This summer as I was interviewing pet sitters for my own home, it occurred to me that maybe I should do the same thing – house and pet sit my way down the west coast – thus saving money on accommodations, with the bonus of having some company on the trails and a warm body to snuggle with at night. So, I applied for some house-sitting opportunities and almost everyone I applied for I got. Lucky me! So, while someone is at my house feeding the chickens and snuggling with my cats, I am doing the same during my travels. I just completed my second pet sitting gig – in Kent, Washington – a suburb of Seattle.
People often ask me how it is I manage to travel so
much – and this is one of the ways. Normally I rent out my house for the winter
and the rent coming in basically pays my accommodations while travelling, but house-sitting
works too – either way, I limit the money going out.
My first sit was in Bellingham – three dogs – not particularly well trained – so my ability to mushroom forage on walks was nil. It was all I could do to keep my shoulders in their sockets! My second pet sit was awesome. Gurney – a full-sized schnauzer who has been very well trained-was a pleasure to mushroom hunt with. His owner is currently working on scent training with him. He can find hidden vials of clove oil. While that may not seem very useful, next year they start working on Truffles!
Gurney and I covered about 15 kms a day and I found
baskets of delicious mushrooms – and so far, no bear encounters 😉I am not
too worried about bears – it is the creepy people lurking in the forest I worry
about. My first hike in Bellingham was at the popular Whatcom Falls – an urban
forest in town. It was beautiful – except for the crazy lady who followed me,
shouting and mumbling at me the whole time.
Speaking of urban forest – yesterday I hiked 17 km in
Auburn’s University campus forest and never came close to doing all the trails.
It was spectacular! Old growth Douglas fir, Maple and Cedar. I love foraging in
these types of settings as they are generally ignored by professional pickers,
and I always find lots of mushrooms. Additionally, I never have to worry about
getting lost.
I have the next two days off before starting my next sit in Bremerton, WA, so today I am meeting up with a girl I grew up with. Her
mother and my mother were best friends for many years, and so Sherry and I
spent a lot of time together as youngsters, and although they moved away for a
time, they returned some years later and Sherry and I went to high school
together. The last time I saw here was in our early twenties – so this should
be fun.
Tomorrow, I plan on doing some wine tasting on Bainbridge
Island and then I will watch the US election coverage from a cozy, overpriced hotel (I am shocked at the price of accommodations in this area). It is unlikely there will be final results tomorrow as it is sure to be a nail biter. I worry about where this
country is headed and agonize over how my own country is becoming equally
polarized. I know if we would just take a moment to step outside our own spere
of opinion where we are daily inculcated in confirmation bias – that is, we
seek out information that supports that which we already believe – and step
into the shoes of those other we disparage – I know we could find shared
values.
Here's to hoping Americans choose unity over division,
peace over chaos.
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