Balance helping and exploring on a homestead in New Mexico near Santa Fe, USA

Infos

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  Description

  We are booking for fall and winter 2025.
  We are experimenting with longer stays, so for those interested in ~3 month stays, reach out.
  
  We are caretakers of an established homestead outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Surrounded by flowers, vines, and orchards, we are using a combination of traditional, regenerative, and permaculture principles to create an updated working homestead. We are a bustling family juggling school, work, and the joys of farmsteading.
  
  The days are filled with pruning grapes, picking (or pickling) pears and apples, weeding, building new beds, fixing fences, caring for chickens, preserving the harvest and a myriad of other homesteading tasks. As we work off-farm, we do not have heavy production tasks, just the endless, exciting tasks that come from living on a lush and productive six-acre homestead. Over the next few years, we will be creating biointensive beds, adding drip irrigation, striving to maintain the orchard and vineyards while adding new varieties, creating a Forest Garden, keeping up with the weeds, and further cultivating the existing flower gardens with sustainability in mind.
  
  We had positive stays in our first years as Workaway hosts. We are starting our eighth year with fine people and good land. Feel free to bring ideas, flexibility, and good energy. In our early traveling days, we met many wonderful people. Now that we have settled, we hope to continue to meet adventurous spirits; instead of guests, we are now hosts. Every evening we share a homemade dinner, conversation, music, and some grounded philosophizing. The casita comes filled with books for those that like to read and we have many spaces to do art. We also have a list of many cultural and natural opportunities to explore on your time off.
  
  We are now scheduling for winter/spring. We usually look for stays from 3-4 weeks, but reach out if you need other dates. We are also experimenting with longer stays for those who are interested in a deeper dive to farmsteading life or want a stronger connection to place.
  
  The Summer/Spring Farmstead tasks. These are the tasks on the farmstead to give you a feel.
  Please note: we know many of you do not have farm experience. You are not doing the tasks of a skilled farm labor. We are a) not a production farm and b) only met 2 Workawayers in 7 years who had the skills, speed, and stamina of a paid farmhand. We are much more chill (plant and weed then swim and siesta). It is good, hard, rewarding contributions for those who want a taste of the farmstead life. We provide a balanced contribution menu to ensure help is both challenging and enjoyable without being too exhausting for non-farming participants.
  
  Garden:
  Seed starting
  Planting
  Weeding
  Garden clean up
  Compost pile tasks (no small thing, our compost pile is the size of Rhode Island)
  
  Orchard:
  Pruning trees starting in February
  
  Invasive species management:
  Siberian Elms and goatheads. This it like the LIttle Prince and his Baobab trees.
  
  Inside tasks:
  organising pantries
  organising tools
  cleaning
  computer help
  
  To stay in the casita, we usually look for a minimum of three weeks. This gives us time to get to know each other and for you to build a connection to the land. We can only accommodate short visits if: a) you can camp, or b) you bring a specific skill (e.g. pruning, construction, orchard care). Otherwise casita turnover is a big lift: clean, laundry, etc. We get lots of folks wanting to come for 3-4 days, and it is too much for us unless either a or b! One exception is if you want to do a VISIT exchange and you are in Denver/Moab/another close location (e.g. you stay 2-3 days with us, you host us for a weekend-no work, just cultural exchange).
  
  If you are still interested in visiting, please send:
  The length of stay you would like
  The dates you would like to stay or a window of time
  Days you could zoom.
  Have fun, be safe, adventure on!
  
  Please be id verified!
  
  If you schedule a visit and request the casita, please know we need two week notice to cancel! We turn away others, spend time prepping the casita, and organise food for guests around dietary restrictions. If you cancel with less than a week's notice, we will leave feedback stating: "This workawayer scheduled a visit and canceled without the required week's notice.This creates hardship for the host on numerous levels-we turn away others, we prep the casiata, we purchase food to make their stay welcoming. We post our cancellation policy in advance-including leaving this review- so they were aware of our approach. We spend time meeting by Zoom to discuss their goals and stay. Once they commit, we are clear that we are holding their spot and that a two-week's cancellation notice is needed." If you choose to camp or van, we can be much more flexible-but we buy food so still try to extend the heads up!

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général

  Aide informatique/internet
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Musique

  

  Cyclisme

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Sports d’hiver

  

  Écriture

  

  Livres

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Jardinage

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Arts du spectacle

  

  Bénévolat

  

  Dev. durable

  

  LGBT+

  

  Culture

  

  Ferme

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Randonnée

  

  Sports nautiques

  

  Voile / bateau

  

  Danse

  

  Montagne

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness

  

  Camping
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Workawayers help an average of ~4.5-5 hours 5 days a week (flexibly allocated). In addition to breakfast and dinner, they receive accommodations in our attached casita. This would provide Workawayers with the option of staying on a working homestead while also being close to the cultural richness of Santa Fe (25 minutes), Bandelier National Monument (20 min), Ojo Caliente (25 min), local pueblos, and Valle Grande--all are a short drive away. Wintertime brings skiing options for those who love the mountains. New Mexico is a place of many cultures as well as natural beauty to explore. We can often be flexible with the hours to ensure you can visit sites. We are flexible with stacking hours, days worked, etc.
  
  We have no TV, so our evenings are spent eating homemade meals, playing games, listening to records, or evening adventures on the property. Workawayers could learn the skills of pruning trees and vines, baking bread, gardening with biointensive methods, and applying permaculture methods to the havoc of the daily homestead. Some of these things we are learning as we go! We do not offer a farming class, but rather the opportunity to learn through projects, work, and experience. We often discuss the day and the tasks over homemade dinners, so there is plenty of opportunities to learn. We are trained permaculturalist and have an extensive library of homesteading books, cookbooks, and books in general.
  
  SPRING/SUMMER
  We often have (themed!) summer gatherings on the property where friends swim, barbecue, play lawn games, etc. Santa Fe is tourist town, so there will also be outdoor movies weekly, the farmer's market, and music almost every night in the plaza. Outdoor Opera has standing tickets for 15$. Spend your off-time reading under a tree, painting, or drawing. There is a roller rink in Santa Fe. We have many spaces around the property for reading, studying, and art. Lots of hiking, camping, climbing, boating and hot springs near-by.
  
  FALL/WINTER
  Skiing, snowshoeing, Aspen viewing (fall), museums, and galleries are in full swing. Holidays here as a destination and there are lovely. Movie theater is right near our house and is only $7.75. There are some great happy hours and fall studio tours, fires and winter dances at the Pueblos.
  
  We would love visits from Spanish speakers for a language exchange. Both Tobie and Joseph are certified teachers and would be supportive for those learning. (We are native English speakers and Tobie/Pascal also speak Spanish).

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  So much to do! Some we know, some we are learning. Bring your expertise--or your willingness to help, try and learn. That's the approach we have!
  
  Examples of OUR homesteading tasks over the course of the year. Workawayers will be invited to contribute.
  FALL--harvesting apples, making cider, clearing fields, compost tasks, updating our seed shed and root cellar, weeding, establishing new beds, cutting back plants, food preservation, tasks with our traditional acequia system.
  WINTER--updating seed shed, cleaning/building beds, soil tasks, weeding, pruning orchard, and vineyard, caring for chickens, inside projects in the house/cooking help. This is a slow time on the farm, so projects are all over the place.
  Winter visits are for people who like things low and slow, don't mind cleaning, organizing, and indoor projects, and want to ski, explore Santa Fe and the area, write, and enjoy a Hygge time by the fire. You should be a low-key person if winter is of interest.
  SPRING--Prepping beds, irrigation, planting, weeding, fixing fences, animal care, seed starting, transplanting, other projects.
  SUMMER--Weeding, thinning fruit, eating fruit, fixing fences, preserving, animal care, irrigation. We also project movies in the garden.
  ALL SEASONS–Being home so we can sneak away for a weekend-priceless!
  
  We also received a sustainability grant and will be implementing sustainable practices in soil and water conservation, hoop house construction, hedgerow planting, etc. over the next three years.
  
  We are grounded and relaxed people and seek harmony in our home. We do have some chaos with work, school, children--but we try to keep this positive. We offer personal engagement as well as space to be/explore--and hope you like that balance. We also try to match your experience and background with projects when possible.
  
  COMPANIONSHIP
  We are home full-time during the summers but during the rest of the year we work off-farm until about four each day (M-Th). Please be prepared to help with the projects solo or with the friend that you bring. Even when we are home, you might be weeding or planting while one of us is pruning nearby. Some projects we will do it together, some will be you tackling solo. We invite workawayers to help weekends with us and take the weekdays off if they want more company. We also support people having autonomy during their experience and joining us for a homecooked evening meal after time working in the vineyard and exploring. We are very flexible and hope you are as well. Before a visit, I will ask you about your goals so we can ensure the alignment of expectations. Solo travelers have thrived when they have a car to explore or we set up two visitors at the same time so they have a partner to explore with.
  
  We are excited to be stewards of this land and look forward to sharing the experience. It is a bit overwhelming and we look forward to help, good company, and cheer. In all stays, please be positive, considerate, communicative, hardworking, easy-going, and drug/drama free. We value diversity and request you do the same. LGBTQ+ welcome. If you use neutral pronouns, we will do our best. (Be patient with us and our older friends:).
  
  Our casita is perfect for couples/pairs due to the chores on the farm and the companionship factor.
  Many tasks are easier with two people. If you come as an individual, note we are a bit outside of town. A car will help you explore and feel connected.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il souhaitait faire partager sa propre langue ou en apprendre une nouvelle.
  Contactez-le pour en savoir plus.
  
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  Hébergement

  Accommodation is in our attached casita. It is a large, one-room, simple and clean--with a small kitchenette. It has a king bed--something to know for friends traveling together. It is heated by a fireplace in the winter. While we have an outhouse, we have real plumbing inside the main house for bathroom, bathing, and laundry. The main bathroom is inside the house--a short walk from the casita. We are in a desert, so those who are used to heavy water use or long showers might enjoy a different placement.
  
  The casita is heated by the sun and a fire on autumn/winter evenings. It can get chilly in the winter, so be prepared to snuggle up under blankets at night. We keep a fire lit during cold days in the main house, and you can bring your book/writing/etc. there. We do not have firewood to heat the casita 24/7, so be prepared to be a bit flexible--lighting a fire in the evening, wearing sweaters and slippers, reading and spending time in the main house, etc. As we move into spring, we spend more and more time outside--we sleep, eat, and spend time in the out of doors from May to October.
  
  This space would accommodate a working pair or a small family. We have a pool, so toddlers or small children would not be safe in the space.
  
  Our internet is slow, so please be prepared--bandwidth enough for email and general exploring.
  
  Summertime we have a pool (it was here). Joseph just built a wood heated soaking tub out of a watering trough, so that is pretty amazing.
  
  MEALS
  For meals, we offer shared weekday dinners, basic healthy breakfasts, and shared prep/cleanup. We can cook vegetarian and vegan meals but we do cook meat and use gluten, so if you need a space completely free of those items, we cannot accommodate (e.g. some folks are super-sensitive to gluten and we don't want to accidentally make you ill). We want you to be safe and feel comfortable, so make sure we touch-base if you have special needs. Dinner is usually an event: this is where we sit, talk, discuss farming (and current events, books, thoughts, and philosophy, etc.). The majority of our meals are homemade with homegrown or healthy ingredients. Homemade cake is healthy, right?
  
  Other meals self-provided while you are off exploring. You provide your own lunch (you have a small kitchen). We eat healthy, in-season, with lots of plants and grains and occasional meats. We are omnivores but often cook vegetable-centered ways. On weekends, we make more elaborate breakfasts and dinners. And cakes. We love cakes. Overall, we eat pretty darn good. During the spring, summer and fall, we have tons of fruit to eat. If you have a very specific dietary need, you may need to provide a few things to help us out; we will happily switch things out but may not have core pantry items to meet your needs (e.g. gluten-free pasta/condiments--we have most other things.)
  
  We ask every Workawayer to leave their accommodation clean and ready for the next guest.

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  Autres infos...

  We are close to Santa Fe, local pueblos, Ojo Caliente mineral springs, forests and mesas to explore. We can share information on hikes, museums, restaurants, and other adventures. There is a public bus outside of our house that can provide some public transportation--it runs twice a day, so rural living is more convenient if you have a car.
  
  Some recommendations from other Hosts and conditions of our Insurance Company: Please have health/ travel insurance. When we were traveling we used the ISIC card. Insurance, ID, and discounts all in one. Also, please plan on leaving a COPY of your driver's license or passport with us as well as emergency contacts.
  
  We are both certified teachers, so have background checks through the state of NM.
  
  WORKAWAY COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES
  For stays, we can chat by zoom to make certain our workaway is a fit for your expectations (and that you are a fit for us). We want to help you meet your goals for the experience.
  
  We get many requests and work hard to honor those that request a stay. As hosts, we prepare and plan on workawayer arrivals and often turn away other workawayers in order to hold your spot. We clean the casita, do a ton of laundry, change our schedule to greet new guests, set up projects that match your interests and buy extra food. We realize your plans may change--ours might as well-- but please let us know as far in advance as possible. We will offer the same courtesy. If plans shift, reach out to inform us of changes--we respectfully request two weeks notice. Imagine if you arrived and we said--opps--we accepted someone else and did not tell you! Workaway works because of goodwill, communication, and consideration.
  
  If you have to cancel or change your visit for any reason just let us know--we will return the courtesy. Failure to arrive when agreed upon will not only cause us to worry for your safety, we will leave a “no-show” review on your profile page. We are understanding, so don't worry about changes-- But please do have consideration and communicate.
  
  Once we have set an arrival date, please reconfirm at the following intervals: two-month confirmation, one month confirmation, two week confirmation --and then again one week before (these can be short texts ([name] is still coming!).
  
  We also emphasize that we are open to working to make your experience a positive one. This relies on communication. If there is anything not working or you have a need, please share it. Workawayers are different. Some people like their autonomy, some want more direction or company. Know we want your experience to be a good one, so don't feel shy about what works for you. We are good problem solvers so can improve most things--or will work with you to find a different experience if we cannot meet your needs.
  
  Also--just to get this out of the way, we are politically independent and enjoy thoughtful (and lively) discussions. However, if you are a #45-47/Q anon fan, we respect your belief AND we reserve the right to keep our home free of that potential contention. With all the stresses of life, this is one we choose not to have in our home.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  We have slow wi-fi, but it generally supports on-line work. We work remotely, and so anything that uses high-bandwidth would need to be scheduled around our work and the kids' school (we can only have one Zoom meeting going at once). If you do major uploading or downloading, it would be an issue BUT basic remote work is supported.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  We have spaces for campervans and small motorhomes.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  This is based on conversation, pet, length of stay, etc. We have had a dog and a cat join us but they had responsible owners! We have a pool, so our home isn't ideal or small children and pets with no water safety sense.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Mes animaux

  Chickens!

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