We are spending two months house- and pet-sitting in central Kentucky. We are in a rural part of the state near Lexington. The house is a 250-year old log house, which was recently remodeled. The interior has been fully modernized, and the exterior is well maintained.
Log house in Kentucky
The house sits about 50 feet from a lake, on a large property with few neighbors.
The house with a view of the lake
The pet is a 6-year old English Springer Spaniel, with a very easygoing personality.
Taking the dog for a walk
Even though it’s winter, the weather is often pleasant enough to sit out by the lake.
Sitting by the lake
All in all, we’re having a great time on our first long-term sit!
Our first long-term sit is at a house on a lake in rural, central Kentucky. The house is about half a mile off a main road, and about 50 feet from the lake. We are in a 250-year old log house. We have a dog to look after while we are here, and we need to keep a watch on the pipes to ensure they don’t freeze during the winter.
See link below for a 1-minute video of the lake.
Use the following link for a 25% discount when signing up for TrustedHousesitters: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF123171/
I heard an interview on a podcast a couple of years ago, of a guest who had spent several years traveling the world inexpensively by house sitting for others who were temporarily away from their homes. That led Maricela and me to look into it further.
We found there are several websites that connect house sitters with those needing the service. In about 99% of cases, the homeowner has one or more pets, which is the primary reason they need someone to stay at their house while they are away. A house itself can usually be left alone, but not so for pets that aren’t able to travel with their owners. The ability for the pet to stay at home in familiar surroundings is a much better experience for the pet than to leave them in a dog kennel, for example.
We also found there are a wide variety of sits available – short term (a weekend), long term (some are 6 months or even a year), domestic, international (Europe and Australia are popular), dogs, cats, even some with farm animals.
Maricela and I signed up on a website while we were still in California, and did a couple of house sits while we were working, to try it out. We wanted to get a feel for it while we were close to home.
Once we were in Mexico, we checked the listings occasionally. There aren’t as many listings in Mexico, but eventually we found one in Mexico City, about four hours away from where we were staying. So we traveled to Mexico City for ten days. While there we were responsible for taking care of three dogs and two cats. They could be left alone for several hours during the daytime, giving us ample time to explore the city. It worked out great for both us and the home/pet owners and the pets, and it reaffirmed the experience we had in California.
As mentioned in another post, we checked to see if there were any interesting listings in the US, since we had to leave Mexico at least briefly to renew our visas. We liked one we found in Kentucky, and that’s where we are currently.
The website we go through is TrustedHousesitters.com. There is an annual fee to join and to be able to see the full listings, although it does allow non-members to see some information. The last time I checked, the fee was $119 per year. If anyone is interested, use the following link for a 25% discount: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF123171/
Last summer we left Pleasanton to move to Mexico. Not necessarily permanently, but for several years at least. As a friend of ours put it, we’re not moving permanently, but we’re also not purchasing a return ticket.
Our first stint in Mexico lasted almost five months. Since we’re on a tourist visa, we are required to leave Mexico within 180 days. And since we drove, our vehicle also must cross the border within the same time frame. We can re-enter Mexico at any time, even the same day, and have another 180 days. The point is that we knew we were going to have to drive out of Mexico at some point within the first six months, we just had to figure out exactly when we would exit as well as when we would return.
As I’ve said to many people, our time in Mexico has been better than expected. We visit people often, we have plenty of time to spend with each other and by ourselves, we enjoy the slower pace, the food is amazing – the list goes on. However, as we started planning our trip to cross the border, we started considering other experiences we might pursue. One thing we had tried previously in both the US and Mexico is house/pet sitting. We said to each other, we don’t have any permanent commitments yet in Mexico – no chickens or goats, no gardens to take care of, etc. – so let’s see if there are any house sitting opportunities that sound interesting.
We looked toward the central US – our kids are on opposite coasts, and we’ve never spent time any further east than Colorado. The most interesting sit that came up was in Kentucky. We’ve never been there, so why not give it a try? We applied for the sit and were selected. Due to the needs of the home/pet owners, it meant we needed to return from Mexico a few weeks earlier than originally planned. We took care of affairs in Mexico, headed to California to visit family and friends, then drove on to Kentucky.
US-Mexico map with overview of our travels
We have not abandoned our plans to return to Mexico but, as the title of this post suggests, we are taking a detour before returning again. We want to make the most of our newfound freedom and explore other places. We are blessed by good health, and we are able to keep our expenses low, both of which help make this possible.
One anecdote about our travels – on our way to Kentucky we drove through the Petrified Forest National Park. As we were enjoying the winding roads and the amazing scenery, Maricela summed up our situation by saying, “Or, we could return to cubicle life!” Our minimalist lifestyle that makes our travels possible is not for everyone, but for us, it’s much more satisfying than the alternative!
Before we left California we bought a used minivan with 90,000 miles on it. Since then, we’ve driven it about 12,000 miles across the US and Mexico. I have to say, despite all the abuse we’ve thrown at it, it has held up very well.
I’ve mentioned that the roads in some parts of Mexico are in poor condition. In some places we have to travel on dirt roads. One of them is up to our uncle’s house. Our uncle and aunt have lived there for over 40 years, and they and their neighbors have lobbied for years to get the road paved, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Here’s a short video of us driving up the road in the minivan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s0Q0CUNd34
This week we’re participating in the Posadas here in town. It’s a little like Christmas caroling, but there’s more to it. Every evening from the 16th through the 23rd of December, people from town gather and march through the streets, singing of Mary and Joseph’s journey and stopping at various houses asking if there’s room for them to stay. There are also displays along the way, typically with kids posing as angels or shepherds waiting for Jesus’ arrival. At each stop along the way the crowd is turned down, until they get to the last house. The last house welcomes everyone in and provides traditional treats for everyone. Each evening the route changes, leading to a different part of the neighborhood.
On Wednesday, our house, along with several neighbors’ were the final stop. There’s been well over 100 people participating each day, so it’s pretty fun.
Setting up in front of one of the housesMany of the displays have live actors
I’m trying my first video post today. I can’t do it directly on the blog, but you can see it on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/7xnowoMfqWo. If you listen closely you can hear me describing what’s going on. I didn’t want to speak too loudly and disturb the crowd. Same with the lighting – it’s dark, but it gives you the spirit of the event. (Note that at one point in the video I say “Jesus and Mary”, but meant to say Joseph and Mary.)
We don’t have many automobiles in our town, but we do still have traffic jams from time to time. Sometimes it’s goats, today it’s cattle…
Cattle crossing the road
Note the truck that is stuck behind the cattle. This guy drives through the neighborhood a couple times per day selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Just listen for his loudspeaker announcing his arrival and walk out to the street in front of your house. If you want something he doesn’t have, just ask and he can probably bring it in the afternoon or the next day.
Cattle holding up the produce truck The bottleneck has passed behind us now
What street is this? Can I turn here? If the signs below look difficult to read, keep in mind I took these photos while out on a walk. Imagine trying to read the signs while both driving and attempting to find your way at the same time. At least these streets had signs, which is often not the case.
Calle 16 de SeptiembreCalle RealAvenida C. Colon Two-way street <—>
There seems to be a lack of standardization among roadsigns, and definitely a lack of maintenance.
By the way, we have Google Maps on our Mexican cell phone, but there are several problems with it. For one, if it tells you to turn on a certain road, it’s unlikely that you will see a corresponding road sign confirming that you found the correct road. Second, if there is a road sign, it is often as pictured in the photos above. Third, I would say about 75% of the time, the app identifies roads differently than posted signs do. An example for those familiar with Pleasanton would be if the app said to exit at Santa Rita but the only sign indicated Tassajara. Locals know that this is the same road (on different sides of the freeway), but if you aren’t already familiar with the area, how would you know? Fourth, and I don’t recall if it does the same thing in the US, it often says something like “Follow the route toward Main Street.” Since I’m in an unfamiliar area, how would I know where Main Street is? Finally, the Google maps app frequently “goes crazy”. You’re heading along fine, and out of the blue it will tell you to exit, make a bunch of turns, make a U-turn, etc., until it eventually brings you back to where you just were. I’ve learned that you have to strategically ignore (i.e., make an educated guess) certain instructions from the navigation. Find the route that looks correct, and then if any of the subsequent instructions seem to deviate, ignore them. If you’re lucky, this will keep you on the correct route; otherwise, at least you still have the navigation and eventually it will take you back to a workable route. When we were in Mexico City, we took a trip one day that was just nine miles away but took us 90 minutes to get there. It was partly due to bumper to bumper traffic all the way, but the navigation played a role as well. Thankfully, people are friendly and are always happy to help get you back on the right path.
A few miles north of Mexico City in Teotihuacan, an ancient civilization built several pyramids and other structures. This culture thrived between 100 BC – 550 AD. In it’s prime, this area supported an estimated 150,000 people. The largest pyramid is known as the Pyramid of the Sun, the third largest pyramid in the world.
Pyramid of the Sun A view from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun A view of the Pyramid of the Moon as seen from the Pyramid of the Sun
Below is a view down what is called the Avenue of the Dead from the Pyramid of the Moon. This was seemingly a massive settlement at one time. The Pyramid of the Sun is on the left:
Avenue of the Dead
Interestingly, much of the area, especially underground, remains un-excavated, i.e., unexplored, with the likelihood of more artifacts to be discovered in the future.
Among Catholics, there is a tradition that over the years there have been a number of apparitions of Jesus and Mary throughout the world. In Mexico, Mary is said to have appeared to an Indian peasant in the year 1531. When he reported the appearance to church authorities, they asked him for proof. He presented them with his cloak, upon which was imprinted an image of Mary. Many Mexicans still venerate this image (known as Our Lady of Guadalupe) and you will find it everywhere.
The original cloak is on display at a large (holds 10,000) church (basilica) in Mexico City and it is a popular destination for visitors. The most popular day to visit is December 12, the “feast day” for this Saint. Since we happened to be in Mexico City on that day, we made a trip to the church. Below was as close as we got to the cloak, due to the crowds. The cloak is in the frame below the cross between the green and red banners.
On the drive we encountered dozens of buses, bicyclists, caravans, torchbearers, etc., making pilgrimages to the church from miles around. It was hard to get a good photo, but here’s a group of cyclists on the highway following a truck carrying a small shrine.
Bicyclists on pilgrimage to the basilica
As we approached, the crowds were significant. We saw many people carrying statues or paintings of the Lady of Guadalupe. Some come crawling on their hands and knees. People believe they will be blessed for making the journey, such as receiving healing from an illness, forgiveness, or the ability to give up alcohol or other vices.
Woman crawling to the basilica
Masses run all day, while outside, dozens of groups perform Aztec and other types of dances.
We found a couple of buildings in Mexico City covered with hanging gardens. The perspective in this photo makes it look to me like rows of crops growing in a field…
Hanging gardens
But it’s actually hundreds of small succulents growing on the sides of a building. Here’s a wider view:
We decided to get out of our small town for a while, so we drove to Mexico City and spent ten days there. It’s a thoroughly modern, cosmopolitan city which also happens to have a lot of history visible at every turn.
We stayed on the 32nd floor of a high rise just a couple years old (it’s the red one):
Mexico City apartment towers
Here’s a view of the sunrise from inside our apartment:
Mexico City sunrise
We were within walking distance of every amenity – multiple grocery stores, shopping malls, Starbucks, the Soumaya Museum of Art:
Soumaya Museum of Art
The Soumaya Museum of Art was funded by Carlos Slim, one of the richest people in the world. It contains art from around the world representing many genre’s and eras. We went back a second day because we didn’t get to see everything on our first visit.
We visited the National Anthropology Museum, the pyramids of the sun and moon at Teotihuacan, the basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and more. Sometimes we drove, sometimes we walked, and we rode the metro. Walking to the metro was a lot like walking on the Iron Horse trail to BART. Here’s a photo of the path:
Walkway to the subway
Overall we had a great time, but as they say, “it’s a nice place to visit”. Even though it had everything you could possibly want, just as in any other large, cosmopolitan city around the world, it was a bit large and crowded and busy for me. That’s not to say we won’t visit again, but as for living, I’m enjoying our small town life for now.
