see them, cuddle with Fergie theor sweet terrier, and spend time walking and picnicking on the beach.

All in all our re-entry has been wonderful. We have been back in Arizona for two weeks, mostly running errands, going to doctors appointments, and completing a few necessary adjustments to our home before the next renters arrive on July 1.

Next, we are off to Murrieta, California, close to the emerging wine town/country of Temecula for a 3 week house and pet sit. Let’s see what we will discover there while we care for a newly adopted puppy and a couple of cats!

See you on the Road,

Bev & John