Gettin' Piggy Wit It

Quick - what comes to mind when we say Chicago? Wind? Deep Dish Pizza? Cubs/White Sox? Old school gangsters? While the city is famous for all sorts of stuff, it was pigs — yes, PIGS! — that sucked us in. How’d that happen? Well, the story starts in Oklahoma, where spent two nights with two of Dorian’s photography friends. One of the couple, Danielle, said that her sister, May, had two pet pigs and was looking for for someone to watch them mid-summer. Beyond the bovines, we learned there'd also be two cats and six chickens! The more the merrier as far as we were concerned, so we penned in the pigs and friends from June 3-14.

When we reached the suburban Beverly neighborhood on the south side of the sprawling metropolis, May and husband Jeff welcomed us, showed us around, and introduced us to their herd. We met two orange felines, Buber and Sherbs; they apparently spent most of their time sleeping. The chickens were, well, chickens; penned in the backyard they didn’t do much beyond cluck, scratch, and lay eggs. Our stomachs kept up with their egg laying for a few days, but the birds upped their production and overran our appetites by the fourth day. So, chalk it up as a win for the chickens.

The snuggly Buber (Boo-ber) at left, the independent Sherbs at right

Breakfast is served!

And then there were the piggies!!! Darcy (white) weighed about 100lbs white sister Vashti (black) tipped the scales at over 120! They had the run of the first floor of the house, but they spent most of their time out back, where they knew to use the bathroom. We’ll have lots more to say about the pigs in a moment, but we'll leave you hanging while we step into some Chicago stuff. There will be pig videos, so hang tight!

Vashti - Sonia - Darcy

While Sonia has visited Chi-town of number of times, it was a new city for Dorian. That rendered Sonia in charge, and she shepherded us through the usual tourist attractions (the lake front, Old Town, Millennium Park, etc). It was, however, our baseball leanings which prescribed not one but two outings: one to Wrigley Field on the Northside to watch the Cubs and the other to Guaranteed Rate Field on the Southside to see the White Sox. Both games featured a fair amount of scoring and went into extra innings, but the visitors triumphed in both contests. Regardless, it was great to add two more MLB parks to our growing collection.

Wrigley Field (Cubs) at left, Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox) at right

Beyond baseball, we spent a bit of time exploring Evanston and adjacent Northwestern University. Talk about a nice place to live! The suburban neighborhood and nearby lakeshore were beautiful and we got to spend a lovely afternoon with one of Sonia's long-time friends. Bonus, she and her partner have an older beagle, Daisy. She stole our hearts from the moment we met her. 

Visiting our friends, Karen, Mike & their adorable beagle, Daisy

Alright, let’s get back to the stars of the show. In brief, the pigs had two speeds: eating and sleeping. We fed them a bowl of pig pellets at 7am, and they spent the rest of the morning orbiting the backyard bird feeder, waiting for seed to fall so they could hoover it up. When they tired of that (or the seed ran out), they sacked out on the back porch or — wait for it — on the living room sofa! Though they didn’t seek affection, they were friendly to the touch and loved hard scratches. It’s worth noting that they weren’t furry; instead, they had sparse, stiff hair that felt a bit like a hairbrush or a broom. And the best part? They did tricks! Well, they did on trick, but it was so fun to watch. At one point we even go them to synchronize! Here are a bunch of piggy videos. Enjoy!

The piggies do their famous spins

The piggies love watermelon

Sofa jump

Carrot swap with Vashti

Vashti grooming Darcy - aka eating the seed that was still on her back

The pigs kept us laughing the entire time we were there. It was tons of fun getting to know them and connecting with them. By the end of our stay, we had gained their full trust to the point that they rolled over and let us give them belly rubs. If this doesn't make you want to swear off pork, I don't know what will! (luckily we are already vegetarian). 

Thank you Chicago piggies, kitties, and chickens for such a fun, memorable sit! 

Tennesse...

Well, time and travel got the best of us, so apologies for this very delayed post. With a rare bit of downtime, we're going to do our best to catch up. Now, where were we?....

Oh, yes, Tennessee! Like true 90s kids, we broke out into "Tennessee" by Arrested Development as soon as we crossed into the state. This sort of silliness is common when we're road-tripping. All it takes is one 90s hip hop classic to throw us into multiple hours of throwbacks: O.P.P., Jump Around, Regulate, Gin and Juice, The Humpty Dance, etc. It's a regular dance party in our car, and we're not deterred by the strange looks we get from other drivers who pass us by. Video below from previous cross country trip. 

Our petsit in Nashville was arranged several months ago. Deb, a friend of Sonia's, reached out when she heard about our nomadic adventure, and she pleaded with us to watch her furry family while she and her partner, Karen, went on an Alaskan cruise. With two loving dogs and three sweet cats promised, we couldn't pass up the opportunity. 

Here's the gang!

Dorian's introduction. As you can see, Maggie was instantly in love.

Little did we know that we'd be caring for a mini lion! 😂 Isn't Tripp beautiful?! He loves getting his coat groomed, so they have fun with his style.

All of Deb and Karen's furry bunch are rescues. And let me tell you, these animals won the jackpot when they were picked up by these two. Deb is extremely dedicated to protecting  animals. And I mean all animals. When we first met in 2014, I was sitting in her studio helping her finish some work (she's a sail maker) when a spider crawled across the floor. I went to grab the spider and she yelled out, "Oh, no, no, no! This is their space!" She explained that spiders were there first, so if anyone was the guest it was her. She then gently picked up the spider with a piece of paper and escorted it outside. If it came back, then it was welcome to stay. It was at that moment when I knew we were going to be fast friends. 

As such, it was no surprise when we saw the esteemed place with which their pets were held in their household. The guest room functioned as a dog den, and the basement had been converted into a play room with catio furniture. The coolest thing was the pet patio they had built off of the main house. It was a ~10'x10' enclosure which the animals accessed through a pet door from the kitchen. The cats especially loved having a safe space for them to be "outside" while still be protected. It's one of the best pet projects -- pun intended -- that we've seen!

One of the couches in the basement cat space. 

The sign says "Smudge hiding place (not a real couch)". 

Circle is where Smudge was hiding 😂

Though Deb gave us a thorough run-down on the daily routine, she neglected to mention that the animals weren't allowed on the living room couch.  Maggie, the greyhound mix, must have picked up on our naïveté because she inched her way onto the couch through our initial days. When she took up permanent residence on our third day, I finally asked Deb if the animals were allowed on the couch. She laughed and said, "No. Did someone say otherwise?" In true Deb-spirit, she let the offense slide. With Maggie leading the couch charge, the other animals weren't far behind.

When we weren't hanging out on the couch, we explored a bit of the Nashville. I (Sonia) have cycled through the city many times, but it was remarkable to see how much the city has changed since my last visit five years go. Nashville has experienced a recent population boom  and the metropolitan area has jumped 21%, to nearly 2 million people, in the last ten years. This growth was easy to see as we drove through downtown. Skyscrapers had popped up everywhere, and endless construction cranes indicated more were coming. The change was even more visible on Lower Broadway, the main street with all of the Honky Tonk bars. While the area has always attracted tourists, it was rarely overrun. I could usually stroll into one of the less popular bars, pull up a seat, and listen to a local musician strum their guitar and sing an original tune. On this trip, however, Lower Broadway felt like the Las Vegas strip. Bars were overflowing, roads were clogged with party buses, and establishments featured cover bands playing recent pop songs. It was nice to see the city thriving, but it was disappointing to see much of the small town charm had been plowed-under. Given the drunken, downtown, hoards, we passed on Lower Broadway and continued into the quieter reaches of East Nashville. Like boring, forty-something adults, we were thrilled to find a quiet vegan restaurant to spend our evening. 

All in all, we had a wonderful time hanging out with the furry bunch and exploring the Nashville area. Deb and Karen have future travel plans, so it's likely we'll be back when they jet out of town. We can't wait to to return and teach these animals more bad habits (just kidding, Deb and Karen!). Until then... thanks Nashville!

Asheville, NC - Land of the Sky

Our Arkansas cat-sit expiring, we turned our attention east, towards North Carolina. We had a week before we needed to be in Asheville for our next gig, so we decided to poke our way through Arkansas and Tennessee en route. We weren't sure when we'd be in the region again, so we wanted to experience as much as could while we had the chance. Departing Fayetteville early on April 26th, we followed Interstate 40 towards Little Rock, where we'd planned to spend two nights. We didn't think the city and surroundings were as charming as the northwestern part of the state, but we did enjoy a lovely walk through a sculpture garden on the Arkansas River before stumbling into an outdoor jam session. The nine-piece band was banging out jazzy funk, and locals had gathered to socialize, drink beers, and dance in the name of charity, the proceeds of the event to benefit Art Porter Music Education. With temperatures in the 70s and a light breeze coming off the water, it was a perfect evening!

We left Arkansas and continued to Tennessee where we rendezvoused with some friends and family. First stop was Memphis for a couple days, followed by another 2 day stop in Maryville, a small town outside of Knoxville. In Memphis we enjoyed some standard tourist stop, including a visit to watch the famous ducks do their march at the Peabody Hotel, as well as stop by Bass Pro Shops Pyramid - both equally random and hilarious. In Marysville we enjoyed spending some down time with Sonia's family who recently relocated from California to Tennessee. 

Dinner with friends, Greg & Carolyn; Standing outside Bass Pro Shops pyramid

Visiting Sonia's sister, nieces, and nephew in Maryville

A highlight of our time in Tennessee was certainly the time we spent at the National Civil Rights Museum. Built into the former Lorraine Motel, the site where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4th, 1968, the museum chronicles the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. Exhibits took us through the slave trade, the rise of Jim Crow, and the resulting battle over segregation, and the entire experience was a sobering reminder of the injustices which Black American have suffered across this country's history, Our self-guided tour ended in the second-floor room where MLK spent his final night. Stepping into that space, we were overwhelmed with respect and sadness. We sat for some time, contemplating that moment in history and wondering how much more MLK could have accomplished had the assassin not cut his life tragically short the following morning. If you ever make it to Memphis, the museum should be your number one stop. 

On the morning of May 3rd we left Tennessee and drove to Asheville, the site of our next petsit. Asheville is a beautiful city in western North Carolina, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The city adopted the slogan, "Land of the Sky" after writer Frances Christian Fisher Tiernan released a novel The Land of the Sky: Adventures in Mountain By-Ways in 1976, describing the beauty of this region. From the moment we arrived it became very clear why this nickname stuck. 

(Not our photo - credit on this site which also explains the nickname)

When we pulled up to the house of our next petsit, we were greeted by homeowner Steve and his two friendly dogs. Bazzle, an energetic poodle-mix bounced all around us while Maya, a fifteen-year-old Golden Retriever approached more slowly. Both dogs proved very sweet from the beginning, and by the end of the first day we were bowing to their requests for attention and tummy rubs. While coordinating the sit, Maya's pawrents told us that she'd been diagnosed with sundowners syndrome, a form of doggy dementia which causes nocturnal confusion, anxiety, and pacing. We read up on the condition before before arriving, and we gave Maya extra attention ahead of sunset. Our affection kept her pacing to a manageable minimum, and it great to know she felt comfortable with us while her pawrents were away.

Younger and sprier, Bazzle was the perfect pooch to take out on outdoor long walks. Asheville and the surrounding the Blue Ridge Mountains boast dozens of hiking trails, some of which ran right behind the house, so we walked him through the woods at least once each day. He LOVED bounding along the trails; with the leaves and bushes in full bloom, there was so much to explore and sniff, particularly with perfect weather. All we had to do was reach for his harness and he started jumping around in anticipation of adventure!

Photos from many different hiking adventures

Everything is so green!

We've also made it a point to test out local ice cream shops in every town we visit, so we made a stop at Whit's Frozen Custard after our rainy hike. Bazzle was with us and when we walked up the place our order, the owner reached beneath the counter and pulled out a pup cup of ice cream for Bazzle! He was thrilled! Instant five-paws for this ice cream shop! 🐾

Dorian had to leave part way through the sit due to a work commitment (he was leading a birding tour through Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan), so I (Sonia) was managed the back end of the sit on my own. When I wasn't wrapped up with the dogs, I did find a few hours to treat myself to an Airbnb Horseback Experience on a private family farm. The horse trails meandered through the mountainous property, and I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot to take photos. Luckily the guide snapped a quick photo at the end of the ride, so I have this image to commemorate my time with my steady stallion. 

Once again, we left a pet-sit fully impressed. When we accepted this sit, our goal was to explore a state which neither of us had spent much time in. Our experience exceeded our expectations, and it was really easy to fall in love with Asheville. Thanks, North Carolina. We hope to be back in the future! And oh yeah -- if you make it to Asheville, then check out the Laughing Seed Cafe. They made some of the best vegan/vegetarian food we've ever eaten!

The Fayetteville Five

Wowza. This post ended up taking us so much longer to complete than we had hoped, but April turned out to be a whirlwind month for us. Between petsitting, work, and personal obligations, we performed a delicate dance to fit the puzzle pieces together as we moved from one place to the next. Dorian led back-to-back birding tours in Colorado (April 5-16) and Texas (April 16-21) while I (Sonia) attended to personal affairs in our home state of California before flying back to Kansas, picking up the car, and driving to Arkansas to begin a new petsit on Apr 12. While our current lifestyle must seem chaotic to some people, it's familiar territory and brought back fond memories of our pre-pandemic lives. With both of us traveling for work at that point, sometimes we had only the time to high-five each other as we crossed paths in the airport.

Driving from Kansas to Arkansas was the first time I had to move between sits on my own, and I decided to stop for all of the silly roadside attractions and delicious food I could find along the way. The four-hour drive took eight, and I stumbled into Byrd's Pecan Delights, an incredible bakery that blends huge chunks of pecan pies into their creamy milkshakes (yes, please!). I also stopped Precious Moments Chapel, a thematic park/property which includes Precious Moments murals, stained glassed windows, and sculptures. Why? Because why not. Thank you Missouri for your delightful roadside finds!

When I reached Fayetteville, AR on the afternoon of April 12, I let myself into the house where I would be caring for five cats for the next two weeks. The homeowners had an early-morning flight to Europe, so we didn't have the chance to meet in person; our engagement to that point occurred entirely through Zoom. When I let myself into the house I was immediately greeted by a cat clowder! 

Meet the Fayetteville Five!

This crew ranged greatly in age and in personality. Douglas, the youngest of the group, was a shy, one-year-old kitten. It wasn't until the third day that he finally came out from under the bed to check me out. Two-year old Geordi was on the opposite spectrum. He was super social and wanted nothing more than to be right by my side. Guinan, the middle child, was somewhere in between Douglas and Geordi; he would only let me into his space when it was on his terms. Luna, the only gal of the group, was a 9-year-old calico and as sweet as she was beautiful. And finally, old man Malcolm, a 17-year-old doll-face who wanted nothing more than to sit on a warm lap and sleep. 

From the moment I arrived, I knew that this crew would be great company. They made cameos on my work Zoom meetings, snuggled on my lap for Netflix binges, and kept me company in the kitchen as I cooked. It was Geordi, however, who took strongest to me. He'd often jump onto my shoulders and wrap himself around my neck like a scarf. He kept me company as I readied myself for the day, moved around the house, and cooked. Like a parrot on a pirate's shoulder, he'd just hang out and go along for the ride wherever I went. It was one of the most endearing things an animal has ever done to me. 

A montage of all the times Geordi climbed on my back

When Dorian joined us ten days into the two-week sit, the cats took to hime quickly; by his second day, he had cats crawling all over him!

Since Dorian only had five days in Fayetteville, we wanted to make the most of the short time we had together. We hiked in the Ozark National Forest, explored downtown Fayetteville, and visited the neighboring city of Bentonville, the birthplace of Walmart. While we were pleasantly surprised by Northwest Arkansas, nothing blew us away more than Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Surrounded by a beautiful botanical garden and an extensive array of outdoor sculptures, the sleek, multistoried building houses an impressive and inspiring collection of American artwork. 

Sculptures in the gardens

A particularly friendly docent explained how Alice Walton, heiress to the Walmart fortune, had invested millions into the facility and collection. Founded on the principal "that art should be for everyone, whether you live in a metropolitan city on the coast or in a small town int he Heartland", the museum strives to acquire and display works by historically-underrepresented artists and communities. That mission was apparent everywhere we turned. In addition to the large percentage of artwork created by minority artists, placards and signs were presented in English and Spanish. We might have expected as much in our home state of California, but we found the bilingualism a pleasant surprise in Arkansas. As we read through the placards, the descriptions introduced the artists, explained the works, and highlighting the injustices brought on minority groups throughout American history. It was one of the most honest and impressive museums we've ever visited. Admission is covered by the Walton Family, so the entire experience was free. 

One of the galleries. "We the People. Nosotros el Pueblo" artwork 

on left was made from tied shoelaces.

Departing the museum, we drove into central Bentonville to see the Walton Drug Store, the birthplace of the Walmart empire. Unexpectedly, the city square was packed with people, artists' booths, food trucks, and dozen of flags representing different countries. Curious, we asked one vendors what was going on. She explained, "It's a celebration of Bentonville's multiculturalism." It was, by far, the most diverse group of people we'd seen since leaving California, and we ended up staying for several hours, browsing various booths and exhibits and enjoying the nine-piece band playing on the adjacent stage. We never thought we'd run into such diversity in Arkansas, so it was the best sort of accident that we stumbled into the celebration!

The Band gettin' down

To top it all off, we had one of the best vegan meals we've had all year! So yeah, Arkansas really charmed us. 

We love you back!

We're still not fans of Walmart and how they've decimated small businesses and small towns, but we have a new appreciation for how the company has contributed to Northwestern Arkansas. It's good to see at some of the company's profits invested into the local communities which fueled the empire's initial expansion. 

Kansas City Cat Pack

After we said goodbye to Ellie the Beagle in The Woodlands, TX we had three open days before we needed to be in Kansas City. Rather than rushing north, we took our time and spent a few nights with friends. We visited one of Dorian's high school friends outside of Dallas, and we enjoyed two nights with a pair of Dorian's birding/photography clients in Bartlesville, OK. We also had some time to poke around and visit some additional Roadside America stops, our favorite being houses built to look like a cowboy hat and boot! They were constructed in Huntsville, TX by a local artist who used mostly recycled and donated material. We could only afford a quick drive-by since we had a lot of ground to cover on this particular day, but these quick diversions have become a big part of our journey. We love the Roadside America app since it points us right towards this sort of ridiculous stuff!

Friends Danielle and Jen in Bartlesville, OK
(we failed to get a picture with Kate's family outside Dallas. Boo. 😭)

Our Roadside America Gem

Departing Oklahoma, we headed north to our next sit in Lake Quivira, KS. We pulled up to a lakeside abode and were promptly greeted by homeowners Randy and Megan. We were the first pet-sitters they'd found on Trusted Housesitters, but they immediately welcome us onto the property and toured us through their home under the watchful gaze of their three cats. Pickle, the youngest of the group, was the first to introduce himself. He was curious and energetic, and it wasn't long before he started rubbing against our legs to demand attention. Siblings Pudge and Willis eventually mustered equivalent courage, and they offered a few investigative sniffs before offering us similar approval, their long tails curling and flipping as they warmed up to us. 

Neither of us had spent much time in Kansas before this visit, so we were excited to explore  small slice of the state. For starters, Lake Quivera is really cool. Located 10 miles west of downtown Kansas City, the private, residential community occupies the shores of a beautiful, 225-acre lake. Randy (the homeowner) explained how -- in the 1920's -- Charles Gualt wanted to create "a lake of the finest water in this part of Kansas". A dam was built in 1928, and the lake filled to create a residential resort. Development came to a screeching halt when the Great Depression hit, so residents banded together and formed a homeowners association. The neighborhood thrived across the ensuing 40 years, and Lake Quivira applied to become its own city in 1971. Today, the community of 400 homes has its own mayor, city council, and police department (of one officer 😂). Golf carts are a popular method of transportation, so we took advantage of the wheels which Randy and Megan left for us! 

We also lucked out since we were in Kansas City during the March Madness (aka the NCAA basketball tournament). The University of Kansas Jayhawks reached the Final Four, so we spent an afternoon exploring the college town of Lawrence on the day of the semi-finals. And man-o-man was town buzzing! With Massachusetts Avenue closed to vehicular traffic, fans flowed up and down the wide main street. Bars set-up outdoor TV screens, and various street performers -- jugglers, magicians, skateboarders -- entertained passing pedestrians. Even Dorian got into the spirit. Finding a pile of hula hoops in the middle of the street, he decided to give they toy a go (spoiler alert - it was a HUGE flop!) We don't know the story behind the public-use hoops, but we're guessing it has something to do with the Hoop Mama's group which formed in Lawrence in the early 2000's. If anyone else has any other intel, feel free to drop it in the comments. It was a lot of fun being in a college town, and we enjoyed watching KU beat Villanova in the semis and North Carolina in the finals!

Enjoying downtown Lawrence. Go Jayhawks!

Dorian showing off his mad hooping skills 😂

Our remaining time in KC/Lake Quivira was used to meet up with friends, hike local trails, eat delicious vegetarian BBQ at Char Bar, and -- most importantly -- spend  time with our cat crew. Their antics kept us entertained, and we really bonded during our week-long stay. Pickle, strongly gravitated to Sonia, and he always kept her company through her work day (her colleagues really enjoyed his special guest appearances in her Zoom meetings!). We couldn't let him sleep in the same room as us because he was so boisterous at night, but he never let us forget his presence (see the video)!

Pickle keeping Sonia company during her work day

Pickle paws say, "LET ME IN!"

As our Kansas City sojourn came to a close, we took a final spin around the lake in the golf cart before saying 'goodbye' to the cats. When we moved our luggage to the hall, they plopped onto/next to it to protesting our departure. We've heard cats can be picky about their prides, so this final gesture seemed a fitting stamp of approval!

Thanks Pickle, Pudge, Willis, Randy, Megan and all of KC! Until next time...