Pete and Linda are recent retirees after careers in real estate. The first year after we retired we took it easy and fixed up our home. We dabbled in housesitting at that time, picking up a one-month house/pet sit in Portland, ME where we sat for a kitty and a pet bunny. Our second house/pet sit position was in Santa Fe, NM where we cared for two puppies Bucky and Dee for three weeks while their mom traveled abroad. Prior to Covid putting an end to travel for a while we sat for an elderly blind dog in the historic district of Wilmington, NC while his parents were on vacation.
We sold our home in Chapel Hill and bought a 1999 Airstream and set up camp near our children in Madison, NC. We have refined our retirement cottage plans and were ready to start to build when we changed our minds - for now. Our experience has been when you own a home you are tied to that place and you bloom where you're planted. We've decided we're not ready to put down permanent roots just yet. We would like to bloom for the next few years wherever our housesitting opportunities take us. We're ready to strike out on our own and share the love of animals and the love of settling in and living among the locals, getting to know them and finding our way around new cities we visit. We are so perfectly suited to pet sitting and pet sitting is just perfect for us.
We are in excellent health; fit and trim. Our exercises of choice are walking (your pups will love that!) and working out at the gym three times a week. We take a few presciptions and supplements, but mostly we rely on our vegan lifestyle and healthy food to serve as our medicine. Linda cooks "three squares" a day most days and enjoys a glass of wine some nights with dinner. Pete loves a bourbon on date night (Fridays). Neither of us has ever smoked.
When we go on a "date" it's often to a movie, or to attend an old time music festival or we'll drop into a jazz bar to hear the local talent. We're pretty much homebodies in the evenings after dinner. Our favorite passtimes are watching Netflix and reading on our Kindles. Linda spends HOURS working crossword puzzles and loves working jigsaw puzzles on her portable jigsaw board. Pete has his dream car, a Shelby Cobra RepliCar painted Wimbledon White with a red rookie racing stripe. You won't be surprised to know his favorite passtime is roaring through the mountains of North Carolina or around the track at VIR.
Pete has an economics degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Linda has two masters degrees from Penn State (1986, 1988); an MA in Community Education and an MS in Counseling.
Linda finally decided what she wanted to be when she grew up and entered training for Hospital Chaplaincy. Linda serves at two local hospitals on an as-needed basis.
Linda grew up on a 125 acre farm in Virginia with pigs, cows, dogs, barn cats and bats and her vey own pony named Flash. During the child rearing years we had a menagerie of dogs, cats and guinea pigs We are comfortable around animals and enjoy their unique personalities. Currently we have no pets so we will enjoy yours while you are away.
Pete is a NC Licensed General Building Contractor. He has built over 100 homes. He knows how to take care of the nuts and bolts of your home. Linda is a meticulous housekeeper. Together we will take care of your home and your pet(s) as if they were our own. We are very cognizant of the line between travel for fun and travel for housesitting. We will not be tourists or travellers when we come to you.
Our goal is to provide you with a carefree vacation knowing that your pets and your home are well cared for. We will follow your rules and your guidelines for pet care. We will care for your home as we see things need to be done or as you direct us.
We are literally "footloose and fancy free" so we can be at your location in the time it takes us to drive or fly there. Thank you for reading about us. We look forward to hearing about you and the plans you have for your vacation. We will send you off in confidence and welcome you safely back to a clean home - maybe even with a home cooked meal!
Best regards,
Linda Snow & Pete Barber