Housesitting: two months in the life.

We've been housesitting for our Portland, Oregon host for over two months. (Over two months! How did that happen?) Many people have asked what we've been doing all summer, so we thought we'd add another answer to the growing list of FAQs...

First things first. "FUNemployment" does not equal "vacation." Although we have actively resisted any kind of temporary office work, we have done a few odd jobs here and there for cash (thank you, you know who you are) but generally speaking, we are still living off our travel fund - such a challenge in the city known for its great food and amazing music! As housesitters we don't pay rent, but we still have costs of groceries, gas and other miscellany, and we've allowed ourselves a (pretty small) entertainment budget. It all adds up and at this point our average living costs run around $32/day. Money is always on our mind and is often a determining factor in how we spend our time.

"FUNemployment" also does not always equal 100% fun. Our first few weeks here were pretty stressful and we continue to struggle with staying positive while basically remaining stagnant for the first time in over two years. Some days we've been so weighed down with the enormous question of what we're going to do for the rest of our lives (or just in 2016) that it's hard to motivate ourselves to do anything productive. Those days have sucked.

But most days have been pretty good and we've actually done quite a bit over the last few months...

As far as the housesitting responsibilities go, twice a day we feed and walk two silly, adorable dogs.

goofball Ruby

big brother Rusty (also a goofball)

(As an aside... When you apply for a housesit, you're able to see pictures of the house and pets, and you should definitely talk to the host(s) before accepting, but obviously you can't Skype with the pets so it's impossible to know exactly what you're in for. Luckily, we had a wonderful feline experience in Melbourne, and here in Portland we have fallen in love with these two goofball canines who provide hours of entertainment each week. We are really going to miss them.)

We also feed the chickens each morning and let them out for an afternoon romp while the dogs nap inside.

afternoon freedom

And we water the small raised bed gardens. They need a lot less watering now that it's not 100°F and almost fall (how did that happen?), but we've enjoyed many pounds of tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, basil, arugula, green beans and lettuce this summer.

early July

late July

early August

late August

early September (just one day's harvest)

And that's all we're required to do each day. Yep, housesitting is HARD!

I kid... sort of. I've honestly been rather challenged by two months of (fairly selfish) down time. I appreciated the first few weeks for catching up on our US National Parks blog-o-rama, and then I read a handful of books, watched a handful of movies, and caught up with some friends. And then I got bored.

To combat this idle purposelessness, I've been volunteering once a week at the Oregon Food Bank's Learning Garden - so much fun! You just sign up, show up, pick your project(s) for the morning, and go to it.

earlier this summer I spent lots of time with the tomatoes

now I spend lots of time weeding

It really is a learning opportunity; I've harvested fruits and vegetables I never knew how to harvest and I've learned a lot more about the growing season here in Portland (in spite of the oddness of this particularly warm season!). As an added bonus, volunteers can take home a piece of the day's harvest so I've been able to try new recipes and regularly supply Patrick with jalapeno peppers for his homemade salsa.

Most importantly, though, produce harvested at OFB's Learning Garden is distributed to local hunger-relief agencies. A few weeks ago I got to see the other end of the cycle by spending an afternoon at the Northeast Emergency Food Program. The food on the NEFP's pantry shelves is free (families get up to three visits every six months) and a lot of it comes from the Oregon Food Bank. Whereas many food pantries pre-bag food for families in need, NEFP allows families to browse shelves and "shop" for food based on the size of their household.

That afternoon I helped six families - ranging in size from 1-10 family members and varying in backgrounds, ethnicities and food choices - select produce, canned goods and frozen meals. Several of the clients were Vietnamese and I struggled to remember basic words from our time there so that I could better connect with them; another US war veteran client had spent time on a farm in Vancouver and I enjoyed talking with him about nutrition while he shopped. It was a good experience that I hope to repeat soon.

Anyway! Patrick has enjoyed his down time by plowing through a dozen books and catching up on movies. He's also helped out at the Oregon Food Bank, he volunteered at two brew fests and a hops harvest, and he helped a friend with some home brewing.

service with a smile -
Oregon Brewers Festival

a straight shooter with upper management written all over him -

North American Organic Brewers Festival

sip, sip, pick -
Hopworks Urban Brewery hops harvest

To facilitate building our local farm network we've gone to Friends of Family Farmers events and a few "classes" at the Urban Farm Collective... I use the quotes because the UFC classes have been more like volunteer opportunities where they get free labor in exchange for teaching us how to do things - pretty smart of them and pretty fun for us.

fruit tree pruning class

pickling class

It's been really nice to have a kitchen for an extended period of time. We've been able to continue the pickling and fermentation experiments throughout the summer, and we've enjoyed cooking meals that don't require a campfire.

sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha

We're both running again (another perk of being stable for a few months) and to keep active I've also been doing some landscaping around our host's yard and helping a neighbor with her yardwork. We may also be helping several friends with landscaping projects during September.

We've spent time with friends and family, and we've been able to get away for solo adventures too - Patrick went camping on the coast with a friend and he's been helping his mom with some house projects down in Eugene. I also went to Oakland to help a friend with her house project.

And yes, in between all of this I've been thinking about writing that book... But that's about as far as I've gotten with that little project.

Long story short, we are definitely keeping busy and the days are flying by. (We've actually been here long enough to see the days start to get shorter. It's weird.) The hours in each day are starting to fly too - we're usually going by 7am, and some days we look at the clock and can't believe it's already 3pm. Really not sure how all you people with jobs ever get anything done...!

As our time in the Rose City winds down, we're realizing that we've done almost everything on our Portland wish list and we've seen almost everyone we want to see. We've learned some cool things, met some neat people, and helped some worthwhile organizations. We know where we're going next, and after that, and after that. And probably most exciting, we have a plan for 2016! More to come on that...

Pretty soon it will be October 5th and after we wonder how that happened, we'll say goodbye to the puppies, go camping for a bit, and then start this housesitting process over again in a brand-new-to-us Oregon town. Only instead of three months there, we'll have just five weeks.

Yeesh! Thinking it's time to just enjoy these last four weeks of Portlandia and see what happens from here...

taken at 2pm on a Wednesday -

to FUNemployment!

About that coffee and macadamia nut farm...

For our last Big Island farm hurrah, we spent three and a half weeks on a coffee and macadamia nut farm. Because when in Hawaii... right?

We were a little apprehensive about this farmstay because we'd had such an amazing time at Earth Matters and we'd been hearing that coffee and mac nut farms weren't exactly the most exciting places to work. But we really did want to learn anything we could about Kona coffee, and even if it wasn't exciting work we figured that at this point we could do just about anything for 24 days. Plus, this farm was really close to the best snorkeling spots on the island and we would have our own private space.

We were there during the off-season so unfortunately, the farm work was especially unexciting. (Hurrah!) Patrick actually spent most of his time helping with construction jobs. This work probably prepped us for the coming months of helping our parents with house repairs, so we really can't complain.

(Also? We were living for free in a beautiful flat with a gorgeous view, in Hawaii, in February/March while everyone else in the country got pummeled by snowmageddon. We really can't complain.)

I pitched in with the construction work when absolutely necessary but I was much more interested in being around the plants - no matter how tedious the farm work might be.

So I spent a few days pruning coffee trees. The process is surprisingly like pruning grape vines; given our prior vineyard experiences this made the work go quickly despite the rocky, uneven paths and the treacherous weaving and bobbing that was required in order to dodge the bazillion crab spider webs.

before

after

to be pruned in a few months -

have to determine the strongest spurts first

(see? just like grape vines!)

During our short stay we witnessed the progression of coffee buds.

from barely showing...

... to "Kona snow" practically overnight

... and from flowers come coffee beans
(eventually - these were leftover from the last harvest)

But that was about the extent of the coffee tree exposure. We actually learned more about coffee farming from a 15-minute video at the Royal Kona Coffee Museum up the street than we did at the farm. So mostly we just enjoyed drinking coffee.

$25/bag

(first bag free with 20-hour work commitment!)

Macadamia nut trees were another story. I spent hours and hours (and hours and HOURS) clearing broken and hollow shells from the paths and tree rows at the farm. This enabled the mac nut pickers to easily find the good nuts. The seven 100-lb burlap bags of broken and hollow shells that I collected were eventually run through the chipper and used for coffee tree mulch.

Anyone else would've been bored to tears with this task but honestly, I really enjoyed my time with the trees and the songbirds and the iTunes and the occasional wandering chicken.

all clear

Patrick, Lila (the other HelpXer) and I also spent about three full days husking macadamia nuts.

step 1: hurl giant burlap sack of mac nuts onto husker

step 2: wait while machine does its thing

(the debris will also be coffee tree mulch)

step 3: try to pull out remaining debris without getting pummeled by mac nuts

The three of us made a really good team - we even beat the "bags husked/hour" record set by the German HelpXers a few months ago. Take THAT, Germans!

But it was loud and tedious work and we were glad when we were done.

And now for the not-so-tedious fun stuff about our farmstay...

In addition to coffee and mac nuts, Larry's farm has an abundance of trees that produce ginormous fruit. We enjoyed all of this very much.

ginormous palmelos

ginormous lemons and

ginormous piles of tangerines

ginormous avocados

ginormous cups of roasted cacao

(thanks, Lila!)

(incidentally, this is what a cacao looks like inside)

(and incidentally, avocado and cacao make awesome pudding)

ginormous buckets of jaboticaba from Larry's friend

Larry also showed us how to make kombucha.

Patrick is now hooked...

Jen is still not sold

And we had three adorable farm kitties to keep us company during down time. They had real names but we could never remember them, so the super-friendly kitty was "Skinny," the mostly-friendly one was "Chubster," and the super-skittish one was "Mama."

Skinny, Mama, and Chubster

(in that order)

We spoiled them rotten. Sorry, Larry.

oh hai

pawsing

Our lodging was pretty awesome. "The Octagon," as it was called, had a spacious sleeping/sitting area and a well-equipped kitchen. The bathroom was inside but the shower was totally outside. A little odd at first, but we really came to appreciate bathing while overlooking the beautiful ocean and gardens.

the main room of The Octagon

(kitty not included)

a shower with a view -
the ocean is there, it was just a gray day

much bread was baked here

From The Octagon's balcony we witnessed a terribly predictable sunset almost every day we were there. I really don't know how Hawaiians stand it.

boring

sigh

meh

yawn

zzzzz

(Kidding, obviously. We really looked forward to sunsets.)

We worked hard during our stay but we definitely enjoyed some play time too. Larry was great about driving us to local snorkeling spots and even lent us gear. More on that later...

In summary: definitely glad we had this opportunity; don't need to work on a coffee or macadamia nut farm ever again.

thanks, Larry! (and Lila!) -

the blur represents our combined level of fatigue that day

Next up: Big Island "vacation" and then the mainland... Gulp.

Southernmost WWOOFing in the USA (a salute to Earth Matters farm).

Seed, plant, weed, harvest - the life of a farmer.

Okay, maybe there's a little more to it than that.

Okay, maybe there's a whole lot more to it than that. But after spending decades in the fields of Southern California, Mexico and now Hawaii, Greg Smith has this farming thing down to a science.

Some might say it's a mad science - at Greg's farm you'll find no garden maps, no written schedules of what was planted when, no documentation on how the last crop fared, no popsicle sticks in the seed trays or garden rows indicating what was planted, no permaculture books on site, no xeroxed copies of what vegetables complement other vegetables...

no idea what's in those trays

(but the farmer knows!)

All of this may not be written down but it's definitely all in Greg's head. His hearty 3-acre garden supports a 30-member-and-growing CSA as well as a weekly farmer's market... and his mad scientist approach totally works!

Welcome to South Point, where everything is the "southernmost" in the USA: the southernmost bakery, the southernmost point to jump in the ocean, the southernmost city signpost, the southernmost restaurant, and of course the southernmost organic veggie farm:

also known as

our first WWOOF gig in Hawaii

At Earth Matters Farm, just about any vegetable (and even some fruits) thrive year-round. Greg has just three hardfast rules for the farm: never use chemical sprays, don't immediately replant the same veggies in the bed you've just cleared, and always add calcium before you plant a new crop. Anything else is pretty flexible.

We spent almost 6 weeks at Earth Matters and we loved every minute. Each day was basically the same - and I definitely don't mean this in a bad way.

we seeded

we planted

we weeded

("are we there yet?" "just a little further...")

we harvested

Like any farm, every day was the same and yet every day was different. We might show up on Monday to a mess from a windstorm, or a full-on chicken hunt after finding decimated cucumbers.

gale force winds the day before we arrived

"where's my gun?!"

Tuesdays might find us harvesting carrots, or squash, or eggplant, or celery, or fennel, or turnips, or broccoli, or beans, or bok choy, or any mix of the myriad of greens in Greg's garden... and sometimes all of that... for the CSA boxes.

boxes o'plenty

beautiful turnips

sweet carrots

squash bounty

Wednesdays one or both of us worked at the Ho'oulu Community Farmers Market, where the produce for sale changed weekly.

service with a smile

Thursdays and Fridays at the farm were usually pretty chill. Sometimes we worked on small farm maintenance projects, sometimes we had seeding or planting or weeding or harvesting projects.

operation banana plant relocation 2015

the winter '15 turmeric harvest

Thursdays and Fridays also usually involved a lot of quality time with Pumpkin and Pineapple, the southernmost cutest farm cats in the USA.

"helping"

"double helping"

We loved the peace and quiet at the farm. We loved the weekly routine. We enjoyed the company of our fellow WWOOFers and all the other regulars at the farm. On most days, Greg would point out a few projects in the morning and we'd all get to work. If we finished our projects we'd find something else to do - there's always something to do on a farm...

... like teach Pumpkin bad habits

... or snuggle with Pineapple

Twice during our stay Greg hosted workshops for a local nonprofit at the farm, and another time he held a two-part soil class for local gardeners. In exchange for a little help putting lunch together, we were able to attend the soil class and learned heaps about fermentation as fertilizer, soil composition, and how to balance nutrients in the soil for optimum plant growth.

machete + banana flower + sugar + time

= fertilizer

soil class: like high school science class,

only relevant and fun

Once in a while we did yard work around the WWOOFer accommodations. We stayed in the lower flat of a vacation rental that helps supplement the farm and WWOOFers. Our flat was spacious and well-equipped and the gardens around the house were just stunning, especially after we spent several days weeding and cleaning up the yard to let the beautiful tropical plants breathe.

before

after

a rainy yard work day

is still better than Monday in a cube

It wasn't all work though - if you can really call this "work." We got down to South Point a few times after "work" and we also did some local hikes.

Patrick, the southernmost jumper in the USA at that moment

some of the southernmost lava rock trails at Manuka State Park

Kahuku's beautiful Kona Trail

featuring the southernmost oldest hardwood trees on earth

Oh yeah, and Jen turned 40 during her stay.

southernmost birthday celebration
(with WWOOFer Alex)

Greg encouraged us to explore but honestly, DAY 650. We were happy to just sit on the porch after work and watch the sun go down and the moon come up between the trees.

6:36pm

6:58pm, one week later

We were also happy to eat delicious food from the farm and the backyard.

best carrots EVAH
(it helps when one of your WWOOF roomies is a chef)

eat five colors a day, kids!

NOM

looks just like my Pearl Jam t-shirt

fresh from the backyard

fresh from the ocean

In case we haven't said it enough here or elsewhere, we really loved our stay at Earth Matters. We learned a lot from Greg in our short time and we know we will put a lot of this knowledge to use when we start our own garden. We've also made some wonderful friends that we know we'll see again someday... maybe sooner than we all realize!

mahalo nui loa, Greg and Gail!

we'll see YOU again too, farm

But change is good. We're now at our last Hawaiian farm - a coffee/mac nut farm, of course! - for a few weeks before we head back to winter in Maryland.

Hmmm. Winter in Maryland. Hmm. Perhaps we should reconsider this plan...