Dave's Not Here

Vicki and I have finished up our stay in Golden, British Columbia. We have been house sitting for a lovely family that we have gotten to know but never really met. My amazing wife found this opportunity through a site called TrustedHouseSitters.com that pairs up travelers with people needing their house sat.

Usually the people wanting the sitting have pets or something that needs caring for and
they just don’t want to lock up the place and take off. The travelers get a free place to stay that is not just a room but an entire house. A Win-Win scenario if I ever heard of one.This house had two cats and seven chickens to look after. The cats were easy and the chickens were fun. Neither of us had ever cared for chickens before, but by the ends of our stay we both considered ourselves to be “chicken whisperers”. We would let them out of the coup in the evenings so that they could chase after some good bug protein. Then, as if by magic we would lead them back into the coup and put them up for the night using a little trickery. All the while we were getting to be good friends.

One of the things I really didn’t expect was how well we would get to know the people who lived there. We knew that they were trusting and loving as evidenced by their willingness to open their house to virtual strangers to care for their most prized and dearest possessions. And wala, this is where I had an awakening and could see what makes a house a home. It is the stories that the house tells you when you ‘listen’ to its contents. It is the stories of how proud the mother is of her three kids. It is the story of how they cook by what is in their pantry. It is the story of what the kids played when they were younger and how they encouraged the kids in their artwork. It is the story of what music they listened to and the movies they watched. It is the story of what it must have been like to live as a family of five with only one bathroom.

Would I do this again? Without a doubt I would. I never expected for it to rub off on me as much as it has. I never expected that it would give me a new perspective on how people lived as it has. And I never expected to feel so special without every being told so. What a wonderful stay it has been. Thank you owner for giving me more than I ever could have hoped for, and thank you for letting me to get to know you, it was a privilege.