![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Hello from Island HQ 3
Feb. 11th, 2024 06:39 amI was sad to discover recently that our favorite dog-friendly rental in Coupeville was no longer available to rent via the Vacasa app, and I couldn't find it in Airbnb or VRBO either. It was the perfect getaway mainly because of its very large laundry room that's specifically marketed as a place to leave your dog if you need to get out of the house without it, which we needed in order to go to Oystercatcher, our favorite restaurant. It also had the perfect layout, put together with the understanding that people would want to enjoy its incredible view of the water as well as the TV. And there was a giant mirror on the side wall so you could see even more of the view. The huge sectional couch was even good enough to sleep on, which was handy for bringing my mother-in-law along.
I can't remember if the place we stayed a couple of times before right on the water allows dogs but it's not ideal because, being right on the water, it doesn't really have a yard. Just a deck on that side and a driveway next to the house. It was time to find a new dog-friendly spot.
That search proved to be tough. Lots of places are dog friendly here, but have a weight limit of 50 pounds. Tuvix weighs about 75. A lot of them also have rules stating the dog can't be left unsupervised. So, no going out to dinner. It took a lot of searching but I finally found three options to send to Garrett. Two of them had good views and hot tubs, and Garrett picked one that's got a huge fenced back yard overlooking a stunning bluff. This is the view from the back of the back yard. It's really crazy that the house next door doesn't have a back fence!
This house is better in just about every way. The last one didn't have a fence so Tuvix couldn't run around. It only had one bathroom and this one has two. This one has a hot tub. This one's a lot bigger. It's in Oak Harbor rather than Coupeville, but it doesn't really matter if you're driving to dinner if you have to drive eight miles instead of three. We decided not to go out this time, though. Better to see how it goes the first time without having to worry about what's going on with Tuvix back at the rental.
I'm not really worried about him misbehaving. Probably the main precaution to take would be to move items out from under the sink if he'll be home alone. We originally didn't have a child lock on our under-sink cabinet when we got him, but then I found him with a blue mouth chewing on a piece of steel wool. Garrett disagrees, but I think using one of the bathrooms as a temporary kennel would be an option if he's not comfortable leaving Tuvix in the main part of the house. Really the only major concern would be the rugs.
There are of course some drawbacks but nothing we can't overcome. The stove is a gas range, and I've never understood why people like them. It's very far from the sink and garbage so good mise en place is important. The pans are terrible, so I think we'll bring our own next time. The furniture layout isn't great, but we figured out what to do when we bring Garrett's mom. Thankfully, unlike in some places, there's no rule against moving the furniture. You're just expected to move it back. There's a firepit and tons of wood available, but the wood's not covered so there's a good chance it'll be wet. You can always dig deep to find some that's dry if it hasn't rained too much.
The biggest difference is that it's much less private. Nobody wants to lose any part of the great view out back, so everyone can see into everyone else's yard. Even the hot tub is in full view. If this were my house, I'd have to put up some nice garden walls around the hot tub for privacy. And that hot tub would be sunken down into the deck instead of precariously perched at the end with the only way in and out being a couple of very scary steps that are high up and have no handrail.
I'd actually want to change a lot of things if I were to live here. But as an occasional weekend getaway, it's great.
I can't remember if the place we stayed a couple of times before right on the water allows dogs but it's not ideal because, being right on the water, it doesn't really have a yard. Just a deck on that side and a driveway next to the house. It was time to find a new dog-friendly spot.
That search proved to be tough. Lots of places are dog friendly here, but have a weight limit of 50 pounds. Tuvix weighs about 75. A lot of them also have rules stating the dog can't be left unsupervised. So, no going out to dinner. It took a lot of searching but I finally found three options to send to Garrett. Two of them had good views and hot tubs, and Garrett picked one that's got a huge fenced back yard overlooking a stunning bluff. This is the view from the back of the back yard. It's really crazy that the house next door doesn't have a back fence!
This house is better in just about every way. The last one didn't have a fence so Tuvix couldn't run around. It only had one bathroom and this one has two. This one has a hot tub. This one's a lot bigger. It's in Oak Harbor rather than Coupeville, but it doesn't really matter if you're driving to dinner if you have to drive eight miles instead of three. We decided not to go out this time, though. Better to see how it goes the first time without having to worry about what's going on with Tuvix back at the rental.
I'm not really worried about him misbehaving. Probably the main precaution to take would be to move items out from under the sink if he'll be home alone. We originally didn't have a child lock on our under-sink cabinet when we got him, but then I found him with a blue mouth chewing on a piece of steel wool. Garrett disagrees, but I think using one of the bathrooms as a temporary kennel would be an option if he's not comfortable leaving Tuvix in the main part of the house. Really the only major concern would be the rugs.
There are of course some drawbacks but nothing we can't overcome. The stove is a gas range, and I've never understood why people like them. It's very far from the sink and garbage so good mise en place is important. The pans are terrible, so I think we'll bring our own next time. The furniture layout isn't great, but we figured out what to do when we bring Garrett's mom. Thankfully, unlike in some places, there's no rule against moving the furniture. You're just expected to move it back. There's a firepit and tons of wood available, but the wood's not covered so there's a good chance it'll be wet. You can always dig deep to find some that's dry if it hasn't rained too much.
The biggest difference is that it's much less private. Nobody wants to lose any part of the great view out back, so everyone can see into everyone else's yard. Even the hot tub is in full view. If this were my house, I'd have to put up some nice garden walls around the hot tub for privacy. And that hot tub would be sunken down into the deck instead of precariously perched at the end with the only way in and out being a couple of very scary steps that are high up and have no handrail.
I'd actually want to change a lot of things if I were to live here. But as an occasional weekend getaway, it's great.
