The Caretaker Gazette

David Knight - Lights, Camera, Caretaker...

2012-01-16T11:54:00.000-08:00

There is no question that the life of a Caretaker is an odd one. This prompts the following dialogue on occasion:

Curious Individual - “What do the owners do for a living?”
Seasoned Caretaker – “I’m not sure”
Curious Individual – “Are they famous?”
Seasoned Caretaker – “You know, I think everyone is famous in their own way, it’s what makes us all unique, don’t you think?”
Curious Individual – “What’s a place like this cost?”
Seasoned Caretaker – “Couldn’t even guess, but If I don’t get back to work, it won’t stay this nice very long …”

And so it goes… It’s been my experience that discretion, accuracy, organization and the ability to be effective and almost invisible when the owners are in residence are some key launching points to do this sometimes very odd occupation.

But getting to this place of ten acres on the water in Chesapeake Bay was a long journey.

I started out in this business of caretaking and property management some 12 years ago after a divorce, a mid-life awakening, and a very strong desire to return to a much simpler life with less stress. Before heading to Maryland to begin my very first job as a caretaker on a 250 acre waterfront farm, I was managing a theater in North Carolina handling the technical set up of touring theater groups, and before that, several years as a television producer director as well as a framing carpenter and cabinet maker in Virginia. There were even several courses in basic boat construction at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, Maine. The hands on method is the life for me, always has been. Looking back, it is easy to see now that those seemingly disjointed paths I had chosen have somehow folded into this varied skill set that is a pretty good fit for the life of a beginning caretaker, and now property manager.

I often get asked “What exactly do you DO during the day”? My method has evolved over the years into three fairly broad categories of activity, bouncing at the needs of the owners between 1) – Direct service when owners or guests are in residence taking care of needs during the visit, 2) – Recovery of the property to a clean and ready state once they depart in prep for the next visit by the immediate family or friends, and 3) – Maintenance: I am what is termed a “Working Manager” handling organization, necessary repairs (many of which are done in-house), maintenance, (painting, plumbing, electrical improvements, boat prep and preventive work etc.). This last group is perhaps the most important beyond owner convenience and comfort as this is where I am able to stay ahead of the sometimes daunting task of keeping all the house systems working well, boats and cars at the ready, grounds tidy – the staying “ahead” is perhaps the most challenging as you need to develop an eye to spot trouble before it becomes an issue, usually at the most inconvenient time.

My current position is on a ten acre property right on the Chesapeake Bay. It includes a main house, two cottages for guests, a shop area, and newly built barn with indoor basketball court and office space adjacent to the tennis court. This is the first live out position that I have held as the others usually provided housing. While living on the property is convenient, it is important to also have an “outside life” away from the property. However, in this situation living away, it is equally important to be available to the owners when in residence in case the need arises for additional support or the odd repair that crops up. Perhaps the best feature of all this is that I am given the latitude to be totally self-directed. This is one of the best features of this position and allows for great flexibility of scheduling projects, but also affords time to become highly organized and proactive about maintenance issues at hand.

I suppose there is no typical day as there are so many things to look after. For example, I can work on interior painting or drywall repair, leave tools in place while drying and head outside to the vegetable garden and begin clearing the garden for the next growing season. I might start prepping some interior pieces on the family yacht (this is particularly fun as one of my hobbies is amateur boatbuilding and restoration). On rainy days I spend some time organizing cleaning supplies or reviewing vendor contracts so when the owners arrive, all is ready to go and all necessary things are at hand. When the owners are in residence I am always on hand to prep the family yacht, warm the diesel engine, check systems and safety gear, put the finishing touches on things like windows and galley, stock the fridge for drinks and head out for a day of fishing or take the family to dinner with guests on board. On the smaller boat, summer is filled with tubing and fishing trips to the bay with the owners’ kids. Winter will find me in the shop handling the tractor and machinery maintenance to ready the gear for spring, and there was a bit of time to build some needed shelving and custom drawers for the work bench built just last year. Some interesting opportunities also arise like when we had to remove a large oak tree, and instead of cutting it for firewood, hired a local gentleman with a band mill to saw the logs into lumber for a boathouse project.

Through it all, there is a quiet and gentleness about the day that adds to the pleasure of the job. Being able to enjoy that unfolding of the day is but one of the many things that was lacking in the television and theater business. And although the scope of my position encompasses not one, but now three properties, I still totally enjoy heading out each morning, waiting for the deer to cross the road as I turn down the lane and jump into the day’s projects. It is a far cry from that first day on the farm 12 years ago as a new caretaker, but I wouldn’t trade this job for any other, and I certainly wouldn’t head back into that dark control room surrounded by the blue monitors on the wall. Thanks to The Caretaker Gazette for being that one and only guide for some really terrific opportunities in my career. For those of you who are just starting out, this is a wonderful career filled with challenges and learning possibilities sprinkled with fun – give it a try!

Sheri Lynn Wilson: The Traveling Caretaker

2011-11-29T10:25:00.001-08:00

Sheri Lynn Wilson was born and raised in a small town in Iowa. Sheri recalls, “The extent of my travel experiences as a child and young teen were family trips to our vacation home on a little lake in Nisswa, Minnesota.” Sheri's first trip out of the U.S. came much later in life when, in her early 20’s, she spent a week in Cozumel, Mexico. According to Sheri, “I was hooked! I fell in love with Mexico and knew that someday not only would I go back for another vacation, but I had dreams that I would eventually wind up living there, and so I did.”

After graduating from high school, Sheri attended cosmetology school in Norman, Oklahoma and managed a successful full service salon there. “After a decade of being in business and on almost every board in town, I was tired. I wanted a change of pace so I sold my salon, put my house on the market and spent six months with a friend on his 36-foot luxury boat in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.” Sheri learned how to read Charlie's charts and co-captain a power boat. After this experience Sheri found, “I quickly realized that I could live a lifestyle that allowed me to travel. I felt I had a lot to offer the caretaker profession, so after reading The Caretaker Gazette for the first time, I started applying for caretaking jobs.”

After responding to an ad in the The Caretaker Gazette, she accepted a caretaking position on Roatan, an island off Honduras. Sheri's responsibilities included caring for a large estate, providing security and taking care of staff. Her boating skills came in handy on Roatan as commuting to the next town, or cay, was by skiff, dodging the coral reefs. Since Sheri's stint on Roatan, she secured several other caretaking jobs thanks to the Gazette. She has been a caretaker for a remote cabin in the Arkansas Ozarks, near the White River. Sheri next secured a position with a friend on Baker's Island, a private island off the New England coast. Sheri's primary responsibility was to look after 60 privately owned cottages, keep trespassers away, and communicate with the Salem harbormaster and the Coast Guard when the Lighthouse needed renovation. Sheri was entirely off the grid there, no cars, no restaurants, or movie theaters but was just a mere boat ride away from all that. Once again her boating skills were honed as the only means of transportation was via a dinghy. She recalls that the island was magical and lush and mystical, and the cottage owners were very kind and friendly.

Sheri also was the sole caretaker for a Cerillos, New Mexico ranch that was featured on The Today Show segment about The Caretaker Gazette. Sheri took care of feeding horses, cows, a bull and several dogs and a cat. “I loved being on this ranch. I love the owners very much as they were extremely good to me and taught me so much about life and not sweating the small stuff.” Sheri remains in contact with the owners of the ranch as they were more than her employers, they became trusted friends. Sheri's most recent caretaking experiences were in Baja Mexico, caring for large estate homes located on Cabo San Lucas and the 'Riviera Corridor' between Cabo and San Jose del Cabo. “I mostly did short term house/petsits for clients on a regular basis, always maintaining a base home, which was also a caretaking job.” For four years she lived off the grid in estates on the Pacific Ocean side of Baja. She has extensive caretaking experience with homes that are solar powered and generator operated and can care for solar batteries and systems. “I am used to this way of living and love it. I am comfortable and at ease in remote settings as well as in populated areas. I have developed many skills by being a professional caretaker, always learning and adapting.”

Sheri has experience supervising gardeners, maids, chefs, landscape architects, construction workers, and other household staff. She ensures that they do their intended jobs and pays them on behalf of the owners. 'My credentials are exemplary, and I take my caretaking jobs very seriously. I try to provide the utmost of care when I am on a job." Her list of references is extensive. Sheri is currently spending time with family and friends in the Oklahoma area until she secures another caretaking job. "As always, I will be perusing the trusty Caretaker Gazette in order to secure another promising opportunity. I am keeping my options wide open and the right job will come along. With my former management skills, I can tackle just about anything that comes my way. I can do off the grid living and fine estate living. I am so grateful for the The Caretaker Gazette as my lifestyle has been wonderful. I have had so many fantastic experiences thus far due to all the people that keep the Gazette published. I am open to long-term positions and short-term." Thanks for letting me share my experiences and my story. My entire outlook on life has expanded in so many wonderful ways thanks to the Caretaker lifestyle. Happy trails!"

A Caretaking Adventure in Hells Canyon

2011-08-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

During a visit with friends in northeastern Washington, John and Lynn were pleased to learn that, all over the world, property owners need caretakers. They had never really thought about the property caretaking field before this, but they soon warmed up to the idea of caretaking, and subscribed to The Caretaker Gazette. The couple immediately saw a caretaker-wanted ad in the Gazette which interested them. John and Lynn decided that they were the perfect couple to take this position since they wanted to travel and they both had the background and experience required. Lynn has a cooking background and was recently retired from the University of Washington after 20 years working in Housing and Food Services. John is retired from the Seattle Fire Department, had done pick-up work for a construction company, and attended recreational vehicle technical school. He also worked for a catalog and film production company providing technical assistance, caring for their RV, and cooking for the crews. In addition, John has also been the Maintenance Manager for Boardwalk Lodge, a 5-star fishing lodge in southeastern Alaska.

The couple responded to the ad in the Gazette by email and then followed up with a phone call to the property owner. After submitting their resumes and photos and then more phone conversations, John and Lynn were asked if they would like to see the ranch. Since they were visiting their daughter in eastern Washington, they agreed to take a look. On the day John and Lynn arrived at the ranch, they met the Ranch Manager on the Snake River and were then jet boated to the ranch which is located in Hells Canyon, 37 miles upstream from Lewiston, Idaho. John says, “We were sold immediately and decided to take the position right on the spot.” The property, located on the site of a historic ranch, is owned by The Nature Conservancy Group and is leased to a river exploration and excursion group. John's and Lynn’s duties were to take care of about 11 acres, out of the total 14,000 acres. Their area included the historic old mansion, a three-acre orchard, two log cabins, and approximately five acres of grass. The rest of the ranch is left natural and the guests may hike and explore as much as they desire.

John's and Lynn’s duties also included the care and feeding of the guests (two to eight at any one time), making sure they were fed well and ensuring they had a relaxing vacation. John and Lynn received a small stipend, room and board, plus any tips they were given by the guests staying on the property. On arrival day guests were treated to a wonderful excursion on a large jet boat through Hells Canyon followed by a country style dinner served by John and Lynn. The couple were also responsible for ensuring that all guests were comfortable with their accommodations. In the morning John and Lynn served the guests a good breakfast which included Swedish pancakes. If the guests were staying on for another night John and Lynn provided them with lunch on the ranch. For guests who were leaving that day, John and Lynn prepared a hearty sack lunch for the guests to take with them. According to John, “The most interesting part of this position was meeting the diverse array of guests from all over the world, and getting to talk with them. Learning about where they come from, their views on life, etc. It was real eye-opening!”

The couple's adventure was unique in the way that it taught them how to enjoy isolation. There was hiking and exploring near an old Chinese mine located up a trail along the Snake River and fishing for smallmouth bass, trout, salmon and steelhead in the river. John and Lynn could also just relax, read, or go swimming any time they wanted. They could even pan for some gold at various locations along the river. Gold in a very fine form comes from the Salmon River which joins the Snake River upstream and any deposits are found in the cracks and crevasses of the rocks after the spring runoff in May or June. John and Lynn also enjoyed watching the deer and wild turkeys that were always in the orchard along with owls, hawks, sparrows and other birds and animals. Lynn says, “For us this was fun, interesting and quite an adventure in an isolated part of the world, as this is. We hope all of our future caretaking positions are as pleasing.”

“'Have health and enthusiasm - will travel!” – Rory and Pete

2011-07-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

We are so very grateful that the Dunn Family has been publishing the Gazette all these years! You hung in there with us and we hung in there with you for over 12 years of subscriptions, starting in Wyoming and finally, after Postmaster's Pete's retirement last March from the US Postal Service with over 31 years, 7 months and 14 days of faithful service, we did it! We jumped in there and applied for our very first caretaking position via The Caretaker Gazette. Here is our story:

Billy in New Zealand wanted to take a much-needed vacation to France for the Rugby World Cup in France, Wales and Scotland, so he placed his ad online with The Caretaker Gazette and, as is this bibliophile's habit, I read your newsletter from cover to cover and told my husband, “Pete, it's time you see New Zealand - in fact, for 42 days!” (I had been there twice already in my youth.) Knowing the Kiwi's spring weather “down under” equates to our Southeast Alaska autumns, we discussed the possibility, prayed for guidance and Pete said, “Yes, email Billy!”

With four now-grown children, all home-educated for the past twenty-five years, we could have sat around our new, hand-built fishing cabin on Chichagof Island, Alaska waiting and hoping for grandchildren, but no! Sitting around isn't realistic. Instead, we found ourselves staring at each other over a cup of Japanese sencha tea and agreed that if we didn't meet this interesting challenge now, we never would! No excuses! We went for it. It was reminiscent of our decision to move from Colorado and Wyoming to the southeastern Alaska Inside Passage (The Panhandle), which has been our home since I (Rory) retired in 1995.

Thankfully, we made the cut! Our resumes and references were checked, e-messages and photos began flowing back and forth with our new friend, Billy in New Zealand, and his major concern was for his two male pets, Jeep and Villie, elderly Border Terriers. Billy's property was a gated private residence full of orange trees and flowers and even a potato patch. His lively pet dogs, Villie and Jeep, had room to run and we took them everywhere with us, with the exception of the neighborhood library, in Billy's Subaru green Outback. The geographic highlights were many as you can well imagine, however, Billy's place in Raglan, on the coast of the Tasmanian Sea was a wonder. He and his brothers had outfitted it in close proximity to a large workshop/garage, so my hands-on hubby really enjoyed that experience. And the views! Breathtaking! Pete loves to golf and the greens fees were much less than those back in the USA, so daily outings to the three golf courses in the area were a welcomed activity on sunny days of which there were many during our 40 days in Hamilton, NZ.

Among the New Zealand locals, fitness is a national goal. The walking and hiking clubs of the northern island are numerous and Pete was invited out for hikes and excursions from day one. I generally stayed on the city property to play with the dogs, clean, cook and visit the friendly neighbors. Billy left us an ample amount of fish he had caught from his outings, so we ate well and thought of our cabin home on the Pacific in Southeast Alaska. Their comfort and safe-keeping were Billy's priorities and soon became ours. We had fishing and travel in common with our new 'boss' and he graciously offered us his 'bach' (in New Zealand lingo, this means separate 'bachelor pad') on the Tasmanian Sea in Raglan, North Island, just about 40 km from his main house and property. His dogs were comfortable here at the coast, also, so while this haus-frau stayed to clean, cook, and read to the pets, Pete, the outdoorsman, found the sheep-grazed golf links and best fishing spots via kayak. Off we ventured on the weekends in Billy's faithful Subaru Forester and with Jeep and Villie, our new ‘grandchildren’ in tow.

Now, the Caicos Islands, Ireland and Belize beckon...one day at a time. Life is good, however, life is short! Borrowing a line from an old Broadway musical, “We've got a lot of livin' to do!” Many Thanks to all of you at The Caretaker Gazette for hanging in there with us and personally answering each and every time we had questions. As retirees and short-term overseas missionaries the past twelve years, we knew our hearts were into people and travel, learning new cultures and volunteering to build orphanages, dorms, homes, hospitals, etc., and The Caretaker Gazette has helped our vision enlarge in a simple, uncomplicated way - the desire of our remaining time together.

Property Caretaking: A Wonderful and Adventurous Lifestyle

2011-06-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

For Weston and Amy, property caretaking has been what they describe as "a wonderful and adventurous lifestyle choice." They found that caretaking provided them with the means to live a flexible, simple, and contemplative life while exploring our amazing world. During their years as caretakers, they met great people all over the United States and had countless adventures in stunning wild places. All this, while providing a valuable service to property owners who need assistance with their homes and estates. Weston and Amy explain, “We both left our jobs at a point when we felt ready for something radically different from the life we had been living, even though we weren't sure what that might look like.” Weston and Amy were looking for a practical and affordable means to develop their interests in meditation. Even with college debts to contend with, they both felt certain that they could experience life more fully, not by dropping out or running away, but by running toward their passions. It occurred to them one day that taking care of other people's homes might be the perfect solution to satisfy their relatively simple needs, fulfill their wish to travel, and employ many of their eclectic talents.

While browsing the internet one day, Weston and Amy discovered and immediately subscribed to The Caretaker Gazette. They were very inspired by the opportunities it presented. Eventually, through an ad in the Gazette, they found a job caretaking an off-the-grid yurt and two cats in the wilderness of southern New Mexico. Weston and Amy developed a wonderful and sincere friendship with the owners (as well as with their friendly neighbors). Their "amazing caretaking experience in New Mexico" deepened their interest and commitment to caretaking as a lifestyle. Once they made the decision to live as caretakers, they traveled throughout the United States, primarily in the western part of the country. When they weren't tending to someone's home, they had time to visit with their parents, friends and relatives. They say, “Much to our delight, we found that many caretaking jobs also provide a salary or some other financial compensation. We learned firsthand that caretaking is a valuable service and that many people are interested in paying well for the kind of responsible and trustworthy help that they provide.”

When people ask them about their lives, Weston and Amy say, “We mention our life as traveling caretakers. Most delight and share with us their own longing for the kind of freedom and flexibility we experienced and developed and committed to. We realized only in retrospect that simplifying our lives had been far easier than we ever thought. The largest obstacles we encountered were our own beliefs and fears." Fortunately, the caretaking lifestyle offered them exactly the kind of space and repose from which to examine and uproot those kinds of internal limitations.

Through caretaking, Amy and Weston have learned a tremendous amount about what it means to be responsible, sensitive, and receptive to the needs and concerns of the clients who invite them into their homes. Throughout all their travels, they've even managed to build an attractive caretaking resume. Although at first glance they might appear to be little more than glorified vagabonds (by virtue of the fact that they so often lived out of their little silver Hyundai hatchback), but as caretakers Weston and Amy tended to their bills, commitments, and relationships just like anyone else. They found the kind of diversity that caretaking offers provides a continuous challenge that inspires them to grow and discover more all the time.

They conclude, “Our suggestion to anyone thinking of simplifying their lives or trying out caretaking as a lifestyle is just to go for it! We've found that with a sincere interest and intention, we've been amazed at all the ways that the property caretaking lifestyle provides the means to take care of commitments and obligations, while still extending the freedom to live adventurously."

Sharon Cargill – A Private Service Professional

2011-05-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

I started my career in the private service area at about age 18, but I didn't really know it at the time: my aunt assisted two seniors at an independent living facility in Portland, Oregon. I filled in for her while she was on vacation for a couple of days. I really enjoyed the company of the seniors and feeling so helpful in the work. I felt like I was making a difference, not just making a dollar. I found my first professional service job through an agency. My first position was as a House Manager for a wonderful family in Portland. I did all of the standard cooking, cleaning, and shopping as well as shuttling the teenage children to school and events, and tutoring the family's daughter who was a sophomore at a private prep school and had Downs Syndrome. Tutoring Karen was one of the most influential jobs in my life. It was amazing the way Karen stuck with it every day, studying about 6 to 8 hours a day without complaint. It made any obstacles I might face in my daily life seem very small, and ingrained in me the notion of keeping my own troubles in perspective.

After that experience, I next built a small cabin by myself on my 27 acre property in the Ozarks, with about a month's help from a blind carpenter (but that's another story!). I enjoyed living in my “little cabin in the woods” for awhile before deciding that the “summers were too hot and humid for this west coast girl” and the low wages in Arkansas were not going to speed me along the road to paying off my bills or getting me to my goal of being able to travel and caretake or housesit around the world. By chance one day, I saw an article in the local newspaper about The Caretaker Gazette. I saved the article for more than six months before ordering a subscription. Just one issue of the Gazette was all it took! When I read about all the great jobs available, I instinctively knew it was the right move for me to get back into private service. Having done this kind of work before, and with so many job possibilities, I thought long and hard about exactly what type of work I wanted and where. I decided on household or estate management somewhere in a rural area, where it wasn't hot, and preferably in the New England states because I'd always wanted to spend some time in that area.”

I contacted several listings in the Gazette and filled out all the appropriate paperwork. After running background and reference checks on me, property owners offered me jobs in Arizona and Florida (“It's still hot there, right?”). However, I was soon contacted about an independent House Manager position on a beautiful hobby farm in southern New Hampshire. The property owner flew me up to see the estate. We had a nice discussion. He needed someone who could work without supervision since he was only there on the weekends. I was in heaven! It was a position in a rural area, where it wasn't hot, and in the New England states.”

I have been at the property for several years. I would describe my boss as detailed - he likes everything kept ship-shape at all times - worldly, interesting, caring, tormenting, and understanding all at the same time! This is a semi-formal household. I am a part of the family, but I am also expected to treat his guests here to detailed, top-notch service. Visitors here always comment on how beautiful the farm is and how everything is so well cared for.

My assignment on this property has been a perfect match. It keeps me challenged handling the 8,000 square foot main house, a 2,500 square foot guesthouse, and a working greenhouse, all single-handedly. Most all of the household activity is limited to the weekends, so I can work at my own pace and on my own schedule, which I love. When we are busy during the week it is usually the children and grandchildren up for a few days, and everyone pitches in to help. So opposed to being more work, it is really more fun. I enjoy the house alive with activity. But it's awful nice when it gets quiet again too!

Since being at my current position, I have had to develop a whole new skill set running a greenhouse growing over 1,500 plants each season for planting in the estate landscaping. This property is known for its picturesque lawns and beautiful flower beds. I'm very proud that I can grow about 75% of the plants needed to fill these bountiful spaces. I have handled this assignment I found via The Caretaker Gazette so well that I was recently nominated for House Manager of the Year. I was extremely honored to be nominated for House Manager of the Year. I love what I do, but it is always nice for others to notice and say you do good work in such a demanding field. We all need to hear that.

Would you like a Little Caretaker Job with that Wine?

2011-04-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

My wife and I began our caretaker careers in South Carolina in 2004 where we moved to purchase, live aboard, and cruise a 48’ Trawler. We provided caretaking services for the people we purchased the boat from, also living at the end of their 250’ dock on the Intra-Coastal Waterway just south of Bucksport, South Carolina. We performed landscaping and house cleaning on a part-time basis, which kept our dock rent to utilities only which were very low cost in that area. Flexibility on the part of the property owners left many free days and weeks to go cruising. We also became very close friends and learned much about how to safely cruise in a 48’ vessel. After 2½ years we sold our 48’ Trawler and returned to our home state of Nevada to resume our careers there. I went back to marketing and sales, and my wife went back to purchasing. It was not very long before we realized we very much enjoyed the caretaking lifestyle, the freedom it most often provides, and the possibility to earn a great living while saving large amounts of money in the process because in most (but not all), caretaking situations your housing and utilities are included!

After being back at our old jobs for two years my wife and I decided we wanted to be full-time caretakers. After some research we found a great resource for finding this type of position via The Caretaker Gazette. We placed a Situations-Wanted ad in the Gazette and were then contacted by many great property owners who needed to hire people for their property needs, which opened many possibilities and options for the type of position we wanted. You will find everything from ranch manager, island caretaker, horse farm manager, estate manager, or like our position, a Wine Country caretaker position! We found this Wine Country position through daily reviews of email updates from The Caretaker Gazette. Keep in mind you may apply for five or even ten positions before you find the right fit and get that job offer! We applied for ten separate positions all over the country before landing this job but it was well worth the effort! One day we received an email update from the Gazette and noticed an ad regarding a position for a couple with some work inside and some outside on a Sonoma County winery property.

We responded immediately sending the owners our photo, two letters of reference, a cover letter explaining our background and why we felt we would be great for this position, and our resumes. We received an email from the owners within one day and arranged a face-to-face meeting with them at their property in Sonoma. We were in Reno which is about three hours away so we left early to be sure we would be on time and just made a day trip of it. We met with the owners for a couple of hours, walked the property, reviewed the job expectations and overall felt very good about our meeting. Within two days we received a phone call from them saying they would love for us to come and work for them.

Just as you would do for any job application, be sure to provide exactly what the property owner asks you for! If you are serious about landing an excellent caretaker position update your resume and keep it to one page, have friends and business associates write a brief letter of reference for you, develop a brief cover letter introducing you and your spouse and detailing your work history, and include a close-up photo of you. Keep these in a file together in your documents for easy access when applying for positions. If you are able and willing to work anywhere in the U.S., or even overseas your prospects will naturally be much higher! Our original Situations-Wanted ad in the Gazette stated that we preferred a coastal or island setting, but would be happy to consider any position. We also stated our backgrounds, which in our case were construction, sales, marketing, landscaping, sprinkler system installation, and purchasing. List all of your attributes. We met someone in South Carolina who had an ad stating he was proficient in both horticulture and accounting; he ended up in a caretaking position worth $80,000 per year including salary and lodging! Whatever your talents are, you can earn a decent living with them as a caretaker.

We now work for a wonderful couple on their 30 acre wine country property, which includes a winery, tasting room, main house, and the guesthouse which we live in. We have a beautiful home with a large deck with breathtaking views of vineyards and the Sonoma Valley near Glen Ellen, California, right in the heart of the wine country! We provide maintenance, cleaning, landscaping, garden care, feed the chickens, and any other chores needed for the owners. We each provide eight hours per week, which will allow me to work any full-time job on the side. For our eight hours each per week we receive our home rent-free, including utilities. If we are needed more than eight hours per week, we are each compensated at $20 dollars per hour. We will save enough in five years to fully retire should we wish! Another benefit is a ¼ acre garden, which provides artichokes, asparagus, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, various spices, apples, kiwi, blackberries, and blueberries, just to name a few… and fresh eggs daily from the nearby chicken coop! As part of our benefits, we are welcome to use all we can from this large garden. Our first Saturday morning on the property I went down to the garden, dug up a large handful of fresh potatoes for hash browns and gathered five eggs for an omelet, we added some thick cut peppered bacon and what a great breakfast that was! And we also enjoy the great discounts we get on the top shelf wines here!

We could not be happier with the results from our association and advertisement with The Caretaker Gazette! We will definitely recommend them to anyone seeking a caretaker position.

Aleutian Island Housesitting Adventure

2011-03-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

David and Shelley: Retired, no pets, kids fledged, house paid for - they have time for a little adventure. A few months in the desert southwest in the dead of winter would be perfect. Small problem: no income. Solution: find a free adventure through the pages of The Caretaker Gazette. After two years of lead chasing, an ad appeared for an eight-month winter caretaker position at an isolated homestead in the Aleutian Islands wilds of Alaska, which seemed just right for them. They received a prompt email reply to their application and then a telephone interview. They asked if they could hike, cross-country ski, catch fish, shop in town, use the "fully-equipped" woodworking shop, what were their responsibilities, and were there any nearby grizzly bears.

Then a week later, they had the opportunity to call the current caretakers. Their first question, "So, what's it really like there?" The caretaker’s answer, "This place is wonderful!" David and Shelley had one conference phone call later and the deal was sealed with a verbal handshake and followed up with a “letter of intent.” Suddenly they had to face leaving their own isolated Wisconsin country house unattended for this eight-month absence. They placed a housesitter-wanted ad in The Caretaker Gazette and had many responses but no takers. About two weeks before their departure a man responded to their ad, then followed up overnight with an email resume and references which they checked immediately. A day and half before David and Shelley’s departure, with nothing to go by except a few nice telephone conversations, Kevin from Utah came rolling up the driveway. They liked him as much in person as on the phone, gave him their house and grounds tour, introduced a couple of neighbors, and left for the Aleutians.

They flew to Anchorage using frequent flyer tickets. Reaching False Pass required two more expensive flights (paid for by the home owners). The pilot in their final four-seat, single engine plane made a wide turn and dipped a wing over their new home to show them how isolated they'd be: just David and Shelley in 415,000 road-less wildlife preserve acres on the tip of the Alaska peninsula with volcanoes, some semi-active, jutting above the clouds. David and Shelley recall, “The owners met us at the False Pass airport and transferred our luggage to their boat. We had four days of orientation before they left for good. Learning was made easier by a detailed notebook explaining their hydroelectric system which powers almost all modern electrical conveniences. David's mechanical engineering background helped us get through a few breakdowns and repairs.”

Shelley explains, “For us, part of the reason to do something like this is to punctuate our lives. We are thrilled to experience the stormy, extreme, dynamic weather. Winds often approach 50 mph, sometimes more. When the weather outside is frightful, we curl up with books in this comfortable house, listen to music (no television or radio), brew sourdough starter for tomorrow's bread, write a book, and read email. Remarkably, our laptop computer has a fast line-of-sight connection with the False Pass satellite station.” In the skiff, they’re able to explore the 15 mile length of Isanotski Strait north toward the Bering Sea or south toward the Pacific Ocean. According to Shelley, “It’s never far from our minds that we are in the wilderness here, dependent on a small skiff, a single outboard, a VHF radio. We've seen foxes, sea otters, sea lions, seals, ermine, eagles, flocks of pelagic cormorants, emperor geese, old-squaw, puffins, and eiders.”

They check in with the owners by email and phone periodically (a wireless phone system exists). A few ongoing projects make them feel productive: find a driftwood log and split it for firewood; build a door for the new sauna; re-plumb the hot water tank; replace a burner in the stove; fix things that break. The owners have provided so marvelously that David and Shelley are eager to repay with contributions of our own. Shelley says, “When we leave we will have lived literally in someone else’s shoes. What a fine respite and useful, helpful project for a couple of retirees! What a great way for two families to help each other.”

Property Caretaking from a Property Owner’s Perspective

2011-02-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Over the years many of our subscribers have asked to learn more about caretaking from the perspective of the property owners who advertise their positions in The Caretaker Gazette, including how they select their caretakers and housesitters. Gary Dunn, Publisher of the Gazette, recently interviewed a Northern California property owner who has advertised for caretakers in the Gazette. We hope this interview will provide prospective caretakers and housesitters with some valuable insights into the property caretaking experience from the perspective of the property owner.

Gary: What is the application process for your caretaker position?

Property Owner: We always ask that prospective caretakers first read our ad as published in The Caretaker Gazette carefully so they understand the position and what is required. At a minimum, we always ask for a resume and references. If someone feels they are qualified for our position, the next step is to put together an application packet and mail it, fax it or email it to us (the Property Owner). When the completed applications are received by us they are reviewed by my wife and me for consideration. After our review, including contacting references, we schedule interviews with the most qualified candidates. We prefer all prospective caretakers selected for an interview to meet us in person, on our property. We feel the “in person” aspect of the interview is key as it lets both parties meet and gives both us and the prospective caretakers a chance to evaluate and get to know each other. It also gives the caretakers a chance to understand what is expected and what they are getting into for our caretaker position. We do our best to share all information so that the prospective caretakers can get a full picture of the caretaking position before accepting the position.

Gary: What sort of caretakers have you employed and where do your caretakers come from?

Property Owner: In the past few years our caretakers have included a family, two different couples, and a single male and a single woman. Years ago we used to advertise by word of mouth but we've found that our ads for caretakers in The Caretaker Gazette have brought us the best and most qualified applicants.

Gary: What kinds of things would disqualify potential caretakers from taking your position?

Property Owner: Because we want caretakers who are honest, caring, hard working and environmentally safe, we prefer non-smokers, non-drinkers and no drug users. We often get asked if applicants can bring their pets with them. Unfortunately, this is not an environment that is conducive for domestic animals so we have a no pets policy.

Gary: What are the duties and responsibilities for your caretaker position?

Property Owner: Our caretakers are required to maintain our home (including security and mechanical systems), organic vegetable garden and raised beds, fruit trees, shrub beds, perennial and annual gardens, pond, and various odds and ends around our 100-plus acre property. We have a local man who takes care of the cattle and horses but our caretakers who are interested can learn and assist him. It's been a great learning experience for many of our caretakers.

Gary: How are the caretakers compensated?

Property Owner: Free housing in a small private cottage separate from our home is provided along with all paid utilities. A four wheel drive vehicle and canoe are available for the caretakers to use. We always prefer caretakers who can commit for a year so we negotiate an annual salary plus health care benefits. The salary depends on how much experience the caretakers bring to the position. There are opportunities to earn additional income here and locally by painting, remodeling, landscaping, and various and sundry odd jobs.

Gary: What do your caretakers do on their days off?

Property Owner: Most of our caretakers go into town to shop and run errands on their days off, go canoeing or fishing in the large river that runs by our property, or hike, mountain bike and cross country ski on the nearby mountain trails. If the caretakers are experienced horse people they can ride on their days off. Our caretakers can also visit nearby Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Gary: Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences as a property owner who has used The Caretaker Gazette to find the best caretakers for your property.

Property Owner: Happy to do it, Gary.

Caretaking on the Island of Culebra

2011-01-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

One of our Caretaker Gazette subscribers, Marie Morello, found a caretaking position on Culebra Island via one of the Gazette's frequent email updates. Here, in Marie's own words, is her story:

Wanderlust!!! From my earliest memories I am settled into the back seat of my Dad’s snappy 1952 Ford traveling to the beaches of New England, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, to Nova Scotia after having picked up the cutest hitchhiking sailor stationed in Halifax and so many more destinations that made my weekends and summers brim with excitement of new places found and new people met. Moving from the Massachusetts coast to Florida after the death of my dad was quite a culture shock but living at the top of the Keys afforded me the opportunity to canoe with the sharks and stingrays as well as the gators and live the tropical life to which I am so attuned. I moved to Sevier County, Tennessee in 1982 where I, at 35, returned to college receiving a degree in Business Management/Accounting. It has served me well as it gave me an overview of the thought process of any organization that I became a part of regardless of my responsibilities and the best management philosophy I still to this day use in my work life and personal life - Manage By Objectives, Results And Rewards - you will never lose.

For the past three years I have been working for rafting companies in the Smokies and watching the amazing views of the Smokies, which I absolutely love. I also own Luvm-N-Feedm Pet Sitting and have dedicated my life to animals for the last 39 years. I became a Reiki practitioner seven years ago and along with my Reflexology I work on clients who have many ailments from kidney failure to diabetes to sciatic pain to headaches. In between, I have traveled to Alaska making a land drop with a bush pilot to Port Graham, flying Denali in a rusted out single engine prop plane, to living with the locals of Isla Mujeres, a small island off the Yucatan Peninsula, to snorkeling the Dry Tortugas in the Caribbean, to strolling along the North Sea in the Netherlands of Europe. There are so many more adventures too numerous to mention except to say how thankful I am for being so blessed with the freedom to spread my wings which has brought me to the writing of this article.

About a year ago I joined The Caretaker Gazette and just kept watching until something came about that seemed right. I was so excited just knowing that there was something like this out there for those of us who love to travel, see the world but yet be of service. And it did! I received an email update from the Gazette about a new caretaker opportunity. The owners of the Palmetto Guesthouse on the island of Culebra needed a short-term caretaker and after the initial reference checks and speaking numerous times via the internet and wireless - the commitment was mine. I was on my way to a pet/guest house sit while the owners went to Boston to visit relatives. I was to care for the three rescue dogs and was also responsible for taking care of the three rescue kitties. Also, I was to pick up the guests and return them to the airport, care for their needs and care for the guest house. I loved every minute of it!

Each morning I took the three dogs to the beach. My partner took the two older girls, Milo and Kona, and I took the younger rambunctious “George” as he was full of energy so we had to swim, kill coconuts and chase crabs that the girls dug from the sand. The kitty babies were no trouble at all especially little Black Beauty that I would squeeze until she squeaked. The homeowner’s rescue practice is making things better and they have found homes for several other doggies and kitties. Now on to the 2-footeds. When the 2-footed guests arrived, my partner and I greeted them at the airport, brought them home, got them settled in complete with fresh picked bananas from the garden, boogie boards, beach blankets and brought a cooler that the guesthouse provides for playing at the beach. We also dropped them off at other locations to assist in their travels. When it was time to leave we packed them up and got them to the airport for their next destination and with a wave good bye sent them off. Now the cleaning began for the guesthouse. Strip the bed, take the garbage out, sweep the floors, clean the kitchen, do the laundry and pick more bananas! More bananas!!! Bananas everywhere!!! The freezer was full of bananas and my word they made the best fruit shakes!

The next leg of the journey was to get the owners home a few days later. We picked them up at the ferry dock with all the supplies that they were bringing home from the main island, as there is nothing on the tiny island of Culebra so everything has to be brought by ferry after shopping in San Juan and I mean everything. This island offers a wonderful laid-back lifestyle but with it comes some great inconveniences that we so take for granted in our everyday sterile lives. I loved every minute of it once I got used to the nuances of island life but I figured I’d roll with the punches, as it was all an adventure and learning experience. I have always said that I am not a tourist I am a traveler and to be that one must become a local and live like the natives live. I’m already packed and waiting for my next adventure-call me!

A Cat Sitting Christmas Carol

2010-12-20T12:42:00.000-08:00

At the office, the computers were down. It could last all day, we were told. Only the Internet was performing normally. The November/ December issue of The Caretaker Gazette was just made available on the Internet. So, instead of serving the public in my job, and with nothing much else to do, I was looking at hours of just reading and enjoying the latest Gazette. It was going to be a very, very nice day! An hour later my first email was on its way. In the South of England a dog/cat-sitter was required over Christmas. My own holiday would start that same week, but with nothing much planned I suddenly realized I might be able to change the whole thing around. And there was the old dream. For years now I promised myself one Christmas where there would be no obligations, no guests, no dinner parties etc. Instead there would be only me and the BBC. One Christmas where I would be able to watch all the fabulous programs they show during the festive season. All of a sudden there was a distinct possibility this was going to be the year!

A half an hour after I sent my email message - there was a reply. This family of three would be visiting relatives in South Africa and they needed someone to look after Barney, their nineteen-year-old red Tomcat. Sadly, their dog had just died very unexpectedly. There was kindness and warmth in the email and it felt to me like reconnecting with an old friend. It turned out the feeling was mutual. We exchanged more emails and two days later we were sure it would all work out fine and I was very welcome to come and stay in their home. There would be a live Christmas tree, two deep freezers filled with food that I was welcome to dig into, a tiny supermarket just across the road and fabulous neighbors! I emailed back that I was very much looking forward to my first official cat-sitting assignment. A few weeks later I received an email telling me my Christmas cake just came out of the oven and was smelling rather good. How nice and wonderful!

I arrived in Southampton, where I was met by the homeowner. We drove back to her home via the scenic route and just a few minutes after leaving the airport I was reminded of what it is England does best: countryside. Even in December it looked glorious! A great drive and lots to talk about. Forty minutes later I was welcomed by the rest of the family. Barney was not totally taken with me straight away, but I was confident that would change. After we said goodbye like old friends and they left in a flurry of excitement and last minute changes to their luggage, I started getting the house serene and uncluttered for my own special Christmas. Soon I had candles burning, the cat on my lap (I told you so), the Christmas tree sparkling with lights, my beautiful Christmas cake on display and yes...the BBC on. It turned out there were even a few presents for me under that beautiful tree. How kind and thoughtful was that?? It was going to be a very very nice Christmas!

I was not mistaken. Long grey days, just begging to be spent in front of a TV screen, a great choice of wonderful programs, a lovely cat, food at arm´s length and indeed, fabulous neighbors. They took me carol singing in their church, to Chichester to see the Cathedral and to Portsmouth to see Old Portsmouth and the Harbour. And since I injured my knee a few days before arriving that was the extent of my explorations of the region. It didn't bother me. I liked it at home. It was cozy. A few times I went to a nearby village to do some shopping but couldn't wait to get home again and enjoy the cat, the tree and yes...the BBC. Never spent as much time at home as here. This was hibernating and I loved it. My dream proved to be a good one. Whenever South Africa called me and told me about the great time they were having, I could truthfully answer them that everything at the home front was hunky-dory and that I was having a great time too.

Then, one day, it was all over. Four and a half weeks gone. My dream Christmas was over and I needed to come out of hibernation and get back into reality. It was difficult. Difficult to say goodbye to my new friends, the neighbors, difficult to say goodbye to lovely Barney and back home difficult to find my ''Amsterdam legs'' again! But what a great experience! For the rest of my life I will be seduced by house/cat/dog sitting ads. Now, when I get an update from The Caretaker Gazette I feel butterflies in my tummy: will my next assignment be in there? Because if it is up to me, there will be another great one!

As 2010 draws to a close and The Caretaker Gazette is about to begin its 29th year of publication, we would like to thank all of our subscribers and advertisers for their continued support. Without all of you we would not be the #1 source for caretaking and housesitting opportunities. 2010 has been a year of economic challenges but many of you turned these challenges into opportunities by making lifestyle changes and becoming caretakers and housesitters. We wish everyone success in their pursuits in 2011!

Caretaking Historic Homes and Properties

2010-11-22T12:33:00.000-08:00

We were pleased to have The Caretaker Gazette featured in a recent article in Preservation, The Magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Gary Dunn, the Gazette's publisher and Lynn Macco, a Gazette subscriber who along with her husband Tom Mount found a position as caretakers of an 1857 historic lighthouse via the Gazette, were interviewed for the article. The Preservation feature about caretaking historic homes can be accessed here:

Nice Work If You Can Get It
Caretakers of Historic Houses Enjoy Perks
Preservation Magazine

Throughout the years The Caretaker Gazette has included many help wanted listings for caretakers for historic homes and properties.

Subscriber Paul D. Ingrams accepted a position as caretaker of the Nanteos Mansion in Aberystwyth, Wales:

Subscriber Jim Bell accepted a position as the resident caretaker of Givens Castle, in Chicago:

Subscriber Elsa M.R. Rozelaar found a position, via the Gazette, caretaking a castle in Southhampton, England:

Other Gazette ads for historic properties include a historic villa located on the outskirts of Pisa, Italy:

A castle in Kent, England:

A historic inn in the Berkshires of Massachusetts:

A historic hacienda in Alamos, Mexico:

"A Spontaneous and Synchronistic Life" for an International House Sitter

2010-10-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

Meg Cook, a Caretaker Gazette subscriber, talks about her experiences as an international housesitter:
A couple of years ago I was trudging through a mundane and predictable lifestyle. I was working myself to death. I wanted to travel the world alone and LEARN….languages, the view of the world through other’s eyes, how to make my way around and become streetwise.

It takes a special combination of courage, risk-taking (and perhaps a shot of foolishness) to fish oneself out of a secure lifestyle and plunge into unknown territory. In one fell swoop, I quit my job and started looking for opportunities to travel creatively. I talked to fellow travelers of all types and read many books. My favorite is Rolf Pott’s Vagabonding. Rolf describes the traveler’s essential spirit beautifully, and provides practical tips for making it work for you. I searched the internet and, as luck would have it, happened on to The Caretaker Gazette. I immediately got a subscription and began applying for international jobs.

My first housesitting job that I found through The Caretaker Gazette was taking care of a dachshund with a bad back and his gang of four cats in Stirling, Scotland. Stirling is smack in the middle of the country, where ‘the lowlands meet the highlands.’ It is sublime, with a huge castle and lovely walking paths. As I made my way through the woods, I often thought of how folks had been walking these same paths for centuries, connecting one town to another. The homeowners were wonderful people and I enjoyed their books, movies and a professional baker’s kitchen. I journaled the day’s events of the pets' lives and emailed them to the homeowner, who laughed and agreed with my observations of which cat was the gang’s leader and how Freddie could make ANYONE become a dachshund lover.

There’s a closeness one achieves with homeowners that is amazing: you learn their pet’s habits, quirks of the house and the neighborhood’s personality. You get to know them in a way even their closest friends and family can’t know them. You ‘walk’ their life, and it bonds you.

My next house sitting job that I found through The Caretaker Gazette was in Lucca, Italy, a sweet little town in Tuscany’s hill country. I took care of darling Cocca, a cat who enjoys hot water bottles on the sofa, and may be a bit near-sighted. Lucca has a rich history, dating back to 180 BCE and is surrounded by a ‘passaggia’, this great ancient wall with a lovely walking path along the top. I was able to take day trips to Pisa, and to fabulous Florence, a city filled with art I had wanted to see all my life. I stood in front of ‘The Birth of Venus,’ by Botticelli, for a long time, the beauty of it bringing me almost to tears.

House sitting, as opposed to a typical tourist’s experience, allows one to find the local recycling center, taste the local fare, explore the grocery store. Here are a few such observations:

In Scotland, land of the ‘machair,’ your garbage becomes compost almost overnight. The Highland Games feature men in skirts throwing tree trunks, and yes, they ARE sexy burly men, skirts and all. The tidal river does rise and fall with the tide, and though the River Forth, which flows through Stirling, is far from the sea, occasionally a porpoise can be seen in the water.

In the Lucca, Italy grocery stores, one shouldn’t touch the produce unless wearing the disposable gloves provided-now that’s a great idea! Drinking water is available through the same fountains brought to life by Napolean’s sister, Elisa, who ruled the town in the 1800’s, and EVERYTHING is closed from 12-4, or anytime therein. The gelato guy around the corner is open most of the time, except when not.

I can’t think of another aspect of my life that has offered such a pleasant surprise as house sitting. And thank Heaven, I’m LEARNING, though late, about seeing the world through other’s eyes. I look forward to more eye-opening experiences in whatever town, whatever country...whenever life takes me there. The Caretaker Gazette has provided a beautiful piece of the puzzle of my ‘new and improved’ spontaneous and synchronistic life.

Fulfilling a Hawaiian Dream

2010-09-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Living in Hawaii has been a dream come true for Janemarie. After raising her daughter in California and working in various positions from administrative assistant, front desk clerk, preschool and kindergarten teacher, Janemarie was ready to try something different. After a two-month visit to Hawaii, Janemarie returned to California and began making plans to relocate, with the hopes of working or living on a Hawaiian farm. "I was ready for a change, ready for an adventure. My daughter was going off to college, and I wanted to fulfill some dreams. They included living closer to nature, learning organic farming and experiencing a low-impact lifestyle, as opposed to the 9-to-5 rat-race lifestyle that was led by so many folks around me in Oakland, California."

Having enjoyed her success with home and classroom gardens, Janemarie was interested in learning more about organic farming. She made visits to several Northern California farms, including Old Mill Farm near Mendocino. She spoke with the caretakers there and learned of The Caretaker Gazette. Janemarie subscribed to the Gazette, and a few months later she found the ad she had been looking for. An "Off the Grid" Macadamia nut farm in Hawaii was seeking a mature female caretaker. "That's me!", though Janemarie. She answered the ad immediately. "Some of my friends thought I was nuts, giving up a secure teaching position and venturing off into the unknown. But, I haven't a single regret. I was ready to leave the hectic city scene behind for a slower paced lifestyle. Hawaii is absolutely beautiful. I love being awakened by the songs of birds, snorkeling alongside turtles and dolphins, and spying the breeching of migrating whales. It's fantastic!"

The Macadamia nut farm is solar powered, with propane tanks for cooking and heating water. The sole source of water is rain. The farm is on a catchment system, which collects rain on the roof, and channels it into two large water tanks for storage. Water is very precious on this part of the island and usage must be carefully monitored. Janemarie's duties include watering and feeding the macadamia and citrus nursery, as well as maintaining the grounds and caring for the owner's dog. The property is home to a variety of fruit trees, including papaya, banana, citrus and avocado, which provide tasty treats all year round!

Janemarie enjoys the quiet on the five-acre farm, 40 miles from the tourist town of Kailua-Kona. Instead of hearing early-morning garbage trucks and car alarms as she did in Oakland, she is awakened by the sounds of many types of birds, singing as the sun rises over the mountain slopes. "One thing I've really enjoyed about living on this farm is the opportunity to live almost completely outdoors. My ‘cottage’ is very unique, as it's walls are only chest high, and there are no glass windows- it's all very open. Birds fly right through and at night the gecko's come out for their fill of insects. The roof is made of tin, and when it rains hard--well the sound is tremendous! One has to have a love of all nature's creatures to be comfortable here. Luckily, I've always been interested in insects and small reptiles! Although untrained, I'm a naturalist at heart."

She starts her day with a cup of coffee, grown right outside her door. Then she follows this with some Tai chi. "Living alone has been a wonderful gift. The hours of solitude give one time to connect with oneself and to contemplate spiritual matters. An avid reader, I spend my quiet evening hours with a good book. Or simply watching the stars." Besides her chores on the Macadamia Nut farm, Janemarie has supplemented her income by working on two other farms. One, an organic supplier of herbs, salad greens and edible flowers, the other a 100-year-old coffee farm. “I love working outdoors, observing the growth cycles of the plants and learning organic methods.”

"This past fall I fulfilled another life-long dream to study massage. I was fortunate to learn the traditional Hawaiian techniques known as 'Lomi-lomi'. The month long course was a wonderful healing experience. I am currently working as an apprentice and plan to have my license by the end of the year. Caretaking has been a wonderful experience for me. I’m so glad that I learned about the property caretaking field, as it has given me a new direction and I am following my bliss. Mahalo!"

Caretaking Remote and Challenging Environments

2010-08-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

Dennis Manz, a property caretaker who specializes in caretaking in remote and challenging environments, talks about his transition from the corporate world to the world of caretaking ranches and remote properties:

After working in the corporate world for 25 years I decided to spend the rest of my days exploring different parts of the United States. I prefer the mountains and have worked in remote areas like Canyonlands National Park, Elk Mountains near Crested Butte, CO., the San Juan Mountains of northern New Mexico, and currently near the Hays Canyon Range in the high desert area of Northern Nevada.

The first 25 years of my life were spent in southern Wisconsin. I graduated from Craig High School in Janesville, WI and attended the University of Wisconsin for a few years before setting out to travel the world. I never made it around the world, but did travel (mostly hitchhiking) through quite a few countries before ending up back in the United States. A friend offered me a job in the solar energy field. I jumped at the chance and moved to California, which was my home for the next 25 years. In 2003 I officially retired from the corporate world, subscribed to The Caretaker Gazette, and began my journey as a full-time property caretaker.

My current position, which I found through The Caretaker Gazette, is house sitting at a 600-acre ranch in the high desert 40 miles east of Cedarville, CA. The gentleman I house sit for is a birder and has identified 78 different species of birds sighted from the property. Rancho Rechiso, where I am housesitting, has redefined for me the meaning of quiet, undisturbed, and no pollution. The property is off-grid with solar power, wood, and propane as sources of energy. There is no noise, radiation, or any other type of environmental pollution out here.

Being a property caretaker is definitely a great alternative lifestyle compared to paying rent for a small apartment in a busy city. In my opinion there is no better way to reduce monthly expenses and still maintain a decent standard of living. The best things about being a property caretaker are a renewed sense of personal freedom, reduction in my monthly living expenses, and the experience of visiting new and interesting places.
However, just the opportunity to experience a renewed sense of freedom is an invaluable gift.

In the 9-5 world there is always a faster pace with time frame pressures for having to complete job duties. In property caretaker situations there is still a great sense of responsibility, but there is generally a sense of freedom that allows the caretaker to set his or her own schedule. Of course there are still emergency situations that will occur from time to time that command immediate and sustained action.

Last winter I was caretaker at the Rocky Mountain Biological Labs in Gothic, Colorado living at 9,500 ft in the Elk Mountain range. The annual snowfall is around 400 inches. I had responsibilities that could be accomplished within my own scheduled time. One such job was climbing a steep 150-foot hill with typically new and deep snow to get to the weather station. This was often done in high winds and low visibility conditions.

The key was being prepared, dressing warm, good snowshoes, and taking the time needed to avoid mistakes. Trying to hurry through this sort of task could have proven to be very dangerous. Another job I had every few days was cutting firewood, since that was the only way to keep my cabin warm enough to survive. I had to dig out an 8-foot trench on the woodshed side of my cabin to cut my firewood. The wind would blow down through that trench off of a 12,000-foot high peak and would chill your bones.

After spending the last six years in some very interesting and challenging remote environments as a property caretaker I could never go back to living in the city on a permanent basis. I guess the saying ‘once you have had a taste it is hard to go back” rings true to my experience as a property caretaker. Property caretaking has also given me the opportunity to pursue writing about my experiences. I am currently finishing up an e-book about various caretaking positions I have had. I have other writing projects on the horizon including a children’s book about desert plants and lizards.

Of course being a property caretaker is not just doing whatever you want whenever you want to do it. The keys for being a successful caretaker are simple. First and foremost you are serving the property owners’ needs. I always respect and show the ultimate in responsibility for the properties I take care of. I always follow through with commitments and take pride in doing every task to the best of my ability. I always want to leave a clean footprint where I live and work. This means doing the best job possible and always keeping the best interests of the property owner in mind. This philosophy has worked well for me and continually rewarded me with new and interesting caretaker opportunities.

Plans for the future are to work as a property caretaker at lodges and resorts preferably in the mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest. I also consider caretaker positions for remote private homes, cabins, and properties.
I love the mountains and the higher the elevation the better, especially in the summer time when things heat up. I can always plan on the temperature at 8,000-10,000 being in the 60’s and 70’s during the day when the temperatures are cranking in the 100’s at sea level.

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27 Years Caretaking - and still loving it!

2010-07-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

Early in his life Ken Hauser developed a love and appreciation for the great outdoors when he spent his summer vacations at his grandmother’s house in the Catskill Mountains of New York. As a child, Ken and his family moved to New Hampshire, where he joined the local 4-H garden club. There, Ken learned gardening and crafts and exhibited his crafts and produce at the state 4-H fair. He was also a Boy Scout and went on to become a Life Scout and a Brotherhood member of the prestigious Order of the Arrow. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire’s Thompson School with a degree in forest technology, Ken worked seasonally as a grounds-keeper at a resort hotel on the coast of Maine and as a ski patroller at a New Hampshire ski resort. In early 1979 Ken moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and began working seasonally with the U.S. Forest Service. He worked with the Gros Ventre Ranger district as part of a compartmental exam crew and the Kemerer Ranger District on a timber crew. In Kemerer he received an award and certificate of merit for his exceptional work performance.

In 1982, when Ken moved back to New Hampshire to be with his girlfriend Martha, who is now his wife of 27 years, he accepted a position as a full time caretaker and property manager on an 800+ acre estate. The property consists of mostly forested rolling hills with predominantly red oak, white pine and hemlock. Ken explains, "There is about a 120 acre grassy, marshy meadow through which flows the Piscataquog River. Wildlife abounds. We regularly see deer and have seen moose, bear, coyote and even bobcat. The river and pond are constantly host to many species of migrating ducks and mergansers and we have often watched two or three otters playing on the snowy banks in the winter or eating all of our bass in the summer. And the beavers are always at work."

Ken says, "I have been working on this estate for past 27 years. I do everything that comes with managing an 800 acre estate, from marking timber, administrating timber sales, timber stand improvement, weeding, thinning, pruning, building repair and maintenance." Ken also manicures a country landscape that he helped to create, with over four acres of lawn, multiple perennial gardens, a small vegetable garden, and annual plantings in boxes and beds around the house and swimming pool area. In addition, he cares for the pool and tennis court so that they are ready for use when the owner arrives.

When asked about a typical day, Ken says, "It's really more what a typical week is for me as I work on a weekly rotation, so that everything is finished by end of day on Friday... a finished product! This has been a very atypical spring-summer as we got nailed in December with an ice storm unlike anything ever seen here. I have been cutting trees, tree tops, limbs, and hauling brush continuously. Each day typically starts with starting the swimming pool filter and balancing the chemicals. I then do some weeding and dead heading of the rock garden and tennis court garden. I might weed the vegetable garden, grade the driveways, spray the orchard, blow off the tennis court, clean trails, fertilize lawns, water annuals, paint, rake, work on rebuilding walls etc. It's a never-ending list. I weed whack at least six hours a week and the mowing takes two complete days, about 20 hours.”

Ken continues, "It would take a lot more than this one page to describe all that I do and have done, but I think you can get the general idea. Today I started the pool, fertilized my annual pots and beds, weed whacked for three hours. Got a flat tire on my tractor repaired. Mowed the orchard, the back side of the pond, a one acre field, and around the vegetable garden and swimming pool." In the years that Ken and Melissa have been on the estate, there have been many changes and additions to the property and Ken has been responsible for most of them. These include adding a new 2 ½ acre lawn, perennial rock garden, shade area garden, tennis court border garden, daylily garden, 1,500 square foot vegetable garden, and fruit tree orchard with 33 acres of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, plums, raspberries and blueberries.

Ken has also put his woodworking and landscaping skills to good use, building small additions on the main house and maintenance shed. He has built large beautiful entrance gates for the estate and for the cottages on the property, a large deck for one of the cottages, a picket fence with arbor way for the vegetable garden, and an arching wooden bridge with curved stone ramps that crosses a small river below the house. He just recently rebuilt several stone walls, transforming one from a massive 300’ long pile of rock to a beautiful finished wall running through a newly created field. Ken explains, “I like doing all the finishing touches that make the place look just so. It is always a work in progress and an ever-increasing challenge to keep up with the constantly expanding landscape. I have always loved a challenge."

Ken and Martha enjoy skiing and bicycling together. Martha competes in running races and Ken races cross country skiing and participates in occasional bicycle hill climb races. According to Ken, “I’m not the fastest by any means, but I give it all that I’ve got and have a great time doing it. This, along with my work, helps to keep me young.” Ken concludes, "My wife Martha and I are best friends who cherish our time together and we are each other’s biggest supporters. We live a very healthy lifestyle with our beautiful three-year-old black lab, Jazzy. The past 27 years have been a wonderful experience and an exciting challenge.

TimeOut New York: Housesitting staycations

2010-06-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

Get a change of scenery—and possibly some extra cash—by looking after someone’s apartment while they’re gone.
By Stephan Lee

Read more: Housesitting staycations

House Sitting: How to Get Started as a Housesitter

2010-05-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

I receive many emails and letters from prospective house sitters asking what they need to do or know to prepare themselves for their first housesitting position. Here are several tips that will help you apply for a house sitting position and succeed as a housesitter. Whether you're a house sitting veteran or beginning the search for your first position as a housesitter, hopefully you will find something useful here:

1. Read the housesitter positions advertised in The Caretaker Gazette very carefully and make sure the assignment is right for you. If you don't think that you are interested in an assignment, please do not waste your time or the homeowners' time by applying for housesitting assignments that you don't think you will accept.

2. Read the details for each housesitter assignment in The Caretaker Gazette and if the property owner asks you to email, fax or mail your resume and references - then do exactly that. If it is not included in the ad, please don't ask us a property owner's email address, telephone number, or other contact information, because we don't have the homeowner's permission to release it.

3. If you are a prospective housesitter and you decide that you would like to run an ad about yourself in The Caretaker Gazette's Situations Wanted section, be sure to include relevant information about yourself - including background, experience, special skills and talents, etc. Be sure your ad includes at least one way (e.g., email address or phone number) for property owners to contact you. If you are interested in a high-end or estate position, you can target your ad to reach our thousands of affluent families and prominent subscribers who utilize The Caretaker Gazette to find qualified housesitters, caretakers and estate managers for their properties.

4. As soon as you feel that you are ready and able to accept an assignment, and your resume and references are in order, please respond to the property owner's ad with exactly the information they are asking for, and do not include additional information unless they have asked for it.

5. Have a one-page resume prepared and ready to send out immediately. The property owner will let you know if he/she wants your resume sent via email, fax or printed out and sent through the mail. Include all pertinent information but keep your resume simple and to the point. Be sure that everything on your resume, especially your contact information, is up-to-date.

6. Have a one-page list of your references prepared and ready to send out immediately - either via email, fax or a printed copy sent through the mail. Anyone who has a clean background, common sense, positive references, and is in good health can be a housesitter. If you have never been a housesitter, your reference list will not include the names of homeowners but will instead include professional references: your employer, doctor, attorney, landlord, etc.

7. Some questions to ask when you are contacted by the homeowners: ask them if they have ever had anyone housesit their home in the past and, if so, request written details of the duties, responsibilities, whether bonding required, animal/pet care, utility payments, garbage collection, emergency contacts, how they would like to keep in touch with you while they are away, etc.

8. After you and the property owner have reached an agreement about dates, responsibilities, compensation, etc., both you and the property owner should sign a written agreement that includes all of the details about the house sitting assignment.

Chris Kowalski – A caretaker with care and skillful means

2010-04-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

I started to subscribe to your wonderful Caretaker Gazette about four years before I retired. Since then I have traveled around the world just reading ads in your paper and virtually meeting the people without every meeting them in person. It has been a very interesting journey testing different opportunities and waiting for right one. It may sound funny but I felt that the ads in your paper were a kind of personal letter from the Universe destined for me.

One day there was a Caretaker Gazette ad that would change my life forever.

The ad contained the magic words, "Ratna Ling"; in Tibetan this means Jewel Crest or Jewel Garden and it is gorgeous! Ratna Ling is a place where volunteers work while simultaneously studying ancient wisdom under the direction of Tarthang Tulku, a Tibetan Lama who has lived in America since 1968. This would prove to be the experience of life time.

My name is Chris Kowalski; I’m a retired merchant marine chief engineer officer. Over my 20 years at sea, I’ve learned to respect the forces of nature and even enjoy them. Enter Ratna Ling, with over 100 acres of pristine beauty in Northern California, just a short distance from the Pacific Ocean. It became my home for almost a year. Surrounded by majestic redwoods and wildlife; wild turkeys, deer and rabbits, I had the privilege of having nature at my fingertips. I worked as a volunteer maintenance engineer while at the same time growing spiritually through meditation, Tibetan yoga (kum nye) and teachings performed by highly qualified professionals on a wide range of interesting subjects. An atmosphere of self-discipline and respect to others allowed me to discover my own hidden potentials and taught me to silence my mind and calm my pain and fears that had still been sitting hidden after my car accident some years ago.

The property even had tennis courts and years ago Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova played exhibition games there. With the help of my young volunteer friends we made the neglected courts operational again. Thanks to Barr the Director, we got top of the line equipment and two months after my arrival, Sunday tennis school became a fact. I could teach dozens of people of all ages my beloved sport. Daily yoga exercises did miracles for my arthritic legs with many thanks to my Yoga teachers for their guidance.

In Ratna Ling you can meet volunteers from all over the world. Lots of young people come here every year to learn ancient wisdom on how to silence the mind while living in this sometimes crazy world of ours. With the blessings of Tibetan Lama Tarthang Tulku and his generous friends, Ratna Ling is shaping up to be a place where West and East will meet on the subjects of science, spirituality and holistic healing to exchange experiences and knowledge for the benefit of all humankind. This very modern retreat center offers regular workshops in meditations, Tibetan Yoga, and healing lectures for people in need and will have a meeting center with world class symposium capacity. One of the most interesting adventures you may ever experience is at Ratna Ling.

Ratna Ling also has Dharma Publishing and the Yeshe De press house. These are modern facilities where you can be a part of Yeshe De, Ancient Texts Preservation Project, a visionary project of the Lama. Printing and distributing books and publishing sacred arts and texts are part of project. Dharma Publishing offers 11 highly recommended books by Tarthang Tulku helping to create balance and harmony in yourself and the world. Not many of us know that Tibet has been under Chinese occupation for over 40 years. Many innocent people die, monasteries have been destroyed and ancient texts burned. Ancient wisdom and texts are like the rain forest. We must preserve them for next generations at all costs, otherwise our civilization will suffocate slowly from endless wars, suffering ignorance and greed.

My story will not be complete if I didn’t mention my personal assistant, a golden retriever named Yeshe. She was with me eight hours a day taking care of property maintenance, waiting patiently in the golf cart for our intimate walks through the forest, and of course greeting me every morning. I already miss my friends and mentors and look forward to seeing them again.

Thank you Caretaker Gazette, for letting me share my story. I am grateful for your Gazette helping me to connect with people and places and for discovering this world.

Conscientious Caretakers: Bret Ingold and Kristin Frasheski

2010-03-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

The steam from the hot springs cave rose steadily up through the bows of the cedar tree as Bret immersed himself in the pool with a sigh. Kristin was silhouetted in the entrance of the cave against the black and white dusk of summer. After four months as caretakers of a remote wilderness cabin, campground and hot springs, life had settled into a quiet rhythm. It is a lifestyle not for everyone, but one in which the self-disciplined and creative can thrive. How Kristin and Bret became prepared for the challenges caretaking has presented, and where they would like this lifestyle to take them is too long a story for these pages. Along the way the story has involved a dusty old ‘87 Jetta with two flat tires in the middle of Namibia, a sailboat with a broken autopilot half-way across the Atlantic, a reckless taxi ride across Cambodia and many other important life-shaping experiences.

Kristin and Bret met while in school finishing their degrees in the fine arts in Portland, Oregon. After a camping trip in Washington and a short road trip they decided to spend four months traveling in Africa. It was a make or break kind of trip that left them knowing a lot more about each other and the world they were sharing.

Upon returning, Bret took over managing and operating a small ocean resort his grandparents had built in the 1950’s on Cape Cod. “Hospitality is in my blood, it’s a family tradition,” he says. He also drew heavily from the experience of founding and running an art gallery and studio cooperative in Portland, OR. After completing massage school, Kristin joined Bret at the motel. Kristin was instrumental in helping the motel conduct an eco-audit and overhauled the motel’s operations to lead Cape Cod’s hospitality industries in ecologically sound practices. Being a seasonal business, Kristin and Bret were able to spend their winters doing what they loved, traveling and creating art.

After four years at the motel, they decided to move on to new experiences and towards the future they wanted to create for themselves. It was around the same time that they found out about The Caretaker Gazette. They loved seeing all the opportunities in the pages and began looking for a position. During the interim, they were hired as studio assistants at a bronze foundry on Abaco Island in the Bahamas where they apprenticed and made their own sculptures. Life was good. While there they house-sat a friend’s solar-powered cottage; Bret spear fished for dinner and Kristin made and sold batik sarongs. As always, they worked to leave the property better then they found it and enjoyed some nice afternoons painting and working on the house. An ad had come through the Gazette for a property in Washington State that they had jumped on. It was the remote hot springs they had gone to on their first camping trip together years before. Months of correspondence had fizzled out and Bret and Kristin began talking with a couple in Guatemala about renting and running a small hotel. Then one morning, the family in Guatemala sold the property and that afternoon, with perfect timing, the hot spring’s director called asking if they wanted to take the job. They were thrilled and accepted the position.

Living in an old growth forest, deep in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, has given them a summer they will never forget. Waking up each day surrounded by such unspoiled natural beauty and having such direct and constant contact with that environment has been incredible. Bret and Kristin both agree it has given them the opportunity to “slow down” and enjoy the simpler sides of life. The position is also full of the challenges of living off-the-grid and far from the conveniences of modern life, but they enjoy it. Amongst the responsibilities they have accepted is to always keep in mind their own and all their visitors safety, especially in such a remote location. Their unique collection of experiences, skills and interests lend themselves perfectly to this isolation caretaking position where self-reliance, good judgment and adaptability are essential for both safety and sanity.

Bret and Kristin still enjoy perusing the Gazette when it arrives, wondering what opportunity may reveal itself next. After their time in Washington, they plan to stay busy volunteering teaching English to Burmese political refugees in Thailand. In the future, they hope to find a position that will give them more experience in sustainable examples of business. They look at caretaking and working for unique properties not only as a way to offer outstanding service but as market research for starting their own business. It will be a business that combines aspects of their background in hospitality, travel, interests in sustainable food production and building, and artistic abilities. In the meantime, they keep their eyes and ears open for the next open door.

“Leaving the Suburbs for the Ranch - Melissa Christoff”

2010-02-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

During the 27+ years that we have been publishing The Caretaker Gazette we have had thousands of property caretakers and landowners connect with one another via the Gazette's Caretaker Opportunity and Situations Wanted ads. Here is a very recent success story from one of our subscribers:

A love of nature and animals and what she describes as “the desire to get out of mainstream America” led Melissa Christoff to subscribe to The Caretaker Gazette. Melissa recalls, “After subscribing to the Gazette for a couple of years, I decided to be more pro-active in my search for a position as a professional animal caretaker so I ran a Situations-Wanted ad in the Gazette.” Melissa continues, “After more than two decades working mostly for either radio stations as a news reporter or in the airline industry, I wanted a simpler, more peaceful, purpose driven life working with animals away from traffic, cell phones, pollution and the chaos of contemporary life.” As a way of working toward that goal, in 2003 Melissa first volunteered at and then was employed at the Arizona Humane Society. Melissa explains, “That led me to becoming a professional pet sitter for two local companies and then eventually starting my own pet sitting business. After acquiring experience caring for everything from rats, rabbits, cats, canines to equines, I felt I was ready to make the transition from the suburbs to rural living.”

Within a week or two after placing her Caretaker Gazette ad seeking a position as a professional animal caretaker, Melissa received an email from a couple, Chuck and Sandy, who own Zenpony, a private animal rescue ranch in Marana, Arizona. The owners of the ranch, who were looking for a Ranch-hand/Animal Caretaker for Zenpony, are long-time subscribers to The Caretaker Gazette. After a phone conversation, two visits to Zenpony, and a few more weeks to carefully think things over, Melissa accepted an offer to live and work there. Melissa recalls, “After turning over my beloved furry clientele to another trustworthy professional pet sitting company and consigning or donating over half of my furnishings and personal belongings, I moved to the ranch in mid-July.” Zenpony is nestled between beautiful mountain peaks in the thick desert terrain northwest of Tucson, in Marana. The town was named for the Spanish word maraña ( thicket) by 19th century railroad workers who had to clear a line through the area. Melisa says, “Although the last seven miles to the ranch are un- paved, the roads are periodically groomed and, unless the washes are flooded, the roads are drivable without a four wheel vehicle.”

The ranch recently took on another name, Zendonkey Rescue, when it became certified as a satellite adoption center for Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue (PVDR) - the nation’s largest donkey rescue organization. PVDR rescues distressed donkeys and works with the Bureau of Land Management to round up and relocate displaced donkeys on federal lands in lieu of the donkeys being shot. Melissa explains, “As a satellite adoption center, Zendonkey Rescue will help educate the public about the plight of the American donkey – a much misunderstood and maligned animal - and help find suitable homes in the Marana and Tucson vicinities for distressed donkeys.”

The ranch’s current inhabitants include four donkeys, three horses, a mule, 15 dogs, an alpaca, two pot-bellied pigs, and two dozen chickens, turkeys and roosters. Except for the fowl, all the animals were abandoned, neglected or both. Melissa says, “Two of the latest arrivals are Jake and Elwood – German Shepherd/Great Dane mixes who were found near death in the desert by area ranchers. Some of the animals require hospice care or have special needs, such as Baby Donkey who has contracted front tendons and wears leg braces. Aside from the donkeys available for adoption, all of the animals who come here are given a home for the remainder of their lives.”

The transition from the suburbs to the ranch meant going “off-the-grid”, but that doesn’t mean going without electricity. There are numerous solar panels and a back-up generator that kicks in as needed. The ranch has its own well with water supplied by a river that is located 350 feet underground. Melissa explains, “Conservation is very important here. To conserve energy, all electrical appliances and lights are used mindfully.” Home for Melissa is now a single-wide tow-able trailer that she shares with Apollo, a very sweet, affectionate pit pull mix who she rescued since coming to the ranch.

Describing her routine on the ranch, Melissa says, “Days begin with being on the grounds by sunrise to feed the animals, rinse and refill water buckets and troughs followed by a lot of mucking. Getting up while it is dark took a little getting used to.” Melissa also takes a pack of dogs for a morning run. As a part Mescalero Apache, Melissa jokingly says her Indian name is “Runs with Dogs”. There are also chores to done on an as-needed basis, including grooming and bathing dogs or cleaning the chicken coop, the pigs’ play pools, the feed or hay barn. In-between morning and evening rounds, there is time for relaxation; this can include a nap, computer time, reading, studying Spanish or watching PBS World. There is the weekly trip into Tucson for groceries or a movie at the historic Loft Cinema. Melissa’s future plans include learning natural horsemanship and planting an organic vegetable garden.

According to Melissa, “The hours and the days fly by. The animals make my day every day! There are moments of pure exuberance and moments of complete physical exhaustion. I am definitely living in the moment more than I ever have before,” Moving from the suburbs to an isolated ranch with limited human interaction has also had its challenges. Melissa says, “For starters - you need to really enjoy your own company but I think I’ve made the right decision.” Ultimately, Melissa’s gypsy soul has its sights set on the Costa Rican countryside, but in the meantime, she says, “I’m taking one day at a time and embracing each sunrise - which happen to be quite striking in the Arizona desert.”

Caretaking

2010-01-22T08:19:00.001-08:00

Caretaking – An Innovative, Cost-Saving Concept in the Travel Industry

Posted using ShareThis

Adventures in International Housesitting: Lynn Woods

2010-01-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

Here, in her own words, is Caretaker Gazette subscriber Lynn Woods' first person account of her adventures in international housesitting. In addition to world travel, Lynn enjoys soft adventure sports (tandem skydiving, whitewater rafting and ziplining), wine appreciation (she even teaches a course in this), gourmet dining and cooking, movie nostalgia and European History.

Greetings fellow peripatetics, sojourners, adventurers and others born under the wandering star. My name is Lynn Wood and I am a native born Texan (Houston), but live throughout the school year in Natchitoches, Louisiana, home of the movie Steel Magnolias and oldest city in Louisiana. I had taken a sabbatical from Northwestern State University, where I am a professor of Hospitality Management Tourism and Recreation and was looking for a perfect place to find a “niche” for a few months.

I had done housesitting years ago when I lived in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. It’s quite common there for individuals to have a “holiday home” or even an ideal situation of living six months on St. Croix and six months in New York for example, which was the case for one elderly gentleman who I housesat for. Besides Mr. Charlie, I did housesitting for a couple who had a Doberman Pinscher named, Sandy, who was supposed to be taken to the beach three times a week. Of course, after I got there, Ms. Sandy got to go to the beach EVERYDAY! While teaching our students, who are getting ready for their field experience, I came across a reference to The Caretaker Gazette in Richard Nelson Bolles’ book, What Color Is Your Parachute? What a great idea for our students in Hospitality Management and Tourism, I thought, since many of the positions that I teach about in my classes involve lodging, resort or dude ranch management. The Gazette would be the perfect publication to subscribe to. The wonderful thing about the Gazette is the variety of positions… everything from fulltime Jack-of-All-Trades to simply housesitting or even house swapping while on vacation. It’s a kind of giant equalizer, by that I mean, people from the upper classes, call upon people from all sorts of classes for help! People who may not ever have a chance to reside in a luxury domicile can, and people who need to get their estates in order can find reliable assistance.

As a result, I just returned from two months living in Kenilworth, England. My journey to Kenilworth began with an ad in The Caretaker Gazette. A resident there was looking for someone to housesit for two months, and take care of their cat. I quickly replied. The homeowners and I knew it was kismet when I answered the ad, because we both have the identical surname…even though we are not related. Sebastian looked like the kind of cat that needed a lot of stroking but plenty of independence too! The homeowners picked me up from Coventry Coach Station where I had taken a coach from Heathrow Airport, and then drove me on to Kenilworth. Char and Joe were gracious hosts for one night before setting off the next morning for Spain. Sebastian and I then were left alone in the house for over two months.

Kenilworth is the site of Sir Walter Scott’s novel of the same name and home to the Earl of Leicester’s Kenilworth Castle, Robert Dudley and a favorite of Elizabeth Tudor. One of the pubs here, The Virgins and Castle, was frequently patronized by none other than William Shakespeare. Besides being able to design a guest lecture series with neighboring Universities and doing some much needed research, I have managed to integrate myself with the locals by taking an Indian cookery class, joining a social club and going Royal Scottish Dancing each Thursday night! Weekends can be spent punting down the river Avon or journeying to such historic castles as Warwick or Stoneleigh Abbey for a Jane Austin tour. How delighted I was with my housesitting position! Char and Joe returned from two months in Spain to a well kept house, and a very happy, spoiled cat Sebastian. The only one who wasn't so happy was me since it meant that I would be leaving my idyllic setting and returning to the U.S. It is true that you really never get to know a place until you actually live there. My experience in England was absolutely WONDERFUL!

The friends I have made here in Kenilworth, I am sure, will be long-lasting. The opportunity of living in another country and learning “how the natives do it” would not have been possible without The Caretaker Gazette. It really is true that living somewhere is quite different than just visiting. So if you are getting started in a career, or wanting to retire and move to a new location, or wishing to just simply go someplace unique and different for a holiday… The Caretaker Gazette might just be your answer. All it takes is the right attitude and willingness to help people who need someone reliable.

The Caretaker Gazette: Holiday Greeting and Year End Message

2009-12-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

As 2009 draws to a close and The Caretaker Gazette is about to begin its 28th year of publication, we would like to thank all of our subscribers and advertisers for their continued support. Without all of you we would not be the #1 source for caretaking and housesitting opportunities.
2009 has been a year of economic challenges but many of you turned these challenges into opportunities by making lifestyle changes and becoming caretakers and housesitters. We wish everyone success in their pursuits in 2010!

In care you missed them the first time around, here are links to a couple of 2009 articles that were written and published about The Caretaker Gazette:

MSN Money: How you can live rent free

The New York Times: Have Mop, Will Travel: A New Wave of Caretakers

Caribbean Property Magazine: The Joys of Housesitting in Costa Rica

Everyday with Rachael Ray/Middletown Journal: Couple uses caretaker opportunities to vacation

Take care,

Gary C. Dunn - Publisher, Filer, Bagger and Mailer,
Thea Dunn, Ph.D. - Editor, Writer, Researcher and PC Troubleshooter
and Lincoln - Envelope Sealer

The Caretaker Gazette Estate and Household Employees Compensation Survey

2009-11-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

The Caretaker Gazette would like to thank the 151 individuals and agencies who participated in the first annual Estate and Household Employees Compensation Survey. We are gratified to have realized this high level of interest and participation. Participants included property caretakers, major domos, estate managers, household managers, personal assistants, and butlers.

The summary tables detail much of the compensation data. Data include salary, benefits, responsibilities, and regional data correlation. Data were analyzed from the 151 individuals and agencies who participated in the survey. In order to accomplish the completion of the survey, we gathered data from The Caretaker Gazette subscribers as well as from the readers of The International Guild of Professional Butlers' newsletter.

© The Caretaker Gazette. Compensation Survey researched and compiled by The Caretaker Gazette, 3 Estancia Lane, Boerne, TX 78006 830-755-2300 www.caretaker.org

The Caretaker Gazette Estate and Household Employees Compensation Survey Demographic Data

98% of respondents hold full-time positions and 2% are part-time staff.
81% of respondents are responsible for multiple properties (e.g., vacation homes).
68% of respondents are employed in the U.S. while 32% are employed in Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and Europe.
51% of respondents are male while 49% are female.
73% of respondents work with other domestic staff (e.g., maids, chefs, gardeners, nannies) while 27% are the sole household employee.
49% of respondents work as a couple, with a spouse or significant other.
The mean educational level is that of some college courses completed.
The mean number of years of experience is between 16 and 23 years.
The respondents described their settings as:
98% private homes and estates, 1% yacht, 1% resort property

The Caretaker Gazette Estate and Household Employees Compensation Survey: Salary Data

(per annum, in U.S. dollars)

Under $20,000 = 1%
$21,000 - $30,000 = 2%
$31,000 - $40,000 = 11%
$41,000 - $50,000 = 13%
$51,000 - $60, 000 = 16%
$61,000 - $70,000 = 24%
$71,000 - $80,000 = 14%
$81,000 - $90,000 = 9%
$91,000 - $100,000 = 7%
Over $100,000 = 3%

The Caretaker Gazette Estate and Household Employees Compensation Survey: Average Hours per Week Worked

Under 40 hours per week = 4%
41 - 50 hours per week = 28%
51 - 60 hours per week = 33%
61 - 70 hours per week = 16%
71 - 80 hours per week = 13%
81 - 90 hours per week = 4%
91 - 100 hours per week = 1%
Over 100 hours per week = 1%

The Caretaker Gazette Estate and Household Employees Compensation Survey: Benefits Data

Housing or housing allowance = 99%
Comp time/Overtime = 91%
Cell phone = 89%
Pager = 88%
Home computer = 79%
Funds for professional memberships = 39%
Funds for training classes = 29%
Travel funds = 82%
Medical plan (incl. Health, vision, dental) = 91%
Life insurance = 89%
Retirement plan (e.g., IRA) = 94%
Savings plan = 57%
Automobile (use, reimbursement) = 93%
Vacation (1 - 4 weeks annually) = 98%
Sick pay = 90%
Annual bonus = 93%
Tuition reimbursement = 17%
Annual cost of living increase = 29%
Incentive compensation plan = 7%
Merit increase = 61%
Clothing allowance (includes Uniforms) = 77%
Internet access = 90%

The Caretaker Gazette Estate and Household Employees Compensation Survey: Areas of Responsibility

Hiring and management of staff = 61%
Housekeeping = 93%
Butler duties = 89%
Chef duties = 48%
Vendor and contract management = 68%
In-house systems management = 96%
Concierge, guest care = 92%
Contractor = 94%
Antiques care = 35%
Care of house pets = 42%
Care of horses = 19%
Indoor plant care = 27%
Care of gardens = 22%
Accounting = 52%
Budgeting = 48%
Event planning = 70%
Security = 94%
Travel arrangements = 71%
Automobile care = 47%
Entertaining = 64%
Food service = 48%
Grocery and supply shopping = 54%