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 (73) and my husband, Micheal (75). Our adult children and grandchildren live nearby so you are likely to meet some of them during your stay.
  Micheal and I are "young at heart" and 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 , and wine is my preferred beverage. Micheal is an avid reader. He is a former petroleum landman and 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 dance halls, 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 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

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Self development

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Sustainability

  

  Culture

  

  Events & social

  

  Performing arts

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  Languages

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Gardening

  

  History

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Architecture

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Dancing

  

  Beach
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  This area of Texas, known as the Hill Country, offers a vast array of things to do and place to see. 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 away from busy cities. It's also home to the 2nd largest open flea market, which is held on the 1st Mondays of March through December. 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. Blue Hole Regional Park, Jacob's Well, and Cypress Creek are local natural amenities where you can spend some time in nature. San Marcos, 20 minutes away, is a university town and it has places to rent innertubes 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. Visit the Mexican market for 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. 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) move some stacks of wood to a different location;
  2) general clean up of the yard at the side of the house;
  3) sort items for an estate sale;
  4) interior painting;
  5) general garden help;
  6) pruning the dead foliage from our bushes, etc.;
  7) giving our house a good cleaning;
  8) organize the garage.
  
  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 for 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 and that you will encourage others to try this magical way of getting to know the world and people from other cultures.

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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 on the other side of 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 sinks, 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, al fresco dining, 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 town Texas life. Having a car would be a great benefit, though not required. 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.
  
  Overall you will find us to be very flexible, considerate, 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 in a public parking lot.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  We can accept well behaved and house- trained dogs which do not get on the furniture (including beds) and don't shed. We prefer not to have cats since they tend to get on the furniture and can be destructive to upholstery.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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