Central Texas Hill Country "Little Bit of Heaven", USA

Details

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  Description

  Micheal and I are a retired American couple living in Wimberley, Texas, the town most people call "A Little Bit of Heaven."
  Our household consists of myself (72) and my husband, Micheal (74) and our Briard dog, Gemma. We manage to stay busy most of the time, though we also enjoy sitting and talking on our back porch or by the fireplace in the living room. I love to garden and try to grow some my own vegetables. Cooking is another favorite activity of mine, and wine is my favorite beverage. Micheal is an avid reader. He is a former art teacher and sometimes dabbles with 3-dimensional art. We both love music and enjoy dancing at local venues. We have taken our workawayers to a wide variety of places and activities in this area, which is rife with old Texas dancehalls, live music, historic sites, natural amenities, and more.
  
  Micheal and I have traveled extensively in Europe since 2005. We love the cultures and slower lifestyle of many European countries, which is one reason we make France our home for most of the year. We have enjoyed having workawayers from all over the globe both here in Texas and at our home in SW France. We are still friends with most of them, and have even had a reunion with several workawayers who were at our house together.
  
  For accommodations we offer a guest suite with a queen bed. The bedroom has access to a full bath. Our common areas consist of an open living/kitchen/dining area, plus covered porches front and back, and a large rear garden.
  Since retiring, we are not early risers and enjoy a pretty relaxed schedule. We do not require set hours of our workawayers so you'll be able to work whenever it suits you, unless something requires coordinating with a helper. We are not big breakfast or lunch eaters so we provide whatever you'd like to eat for those meals and ask you to prepare them at whatever time you'd like to eat. Normally we eat the evening meal together. Sometimes I cook; other times the workawayers will cook. We can work all that out once you arrive.
  
  Wimberley is considered one of the best places to live in Texas. It is home to the old ranchers, lots of artists, many retirees, people in the entertainment industry (including Paul Simon), and lots of people escaping the urban sprawl of Austin and San Antonio. Our Wimberley community is friendly and welcoming. There isn't much public transportation but if you have a drivers license and do not have your own vehicle, we can allow you to use one of our cars.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  There are numerous opportunities to explore this area of Texas, which is known as the Hill Country. Wimberley was established in 1837. The "town square" has the charm of vintage Texas towns because most of the original buildings are still there and used for various businesses. It's now a "destination" for tourists, who seek a weekend or week away from busy cities. It's also home to the 2nd largest open flea market, which is held on the 1st Monday of the month. The Blanco River and Cypress Creek run through our town and afford great places to swim and explore during the warm months of the year. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants, plus loads of interesting shops around the square. San Marcos, 20 minutes away, is a university town and it has places to rent tubes and to float down the San Marcos River. San Antonio is home to the Alamo, a significant historic landmark in the history of Texas' fight for independence. The scenic San Antonio River Walk is filled with shops, restaurants and bars. The Mexican market offers a taste of Mexican shopping. The capitol of Texas is Austin, which is 40 minutes from Wimberley. The capitol building, the live music, the bats flying from the Congress bridge at dusk, Barton Sprinigs, and more, are all things that bring thousands of tourists there every year. Depending on when you are here, there are rodeos, festivals, and other local activities, such as the chili cookoff, that might be of interest.
  
  Since we are flexible about the hours you work, if you prefer to work 8 hours for 3 days, you are free to take off 4 days and go to places like Dallas, Houston, Bandera, etc., and spend a few days there. We can help you get to public transportation, if you don't have your own vehicle. We also have two bicycles, which you are welcomed to use. Whenever possible, we take our workawayers to various sights of interest, as we enjoying acquainting them with our part of Texas.

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  Help

  We are retired and are in the process of clearing out some belongings to sell and arranging the house to rent it. Thus, other projects might come up. I could use some help going through my clothes and selecting the ones to eliminate, for instance. Though not required for all things, it would be helpful if you have some carpentry experience, and/or can operate a spray painter, and have some DIY experience.
  
  The projects we have are:
  1) repairing and restaining the wood privacy fence;
  2) move some stacks of wood a different location;
  3) general clean up of the yard at the side of the house;
  4) sort and price items for a garage sale;
  5) painting the porch;
  6) planting vegetables and general garden maintenance;
  7) pruning the dead foiage from our bushes, etc.;
  8) giving our house a good cleaning.
  
  It's really helpful to have workawayers who understand how to do general daily chores without being asked, like taking out the trash, sweeping the floor, or setting the table. We like to interact with our workawayers at dinner when we aren't working because that's when we really get to know them and to learn about their culture. Certainly we expect them to have hours off and privacy, too. Even if you are from a different state in the US, there's something interesting about where you live that we haven't experienced.
  
  I like to think of workaway as an investment in the future - future understanding of other cultures for both the homeowner and the workawayer. I have hosted approximately 90 workawayers, both in Texas and in France, plus Micheal and I have been workawayers in Germany and Austria. Thus, we can appreciate what it's like to come into someone's home, try to get settled and establish a working relationship in a relatively brief period of time. We have made many friends worldwide through this program. In fact, we have had "workaway exchanges" where a workawayer has come to our house and then we have been workawayers at theirs. That was a truly great experience for all parties. We hope you will feel the same about your experience as a workawayer in our home.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  English, French (intermediate)
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  Accommodation

  The guest room is across the house from our bedroom. It has a queen bed, chest of drawers plus TV with Roku. It is connected to a full bathroom with tub/shower, double sinks, and toilet. It is very private and quiet. If we have more than one workawayer, they usually share that bathroom, as there are double sinkes, and a separate, lockable WC and tub/shower combination. The center of the house is the "public" space and has an open living/kitchen/dining plus fireplace. There are covered porches front and back, and those are great places for having morning coffee or an evening apero.

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  What else ...

  This is a fantastic area to explore and to relax. So, this is an interesting place to spend some time - not touristy. Instead, experience the genuine small townTexas life. Having a car would be a great benefit, though not required. We have 2 bicycles which you are welcomed to use, and we often take our workawayers exploring with us.
  
  If you do nor have a vehicle, you can fly into Austin. We will pick you up from the airport. Let us know your plans and we can give you some guidance regarding transportation options. If you do have a car, there's parking available at our house.
  
  Some of our workawayers have preferred to work all their weekly hours in 3 days and then take several days away to explore. This is perfectly fine with us. We are flexible about when you work.
  
  Overall you will find us to be very flexible, helpful, friendly and accommodating. We ask that you keep your space reasonably tidy, and that you leave it orderly upon your departure. We have a washer and dryer available to wash your clothes, sheets and towels when needed. We have fast internet so working from here is an option. Just let us know what you need, and we will strive to make it work for you.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have high-speed internet, and a work space (small desk). I have a printer/scanner/copier with WIFI connections. The workawayer bedroom is somewhat removed from the common area so it's quiet and private.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  There is some parking for campervans up to 10 days in our driveway.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  25 hours/week-

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