We are a professional couple that own our own business (GIS consulting, cartography, and data management - see more at and we are able to work remotely from anywhere that has an internet connection and enough electricity to charge a laptop. We live in Bellingham, Washington and own our own home (3/1 farmhouse that we totally remodeled), small farm (dairy goats, chickens, pigs and a dog and cat) and 40 acres of farmland and timber.
Our son Finn is 3 years old and (okay, get ready for us parents to brag about our kid...) he is amazing. He knows more about animal tracking and botany than most adults, and he loves nothing more than to walk slowly through the woods and "look for cool stuff" as he puts it. More importantly for you (we understand your hesitation about having a 3 year old in your home), he is kind, mellow, slow paced, respectful and understands rules and limits. We spend much of our time on our sailboat and around our livestock, and he has learned from an early age that the rules we set are absolute (personal blog, a couple we've always loved to travel to learn about new cultures and study different ecological settings. But now with a child, we are adamant the Finn grow up with the same opportunities. We want him to be surrounded by people that look different than himself, we want him to learn new languages, and we want him to learn about the plants and animals of far off lands. Your home will help us provide those experiences for Finn and become part of his exploration of new cultures.
What We Bring to the Assignment:
Beyond our our willingness to tinker with systems and our ability to solve mechanical problems, our greatest asset is the attitude with which we would approach your home.
We will be trusting our own beautiful home and our own beloved pets (Wylie the Golden Retriever, and Morpheus the Tabby) and livestock to housesitters while we're staying in your home, so we know the level of trust that is required to hand over the keys. We will treat your place and your animals with the exact same love and care that we hope ours are getting while we're gone.
We have ample experience caring for others' property and our own home (including a complete remodel of our 3/1 farm house done primarily by ourselves) and 40 acres of farmland and timber.
Katie: During my time as a licensed charter boat captain, I cared for not only the people aboard during our multi-day trips, but also the boat itself. The mechanical systems, the cleanliness, and the aesthetics were all my responsibility.
Other skills and experience -
-I grew up with horses throughout my childhood and guided and cared for horses professionally in Hawaii.
-We have a herd of dairy goats, pastured pigs, and a flock of laying hens. We've seen the highs and lows of living with animals; the births, deaths, sickness and vet trips. We've administered shots, pulled baby goats out by hand, and also spent endless hours just scratching furry critters behind their ears.
Mark: As farm manager at a sustainable agriculture education center, I was responsible for the all the structures, both permanent and temporary, and all the plants. Freezing temperatures, 70 knot winds, a leaky pond and plumbing system, and a few million dollars worth of plants...Everything had to function, but also stay beautiful for our retail clientele.
-I've been a project manager for large scale environmental restoration projects, and also for orchards, vineyards and ornamental gardens, and our current home is our own little permaculture oasis...we can help keep your garden thriving while you're away.
-I've been a finish carpenter, worked in a boatyard, and remodeled two of our own houses...we can help keep the structure and the finish of your home as beautiful as ever.
We have also lived on a small, simple sailboat for 9 months in Mexico, traveled in a camper van for months at a time through the desert, lived with water catchment and nearly off grid homes in Alaska, and our current home has spring water catchment, an ancient septic system and a composting toilet. We know how, and actually prefer, to live simply and with simple systems.