Information du profil
Évaluation d'hôte
80 %
Last replied
18 avr. 2024
Taux de réponse
66.7 %
Usually responds ≤ 55 jours
Feedback
40
E-mail vérifié
Badges (2)
Infos
Description
Hello travellers!!
We are Francis & Johanna, and we live on a beautiful wetlands lake in Temagami, Ontario. We share the lake with beavers, moose, otters, herons, owls, weasels, frogs, and only one neighbour! We run an ecotourism business on-site so guests come and go on the property, but it is typically quiet and relaxed. We're looking for help not for our business, but for our home and pets. We live 14 km from the nearest town and while we're not off-grid, we are pretty self-sufficient, managing our own water systems, composting/garbage removal, road maintenance/snow removal, etc. Rural living means there's always something to do :-)
Workawayers have separate accommodations but share meals with the family in the main lodge. Our food is unforgettable! This is a nurturing and fun environment -- a great place to make friends, connect with the earth, and improve your English skills. Workawayers are welcome to borrow canoes to explore the area, and we can recommend lots of good day hikes.
While we love hosting individuals, we're also quite keen on couples & pairs of friends, who are built-in adventure pals for each other! At the height of summer we are usually too busy to participate in off-site hikes etc, so it's nice when people have a companion to do things with :-)
One last thing - we get a lot of emails, and it takes a lot of time to respond to it all! If your email isn't specific to us, we're less likely to respond. If you really want to come and stay with us, please mention why you'd like to visit Temagami and why you'd be a good fit for us.
Looking forward to meeting you!
Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre
Jardinage
Bricolage et construction
S’occuper des animaux
Cuisine/repas pour la famille
Aide à la maison
Entretien général
Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre
Temagami is a majestic wilderness of ancient pine forests, lakes, rivers and streams. We have the largest stand of old growth red & white pines in the world, and a fascinating cultural history to go with them. To be in Temagami is to learn about the history of Northern Canada. We have an extensive library featuring many books about Canadian history, culture, nature and wilderness skills. With regards to skills, cooking is a big part of what we do, and we love sharing our knowledge of local foods and cooking techniques. Francis is a skilled jack-of-all trades who has lots to share regarding facility management and construction. We can also teach you some canoeing skills if you like!
Aide
There's always something different going on, and something for every interest! Typical Workawayers tasks include mowing the lawn; planting/weeding/harvesting the garden; splitting & stacking wood; pressure washing/sweeping decks; clearing our walking trail; mending or sewing projects; building or repairing docks, decks, & sheds; repairing flagstone paths, garden steps, fences, and garden beds; helping with small renovations; playing with/walking our dogs; and helping to cook family meals. Johanna loves to share recipes and techniques, and loves learning new recipes from Workawayers! It’s a great place to experiment and try new things, or to cook some of your favourite meals from home. Love to bake? Amazing! Want to get creative? Cool! Our kitchen is very well-equipped and we are happy to get special ingredients as needed. There’s nothing we love more than cooking together with some good music on!
Carpentry, mechanical, or sewing skills are always an asset! Otherwise, a willing attitude and common sense is enough for most tasks :-)
We ask that people help 4-5 hours per day, 5 days per week. We also ask everyone to respect the communal living situation by cleaning up after themselves and pitching in with dishes after family meals - it really helps keep the good energy flowing!
Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Français: Intermédiaire
Allemand: Débutant
Hébergement
Workawayers stay in an apartment above our workshop. There are three bedrooms (7 beds in total), a living room, and a bathroom (sink, toilet, shower). Since there is no kitchen, Workawayers eat in the family kitchen/dining room in the lodge. Everything is available to eat unless otherwise mentioned, and we're happy to provide foods that you prefer as part of our regular shopping. Usually we all eat breakfast and lunch separately and come together for a group dinner at the end of the day.
Autres infos...
We've hosted helpers for almost 15 years, and it's been amazing! We enjoy meeting new people and learning different ways of doing things (we'll probably learn as much from you as you will from us). We love good conversation, good humour, and good food. We have two cuddly dogs who make us laugh every day!
Most people choose to stay for about three weeks while they're traveling, and that seems to be a good length of time - although a few people have stayed long enough that they feel like family :) We appreciate common sense and a willingness to get involved in whatever needs doing at the moment. Wi-fi is available but somewhat limited - surfing the internet and emailing is okay, but no video streaming please! If you need a tv fix, we can plan a movie night! We've also got an extensive library where you might find your next favourite book.
Informations complémentaires
Accès Internet
Accès Internet limité
Nous avons des animaux
Nous sommes fumeurs
Familles bienvenues
Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?
Plus de 2
Nombre d'heures attendues
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (22)
They both took the time to share part of their daily lives with us, making this experience unforgettable. It was a real pleasure to share our days, our stories and our… read more
Feedback
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Exactitude du profil:
(5.0)
Échange culturel:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
They both took the time to share part of their daily lives with us, making this experience unforgettable. It was a real pleasure to share our days, our stories and our… read more
The work is simple and fun. All you got to do is be willing and you'll come out with some great skills. Seriously, be ready to spend a memorable time with the ever so generous folks… read more
I came before the season started and spent my time helping with cleaning, painting, gardening, and organizing. The work was varied and Johanna & Francis were flexible with it, which was… read more
Our stay at this place was an amazing experience, the lodge is surrounded by a stunning nature, Johanna and Fran are friendly, open-minded and cheerful people. It was a pleasure for us to be part of their big, wonderful… read more
I wish to stay longer but I can't. Place is beautiful and calm.
Thanks for a trust of Johanna and Francis, for a project on bathroom.
I recommend them and a place.
I wish a best and good continuation for them and wish to come back
Regards
Julien
DO NOT HESITATE to go here!
Beautiful surroundings (hello northern Ontario), great food and lovely hosts, what more can you hope for!
There is always some job to do (duh) but Johanna and Francis think it's also important to have fun while doing them so most of the time it doesn't feel like an actual job at all.
For those who have some… read more
Where to begin... I had so much a wonderfull time at Smooth Water ! Joanna, Francis and John are the best ! You feel as a part of the family the very first day, they are so welcoming ! We were a group of 4 helpers from Europe (the Amazing Team) and we passed a lot of time cleaning the forest, cut trees with the chainsaw and then… read more
Johanna, Francis, and John are amazing hosts and made me feel at home the instant I arrived. We had a lot of fun joking around and listening to each other's stories (especially John has great ones to tell). If… read more
What to say about Johanna, Francis and John…these three guys are amazing. Johanna is the sweetest host we have ever had, Francis looks severe but has a good hearth, John is the minstrel of the house, we… read more
During our stay we (mostly Leon) worked at the "Roof-Project" which took a looot of time but was fun too. Meanwhile I did some gardening and smaller tasks. I also… read more
We helped mostly with getting the place ready for winter which involved chopping wood, hauling stuff around and cleaning canoes and such. We stayed I a big staff house which was large and specious with our own shower which gave us more than enough privacy when… read more
Me and a friend of mine stayed here for about a month and during that time we've experienced much. From long hikes to remote sleep-able cabins in the forest to canoeing the beautiful lakes and rivers of temagami.
Francis, Johanna and John are nice people and the… read more
