Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
18 Apr 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
42
Email verified
Badges (3)
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Details
Description
Semi retired couple, living in a ranch home on a 3/4 acre lot in Lakewood, a Denver suburb. We're looking for people and couples who have gardening skills and really enjoy it. Tasks include weeding, digging, improving garden paths, composting, and whatever needs we have in the garden and yard. We have a king size bed and private bath for visitors in a very quiet neighborhood. We are a 15 minute walk to the light rail that takes you to downtown Denver and DIA airport. We grow organic flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit. We enjoy cooking natural meals using as much of our garden food as we can. . We are particular about keeping our kitchen neat and clean and expect you to do the same. We also prefer to host travelers for one to two weeks. We have traveled internationally for many years and really enjoy meeting new people from different background and cultures. We are a 20 minute drive from Red Rocks Amphitheater, an outdoor music venue in the foothills, with concerts most nights spring summer and fall. We also have one cat as a house pet, she is on the very shy side.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
House sitting
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We have lived in Colorado for more than 40 years, we love helping people discover all that Colorado has to offer. Michael has more than 35 years with organic gardening experience and enjoy helping people to learn how to grow their own food. We cook most meals and whenever possible use food from our garden. We also do seasonal canning, drying, pickling and freezing of foods and if you have interest in learning these skills we could do those projects together in late summer/early fall. We also have extensive knowledge of nutrition, medicinal and garden herbs and natural foods.
Help
Help with all the gardens, and mowing. Some outdoor clean-up projects, possible indoor projects as well when needed.
Schedule is 5 days per week, 4 hours a day. Quiet hours 11 pm to 8 am.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
We have one spare bedroom with a king bed and private bath for your use.
What else ...
Denver has world class museums, restaurants, theaters, brew pubs and concerts. We are close to many city and county parks and a short drive from the majestic Rocky Mountains with great hiking trails.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Host ref number: 671972446575
Feedback (20)
27 Aug 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Vera)
We really enjoyed and appreciated Vera’s help. She was very respectful of us and our home, and our schedules. Vera cleaned up after herself and was cheery and always helpful, often going “ above and beyond “. She is quite comfortable helping in the garden and the kitchen. Thanks Vera and safe travels for the rest of your sabbatical.
Michael & Clare
Michael & Clare
(Excellent
)
15 Jul 2024
Left by Workawayer (Derrick & Baylee) for host
We couldn't have asked for a better experience for our first work-away in Denver, Colorado. Arriving with an open mind, we were blown away by the incredible two weeks we spent there. Michael and Clare epitomize the true American dream family! Their home is very comfortable, warm, and welcoming, surrounded by love and an incredible family spirit.… read more
14 Jul 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Derrick & Baylee)
Our new friends, Derrick and Baylee left this morning, bittersweet goodbyes! They were wonderful, respectful, houseguests. We really enjoyed our time with them and the conversations. Truly a cultural and generational exchange that enriches our lives. They fit right in with our family including our daughter and 9 month old granddaughter. We feel so… read more
(Excellent
)
30 Jun 2024
Left by Workawayer (Pattarapong) for host
I had a wonderful two-week stay with Michael and Clare in their peaceful and lovely neighborhood. I felt very welcomed and relaxed. I deeply appreciate how they shared their lifelong experiences with me, inspiring me in many ways. From Michael, I learned a great deal about regenerative gardening, and Clare showed me a lot about creativity in… read more
16 Jun 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Pattarapong)
Clare and I really appreciated the 2 weeks we spent hosting Chone. He was a wonderful house guest, respectful , unobtrusive.and always helpful. He provided much needed help in the garden, and cooked a tasty Thai dinner for our family. We hope to see you again, here in Colorado or maybe even in Thailand. Safe travels and wishing you great success… read more
(Excellent
)
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Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
27 Aug 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Vera)
We really enjoyed and appreciated Vera’s help. She was very respectful of us and our home, and our schedules. Vera cleaned up after herself and was cheery and always helpful, often going “ above and beyond “. She is quite comfortable helping in the garden and the kitchen. Thanks Vera and safe travels for the rest of your sabbatical.
Michael & Clare
Michael & Clare
(Excellent)
15 Jul 2024
Left by Workawayer (Derrick & Baylee) for host
We couldn't have asked for a better experience for our first work-away in Denver, Colorado. Arriving with an open mind, we were blown away by the incredible two weeks we spent there. Michael and Clare epitomize the true American dream family! Their home is very comfortable, warm, and welcoming, surrounded by love and an incredible family spirit.… read more
14 Jul 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Derrick & Baylee)
Our new friends, Derrick and Baylee left this morning, bittersweet goodbyes! They were wonderful, respectful, houseguests. We really enjoyed our time with them and the conversations. Truly a cultural and generational exchange that enriches our lives. They fit right in with our family including our daughter and 9 month old granddaughter. We feel so… read more
(Excellent)
30 Jun 2024
Left by Workawayer (Pattarapong) for host
I had a wonderful two-week stay with Michael and Clare in their peaceful and lovely neighborhood. I felt very welcomed and relaxed. I deeply appreciate how they shared their lifelong experiences with me, inspiring me in many ways. From Michael, I learned a great deal about regenerative gardening, and Clare showed me a lot about creativity in… read more
16 Jun 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Pattarapong)
Clare and I really appreciated the 2 weeks we spent hosting Chone. He was a wonderful house guest, respectful , unobtrusive.and always helpful. He provided much needed help in the garden, and cooked a tasty Thai dinner for our family. We hope to see you again, here in Colorado or maybe even in Thailand. Safe travels and wishing you great success… read more
(Excellent)
16 May 2024
Left by Workawayer (Rick) for host
What an awesome couple and experience!! Michael and Clare are two of the loveliest people I have ever met. Their home is comfortable, clean and filled with welcome. (They even had their daughter and granddaughter visiting multiple days; which truly made me feel like one of the family). I stayed for 2 weeks and felt like I never stopped learning… read more
26 Oct 2022
Left by Workawayer (Rachelle & James) for host
Michael and Clare were such welcoming hosts and I feel really grateful to both of them for the month we spent together. I hadn't done Workaway in the U.S. before, but really enjoyed my time spent with them in a quiet neighborhood in Denver. Their home is lovely and has lots of character as they designed most of it themselves. Great kitchen for… read more
24 Oct 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Rachelle & James)
Clare and I really enjoyed Rachelle’s stay with us. She is an accomplished and experienced gardener who handled some challenging garden project with ease. She is focused, and productive with great attention to detail. Rachelle helped with a variety of indoor and outdoor projects that made for welcome improvements to our home and gardens. She is a… read more
(Excellent)
19 Sep 2022
Left by Workawayer (Ellen & Todd) for host
Where to even begin to describe my wonderful week with Michael and Clare?! In short: it was life-changing and heart-filling. Michael has such a wealth of garden and generally healthy food information stored in his head and in his green fingers and is so willing to share it all. We had the best conversations: of course about plants, soil and seeds… read more
30 Aug 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Ellen & Todd)
We really enjoyed meeting and spending time with Ellen. It was a productive and fun cultural exchange. Ellen was a wonderful house guest, quiet, clean, considerate and helpful. She has a lot of gardening experience, knowledge and enthusiasm, as a result we got a lot of work done in the gardens.
Evening dinners made for great conversation. Ellen is… read more
Evening dinners made for great conversation. Ellen is… read more
(Excellent)
2 Aug 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Dehryl)
Clare and I feel so fortunate to have met and spent time with Darryl. She was a perfect house guest, considerate, tidy,helpful and a great sense of humor. We also enjoyed many uplifting and informative conversations while working and around the evening dinner table. Together, we made enormous headway in the garden, weeding and planting food and… read more
(Excellent)
1 Jul 2022
Left by Workawayer (Hanne ) for host
My stay with Clare & Michael was an unforgettable experience. They are warm-hearted, welcoming and flexible people. Michael shares his knowledge about gardening with patience and has an incredible eye for nature’s beauty. It’s so much fun to work alongside someone who is, after years of working and experimenting in his garden, still capable of… read more
1 Jul 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Hanne )
Clare and I really enjoyed Hanne’s stay with us. We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to meet Hanne and spend some time getting to know her. She was incredibly focused, productive and energetic. Hanne is a quick learner with a high enthusiasm level, and often worked a longer day than was required. . She made a significant contribution in… read more
(Excellent)
8 Jul 2021
Left by host for Workawayer (Natasha)
Natasha was our first Workaway after the pandemic and we couldn’t be more grateful. She spent 5 weeks with us and what a wonderful stay it was. She did gardening, weeding, pruning, mulching, watering and planting. She then was helping us with other preparations for our daughters wedding at our house. We could’ve never done all the preparations for… read more
(Excellent)
1 Jul 2021
Left by Workawayer (Natasha) for host
This was my first workaway experience and it could not have been a better one!
Michael and Clare are the perfect hosts, have a beautiful home and have created an amazing learning environment. You will be immersed in regenerative gardening practices and a deep appreciation for a healthful and sustainable way of living.
It’s amazing how much can be… read more
Michael and Clare are the perfect hosts, have a beautiful home and have created an amazing learning environment. You will be immersed in regenerative gardening practices and a deep appreciation for a healthful and sustainable way of living.
It’s amazing how much can be… read more
6 Jul 2021
Left by Workawayer (Reid & Ashley) for host
We both feel so extremely fortunate to have had this as our first Workaway experience. We could not have been luckier. Clare and Michael are two of the kindest and most genuine people we have ever met. We felt so at home through the welcoming environment that they create. Each day we would converse about what chores needed to get done and they… read more
3 Jul 2021
Left by host for Workawayer (Reid & Ashley)
We were hesitant to host a younger couple but boy are we ever glad we did! We call them our Dynamic Duo. They were a great team working together, but also worked so well separately. They were energetic, positive, flexible and very productive for many outdoor chores, including: weeding, stone work, mulching, triming, mowing, planting, pruning fruit… read more
(Excellent)
27 Jun 2021
Left by Workawayer (Clara) for host
Wow! What an amazing experience! I spent 10 days with Michael and Clare and other workawayers in Lakewood. It was my first official workaway experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better one. Most of my work was in the garden directed by Michael. He was an excellent manager. He explained things clearly, was open to questions, and trusted me to… read more
27 Jun 2021
Left by host for Workawayer (Clara)
Boy were we lucky! Clara was so knowledgeable about gardening (and other things too). She is an absolute delight.
She is so happy and cheerful, energetic, productive, enthusiastic, cooperative, worked so well with everyone here.
She was so good about asking questions and getting clarification regarding complex tasks. Her skills are: Gardening,… read more
She is so happy and cheerful, energetic, productive, enthusiastic, cooperative, worked so well with everyone here.
She was so good about asking questions and getting clarification regarding complex tasks. Her skills are: Gardening,… read more
(Excellent)
12 Sep 2019
Left by Workawayer (Kristen) for host
What a great exchange! Clare and Michael are a perfect example of that magical balance of welcoming, highly educated, eager to teach, patient, fair, flexible, fun, and fantastic cooks! The projects were very reasonable and varied and Michael spent time with me during the projects to make sure I felt comfortable and able to do a good job. I learned… read more
10 Sep 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Kristen)
Michael and I really enjoyed her stay with us. We shared many great conversations over dinner. Kristen was excellent in so many ways, she was very respectful, courteous, hard working, enthusiastic, upbeat, positive and the list goes on. She was a model guest and even made sure that her bathroom and bedroom were clean when she left. We are looking… read more
(Excellent)
28 Aug 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Chasadee)
Clare and I really appreciated Chasadees visit. She completed a lot of garden and household chores including processing medicinal and culinary herbs. She was very easy to live with, tidy, clean and considerate. She also helped with washing dishes each night. Chasadee was very positive and up beat. Our dinner conversations were educational, thought… read more
(Excellent)
18 Aug 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Luna)
Clare and I thoroughly enjoyed Luna’s visit. We hit it off from the very start, like our meeting each other was “meant to be”. She was so positive, up beat and happy to do any chore we had for her. Luna was a real help with all the various garden chores, especially weeding! Luna did the dishes every night which was a huge help as well. She was a… read more
(Excellent)
15 Aug 2019
Left by Workawayer (Luna) for host
This was my first Workaway experience. I was fortunate enough to spend 10 days with Michael and Clare. I'm not exaggerating when I say that those were some of the happiest days of my life. I had the opportunity to help out with their beautiful organic garden! I'm grateful to have learned so much about gardening from Michael during this experience.… read more
3 Aug 2019
Left by Workawayer (Melissa & Gerhard) for host
This was our first Workaway experience and what an amazing experience it was!
We are so incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to volunteer for Clare and Michael.
We enjoyed every project given to us. Each project was fun, appropriate and educational. Clare and Michael have amazing travel stories and they are great cooks! Best food in… read more
We are so incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to volunteer for Clare and Michael.
We enjoyed every project given to us. Each project was fun, appropriate and educational. Clare and Michael have amazing travel stories and they are great cooks! Best food in… read more
18 Jul 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Melissa & Gerhard)
You meet the nicest people in the workaway community, especially Gerard and Melissa! Clare and I feel so fortunate that we got to spend a week with them. They are so talented, focused and multi skilled. A lot of projects were completed, all with a high level of proficiency. We really enjoyed our evening conversations and cultural exchange. We… read more
(Excellent)
1 Jul 2019
Left by Workawayer (Sami) for host
I spent two weeks with Michael and Claire in Denver. The house is located in a quiet and very green suburb. . I had a room and a bathroom for me. The house and the garden are a half hour bus ride from downtown Denver. I helped Michael in his garden. A small garden that is very well maintained. The work was varied and exciting. 5 hours a day,… read more
20 Jun 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Sami)
Clare and I really enjoyed Sami's work stay. He is a great gardener, focused and productive, helping with many different garden projects. He was a very respectful of us and our home. We loved hearing about his many travel experiences .Sami is good natured, with a great sense of humor, we shared a lot of laughs through out his stay. It was a… read more
(Excellent)
9 May 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Philip)
Phillip was a great help with the gardens and seed starting. He is knowledgeable, energetic and enthusiastic, and made a big difference with the garden chores. He was respectful of us and our home. We look forward to seeing you again whenever you are in Colorado!
(Excellent)
9 May 2019
Left by Workawayer (Philip) for host
Michael and Claire are absolutely amazing in every way I had a great two weeks with them! they are very kind considerate thoughtful and intuitive. They both know a lot about organic gardening and even more about how to put the meals together in the kitchen. seriously I looked forward to their meals every day! they are both master chefs! All in all… read more
6 Apr 2019
Left by Workawayer (Kristen) for host
Michael and Clare were very welcoming, kind and considerate throughout my stay. All tasks were discussed respectfully and they are both great communicators. I learned a lot about food (the wonderful, wonderful food), growing and preparing it, and about dishes from other countries I have not experienced. I can't emphasize enough how delicious there… read more
25 Mar 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Kristen)
Kristen was a perfect workaway for us in many ways. She was a very respectful guest and easy to be around. She is enormously talented, there wasn't a task we asked of her that she couldn't do. Over the many weeks she was here she painted kitchen hardware, re-caulked our kitchen and 2 bathrooms. She re-painted an entire room, trim, ceiling and… read more
(Excellent)
23 Jan 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Kelly)
Clare and I really enjoyed meeting Kelly. She was energetic, helpful and flexible in helping us with different projects in our home and outside in the garden. Kelly is a quick learner, upbeat and a pleasure to have around. We are sorry to see her go. Kelly, please stay in touch. We'd love to hear from you, if you need a place to stay in Lakewood… read more
(Excellent)
20 Jan 2019
Left by Workawayer (Kelly) for host
You could not ask for better hosts. Michael and Clare are thoughtful, kind-hearted, open-minded, and excellent cooks! They hosted me while I stayed in a campervan and were so kind to help when I became unexpectedly ill a couple days. They make it feel like a home away from home, and you'll enjoy visiting and learning from them. Highly recommend… read more
3 Dec 2018
Left by Workawayer (Colby & Megan) for host
Michael and Clare are absolutely wonderful! Michael is a knowledgeable master gardener and Clare is an incredible cook. I really enjoyed the amount of knowledge exchange we all experienced and their ability to listen and understand my situation. I hope to work for them again soon!
18 Nov 2018
Left by host for Workawayer (Colby & Megan)
We just finished up a week hosting Colby at our house and we 're sorry to see her leave, she truly made a difference! We feel very fortunate to have met her, it was a true cultural exchange. We really enjoyed listening to her many stories about her Peace Corps experiences in Africa. She is a focused, hardworking, respectful, and appreciative… read more
(Excellent)
26 Oct 2018
Left by Workawayer (Janelle ) for host
Michael and Clare are wonderful hosts! They’re very welcoming and we had many delightful dinner conversations, with delicious meals. The guest space is lovely. The work is well paced, and the garden is peaceful place. The best part is getting to know Michael and Clare; they’re great people. I highly recommend!
26 Oct 2018
Left by host for Workawayer (Janelle )
Clare and I really enjoyed Janelle's stay with us! She did a wonderful job with both the interior trim painting and preparing many of the garden beds for the winter. She is focused, thorough and was always in good spirits. Our dinner conversations were fun, informative and upbeat. Janelle is also tidy, considerate and respectful. Thanks Janelle,… read more
(Excellent)
1 Sep 2018
Left by host for Workawayer (Ben)
Clare and I really enjoyed working with and getting to know Ben. He was upbeat and helpful in completing the exterior painting of our home. We enjoyed our many conversations while working and eating together. Thanks Ben!
(Excellent)
1 Sep 2018
Left by Workawayer (Ben) for host
I had a very positive experience staying with Michael and Claire for one week.
They were very generous and accommodating. They were willing to drive me into town and to various other locations.
Their food is wonderful, and the conversation was pleasant and interesting.
The estate in lakewood is beautiful and very green.
I would advise a… read more
They were very generous and accommodating. They were willing to drive me into town and to various other locations.
Their food is wonderful, and the conversation was pleasant and interesting.
The estate in lakewood is beautiful and very green.
I would advise a… read more
27 Jul 2018
Left by Workawayer (Josh) for host
Michael and Clare were exceptional hosts. I felt welcome from the first minute I arrived. The accommodations were so much more than I had expected. But the best part was spending time with Michael and Clare. They are kind and compassionate people who have created a beautiful space to host guests. Working alongside both of them and sharing stories… read more
26 Jul 2018
Left by host for Workawayer (Josh)
Josh was our first Work Away experience and boy were we pleasantly surprised. He was very hard working, focused, eager and great to work with. He is responsible, reliable, respectful and very considerate. Super clean and tidy, he even cleaned his bathroom and washed his own sheets before leaving. It was a real pleasure sharing experiences and… read more
(Excellent)
