Sedona and Catsitting Tucker

At the end of 2017, we were patiently searching for that perfect snowy winter rental. During the search, we were distracted by a house/cat-sitting opportunity in Sedona, AZ. We just couldn't pass up a log cabin in Sedona with a cat and a hot tub. We didn't plan it, but while much of the nation was getting hammered with record-cold weather, we were enjoying unseasonably warm 70 degree sunshine.

Sedona is well-known for its amazing natural beauty with countless hiking and biking trails. But, there's an invisible side to Sedona. The cabin's owner clued us into much of this. The "VisitSedona" website described it like this:

"People travel from all across the globe to experience the mysterious cosmic forces that are said to emanate from the red rocks. They come in search of the vortexes.  

What is a vortex? Sedona vortexes (the proper grammatical form ‘vortices’ is rarely used) are thought to be swirling centers of energy that are conducive to healing, meditation and self-exploration. These are places where the earth seems especially alive with energy. Many people feel inspired, recharged or uplifted after visiting a vortex."

The jury is still out on how Sedona affected us, if at all. I promise, we were open to anything.

Since Sedona is popular for so many reasons, our adventures were shared with hundreds of other people over the holidays. As usual, the longer and harder trails provided an escape from the crowds.

We walked to the end of the driveway and up the road 30 seconds to take this picture at sunset - such an incredible location

Biking towards the famous Cathedral Rock

The Wilson Mountain hike rewarded us with awesome views.

The creek in the backyard of Tucker's dad's house

Tucker was a sweet kitty that finally warmed up to us after a few days (our house-sit was 10 days long). After a week, Scott finally got an evening lap session. Tucker must not have been impressed, as it never happened again. He would teasingly walk across Scott's lap, but wouldn't sit down. Tucker never got up the nerve to sleep with us either, but on our last day, he gently climbed into bed for 30 minutes of morning snuggles. I'll take whatever I can get.

That's the look of a kitty who is trying to sleep but also keeping an eye on the strangers

A good view of part of the log cabin. I took this picture of Tucker above (with the Panther!) eyeing Scott below.
So much going on.

Kitty trust

While grounded in Sedona, we sold our well used mountain bikes and bought some cross country ski gear for Scott, all via Craigslist. That was an unexpected bonus to spending the holidays in Sedona. The whole experience was a worthwhile diversion.

Catsitting

This is for the cat people in our lives.

At the end of April, with plans to spend 6 weeks in Baja at our favorite remote kitesurfing/surfing beach, Punta San Carlos (PSC), we headed from Utah to California. On the way, we found a couple in Southern California looking for someone to house/catsit for 11 days (housecarers.com was our proxy). We jumped at the opportunity.

This allowed us to get our much needed kitty fix, while getting ready for our stay at PSC.  It is remote - 4 hours to reach the nearest small town. So in preparation, we spend a lot of time stocking up on food. Purchasing and organizing all that food is a lot easier with a home base larger than El Tigre. The housesit also gave us a driveway for truck maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.

For 11 days, we were at the beck and call of 3 sweet, sometimes challenging, orange cats. Each one had his own quirky personality that kept us smiling and busy.

Max (aka Fatty) cleaning his buddy, Pita

One of the cats, aged 17, named Pita, was hilariously demanding. He never stopped meowing at us. The only time he stopped, was when he was on our lap - pictures below.

Pita, finally quiet

Pita sat on our lap during dinner

We laughed on our first morning, when all 3 cats joined us in bed before we woke up. We quickly realized who was in charge.

Talk to the back humans

Also, what is it about yoga mats and cats? At one point, I had all 3 cats on my mat while trying to do yoga. I was so bummed Scott wasn't around to get a picture of it.

Working out on the cat mat

The homeowners let us use their car to run errands. What an incredible perk. During future downtime or when we need to do some work on the truck, we hope to find other housesits, as this one worked out so well.