Trustedhousesitters.com - A website that Wilson read about in AARP magazine. It's a site started in the UK that brings together people who need house/pet sitters with people interested in pet/house sitting. We are scheduled for two sittings, the first being here in Columbia and the second at the end of the month in Palestine, TX. It's a great way to break up our road trip and offers a place to stay in exchange for taking care of the owner's pet(s) & home.
We will be here with Bennie & Jett until Monday, November 14th. We arrived and spent quite a bit of time with Linda going over the boy's routine along with a tour of the 5 Points area of Columbia. Bennie & Jett are amazing, the house is lovely, and it has been a good experience for us. Going into the pet/house sitting thing, we weren't exactly sure what to expect but it's been really good. The boys are very well trained and it's a bit humbling to think that we have been entrusted with their care. because clearly they are cherished members of the family.
It's been good for us because every morning we would take them for an excursion...getting them out of the house and keeping us all active. While here we have visited Congaree National Park (the only national park in SC) and Cayce River Walk. We've played ball with the boys at a local park and we've walked the neighborhood....interestingly, there are practically no sidewalks in this area, but the dogs were so good, it wasn't an issue....the drivers on the other hand are a different story.
Wilson and I ventured off to the Soda City Market on Saturday, which is a big farmers market downtown. It reminded me of the Waterbury Arts Festival - lots of local crafts, cheeses, vegetables, entertainment, etc. This week there was also a Band Jam which began during the market time and went on into the night...we revisited this piece a little later in the evening when we had dinner downtown. They do the farmers market every Saturday.
After the market we went down to 5 Points to the Chili Cook-Off. Again there was a lot of people out enjoying the festivities....There were bands along with many cook-off competitors who offered up their chili for a $1.00 donation. There were some really spicy chilies to sample...in fact. the last one I tried led me to a libation table where I purchased an Angry Orchid cider and proceeded to drink it faster than Wilson drank his beer. That may have been a first!
We ended our day with a final dinner with Stephen & Sandra downtown followed by a game of Oh Hell (a card game also known as screw your neighbor for those who aren't sure what I'm talking about). I also copied and put into a book the recipes that my mother shared with us ...it took her a long time, with a lot of pestering from me, but she created individual cookbooks for each of her four daughters. It's a gift that I am grateful for and one of the few things that I brought along on the trip that was not really a necessity...for all practical purposes. I'm glad that I brought it, if only for the opportunity to share a little piece of my mother with Stephen.
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