In my first Short Tails blog I’m going to be revisiting a few memories of a fantastic volunteer exchange we undertook during a month-long stay in Waco, Texas during the summer of 2022.
Welcome to Texas
We met Grant via Workaway, a fantastic volunteer exchange program that connects willing volunteers with people around the world who are looking for some assistance. A true Texan, he took us on without so much as a phone call. It would be our first trip to Texas but thanks to an awesome exchange it certainly won’t be our last.
We caught a Greyhound bus from Dallas to Waco and were greeted by Grant at the bus terminal with a friend of his – James. The short 15-minute ride to his home in Lorena was filled with jokes, fun stories, and plenty of (as we say in England) piss-taking. I think we all knew immediately that the month was going to go well.
James, Grant’s former neighbor, was just in town for the weekend, and as such our first day was going to be spent by the pool, drinking beer, playing songs on the guitar, and eating Texas BBQ. It was the best introduction to a Workaway experience we’ve ever had, and one we will try to replicate should we ever reciprocate the process and host volunteers ourselves.
Our Accommodation
We knew going in exactly where we would be staying – a 44 ft. RV trailer permanently situated right next to the pool at Grant’s house. The RV was bigger than most apartments, it had two bathrooms, a king-sized bed, reclining massage chairs, and a kitchen island complimented by a huge double fridge-freezer.
We stepped out onto an immaculate green lawn and walked around the sparkling blue pool and to the outside bar and BBQ area. Here, the glass-fronted beer fridge was never allowed to run dry. Grant, enjoyed a beer in his pool after a hard day’s work and insisted there was no limit on our access to the beer fridge or the pool.
The surround-sound speakers were voice-activated and as we were out in the sticks of a small Texas town, we could crank country music to our heart’s content. Despite the searing summer Texas heat, between the pool, the beer fridge, and the two A/C units in our trailer, we managed to keep cool.
The Food
Grant’s wife, Polly, is an exceptional cook. With a true Southern hospitality spirit, she cooked dinner from scratch for us all every evening. As is the style in Texas the portions were always beyond our comprehension. The leftovers would last for days and fill our RV fridge with Polly insisting that if we didn’t take them home she would have to throw them away. We did our best!
Grant is a seasoned hunter. The fruits of his last hunting trip filled two full-size freezers in the garage. Much like the beer fridge, Grant said there were no limits to how much meat we could take.
To say we ate like kings would be an understatement. We were both grateful that between the heat and the nature of some of the physically challenging volunteer work, we managed to burn most of it off!
Down on the Ranch
As our time with Grant and Polly came to an end, Grant rewarded the efforts we had put into helping him with the upkeep of his many rental properties with a trip to his ranch. Getting in the truck I saw a large silver case in the back and said, ‘Is that a guitar?, to which Grant responded ‘Nope, guns! ‘We’re going shooting!’.
We toured the ranch, checked his cattle, and then lined up beer can targets for us all to shoot with a pump action shotgun and a revolver. Hannah and I both nailed it with the shotgun but were useless with the revolver. Grant put us to shame. It’s not as easy as it looks in the movies!
Heading home we stopped in an Amish diner for lunch, who knew there was such a thing, right? We ate huge sandwiches in a very unique setting that was like something out of an American novel. Cowboys rocked up on horseback, farmers on their tractors pulled in for a coffee, and pick-up trucks lined the parking lot.
Goodbye Texas
I’m sure this won’t be the last time that Grant crops up in an edition of Short Tails, we sure had a lot of fun in Waco, Texas. We keep in touch with him, regularly exchanging messages, and hope to revisit them both sometime soon.
One of the most wonderful aspects of using websites like Workaway, HelpX, and Trusted Housesitters is the friends and memories you make along the way. We’ve certainly been lucky enough to meet some great characters and have some amazing experiences so far and are always excited for the new people we’ll meet along the way.
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