Join our family in the mountains of Virginia, USA

Details

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  Description

  My family is always busy with something...so we could use another pair (or more!) of hands to help us out! We own an 11-acre hobby farm in the mountains of Virginia, with horses, some chickens, a garden, an orchard, and a berry patch. It is a beautiful location, only 2 miles from the Appalachian Trail and close to Blacksburg, Virginia (home of Virginia Tech). However, we often seem to be too busy doing projects (like painting, fixing old barns, gardening, and cleaning) to enjoy it!
  
  We both work at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, in environmental and educational areas. Our children (twins!) are both in high school (and yes, I know I need to update the profile pictures of them!). They are very active with sports, music, and other activities. We love spending time outdoors and going fishing, hiking, or hunting. Or lounging in the hammock. Our horses excel at eating, and the chickens are always entertaining.
  
  We would love the opportunity to get to know some Workawayers, and we could be very flexible with what you help with. We want you to tailor your activities to your own skills and interests. Potential projects include cooking, helping in the garden and orchard, painting and repairing fences and barns, lawn care, general maintenance, artistic works, helping with the horses, and about a million other potential projects!
  
  We would prefer to host Workawayers who are interested in visiting for relatively short time periods, like two weeks or less.
  
  This would be a great Workaway stop for through-hikers on the Appalachian Trail who want a few days sleeping in a bed, showering, and doing laundry! We welcome families. Contact us, and let's see if we can arrange a stay! We would love the opportunity to share our home with you and get to know you during your visit.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Travelers often visit cities while exploring new areas. However, experiencing rural life is a completely different view of a culture! Visitors would get to experience an area rich in history and outdoor activities. And my husband and I are a wildlife biologist and fisheries biologist, so you'll get to learn about nature, if you're interested!

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Love to cook? You're in charge of preparing some meals. Good with tools? Your mission might be helping to repair a barn. You can make anything grow? Garden and orchard for you. Artistic? Find inspiration in the beautiful Virginia scenery and create something. As you can tell, we are very flexible and want you to have an enjoyable experience that fits your interests and skills.
  
  There are always so many things that could be done that each Workawayer can select activities best fitting his or her skills and interests. We would expect around 2-4 hours per day of help (5 days per week) for room and food. For some of the larger projects, we might prefer longer blocks of time on the weekends when we can work with you, freeing up more days for you during the week. But all that's pretty flexible, too.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  Private bedroom with queen bed, with your own bathroom (with shower) across the hall. Additional space in that room or in a nearby room for an inflatable mattress, if needed. We would love to have you join us for meals, if you choose. Otherwise you can have space in the fridge and cabinet for your own food. Families, couples, or singles are all welcome.
  
  We have excellent internet access, with wi-fi. Cell phone service is not very reliable, though.
  
  No drugs; no smoking inside (preferably no smoking at all). Well-behaved pets are welcome.

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  What else ...

  The New River Valley and Blacksburg, Virginia are wonderful areas for outdoor activities, from hiking to fishing to boating to rock climbing. Blackburg is a fun college town where there are always activities going on...and lots of good restaurants and bars, of course. The Appalachian Trail is only a couple miles away from the house. We drive into Blacksburg (about 25 minutes away) almost daily and you could tag along and explore the town on your own using the public bus line.
  
  We are a friendly, laid-back family that likes to keep on the move with sports, music, and school activities. We don't get to travel nearly as much as we would like (pesky school and work keep getting in the way). Workaway travelers give us the opportunity to interact with interesting people from different places, without even leaving our home!

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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 decent high-speed internet, and you'll have a private bedroom with a desk and work area. Cell service is spotty, though.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Our driveway has enough room for any size campervan. We can run an extension cord out to you, but we don't have any official RV hookups.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Well-behaved pets are welcome, as long as they don't chase the chickens or horses.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Around 2-3 hours a day, 5 days a week

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