Be sure you have a 4-digit code to unlock the house.
Also, assuming you will be using the house wifi, be sure you have the wifi password. Get it from the same person who gave you the 4-digit house code.
Also, if you think you might use the ebikes, be sure you have the bike locks combo. (There are two locks, and they both have the same combo.) Get it from the same person who gave you the 4-digit house code. There are several adult / teen bike helmets at the farm and one kid helmet. However, if you're particular, bring your own - especially for kids riding on the back of the bikes.
Also, if you think you might want to open the garage from the outside, be sure you have the combo for the outside garage door remote. (You can always open the garage door from the inside.) Get the garage door combo from the same person who gave you the 4-digit house code.
Also, if you think you might want to get out and visit Moran State Park or Obstruction Pass State Park you'll need to buy a $10 day pass to park there (unless you have a Discover Pass - which is good for a whole year).
There are lots of sleeping pillows at the house. But, if you're particular, bring your own sleeping pillows.
Bring a flashlight if you're arriving after dark. We have yet to install a light at the front gate, and it's very dark out there at night.
Eastsound has a grocery store, drugstore, hardware store, and a variety of restaurants, so if you forget to bring something it's probably not the end of the world. That being said, the island is more expensive than the mainland, so you'll save money by planning meals and bringing food with you.
1782 Mt Baker Rd, Eastsound, WA 98245
The property is a big rectangle from the dirt road to the fence the other side of the kid play structure, and from the paved road back to the other side of the pond. Here's a rough drawing with the property lines in red.
If you're a first time visitor, there is a detailed beginner opening-up doc that walks you through all the needed steps to open up the house. If you've been here before, there's a simple opening-up checklist to remind you of the steps. (There's also a closing-down checklist.)
If you're arriving just after someone else has left, then they may have left the house "opened up", in which case you'll just need to unlock the front door. (I'd run through the opening-up steps just to make sure.)
When you leave, run thru the closing-down checklist.)
House documents used to be in large binder (labeled House Documentation) on top of the computer desk in the living room. Those are now out of date. All the docs that used to be in that manual, in addition to new docs, are now online. (Some are still under construction.) The avalable topic-specific web pages (docs) are:
There are still several binders above the computer. There are two "house" binders which contain, among other things, the manuals and instructions that came with things around the house, e.g. the washer/dryer, electric teapot, water purifier, gas grill, etc. These are not in any order.
In addition, there is a binder containing the E-bike manuals, a Maintenance Journal binder, and the spiral-bound manual for the riding mower.
Looking for something? If you can't find something you can look in the Where Is It doc to see if it's listed there. If you're looking for something and it's not listed, let me know and I'll add it.
The main bedroom has a queen bed. The "upstairs" bedroom has a double bed (with a mattress protector). The bunk room has 3 twin bunks (with mattress protectors) - so will sleep 6 kids. There's a baby bed (Pack n Play) stored in the main bedroom closet. (The guesthouse has a double bed with a double trundle bed underneath.)
There's lots of stuff around the house - coats, boots, scarves, slippers, umbrellas, hats, shoes, blankets, first aid supplies, cleaning supplies, coffee, tea, dishes, computer, movies, books, art supplies, games, toys, food in the fridge and freezer and pantries, etc etc. Feel free to use it all - that's why the stuff is here.
There's a black compost bin outside the greenhouse towards the fence. In addition, there's an unofficial food waste bin - a big black 55gal barrel - out beyond the hot tub. Use either for compostable food waste.
Please bag up your recycling and garbage and take it home with you. There are various size garbage bags in one of the kitchen shelves to the left of the fridge.
There is a variety of first aid supplies for adults and kids in the kitchen bathroom cupboards (both sides). There are ice packs in the freezer.
Because the farm has its own septic system, please don't use the garbage disposal in the kitchen sink for grinding and disposing of major food waste - instead collect your food waste and put it in the compost bin (located out beyond the hot tub) before you leave. (See Food Waste above.)
Use the sink's disposal for rinsing bits of food off plates etc - i.e., small stuff. The disposal on/off button is flush with the counter near the back right corner of the kitchen sink. Push it once to turn it on; push it again to turn it off.
There are a number of inside light switches that have been covered with blue tape because I like those left on all the time. (They're for the outside porch lights.)
If you think of it, check the mailbox and bring in any mail. Thanks. Just leave it in a pile somewhere obvious when you leave.
There are a lot of various size rubber boots for running around the farm out in the "hot tub house" (the little room by the hot tub).
The little wood stove works great, but it is not child proof. Please carefully watch little people around it when it's in use. Quick directions for it can be found in the Tips - Wood Stove doc.
There are bird feeders in the front yard and out the back door, plus hummingbird feeders outside one of the dining room windows. They will probably be empty when you arrive - please fill them to keep the birds happy. Details can be found in the Tips - Birds doc. Also, if you have time before you leave please make sure they're all full.
There are little flashlights for kid and adult bedrooms in the basket just above the electric teapot. There should be enough for each kid to have one by their bed. There's a big honking flashlight in the middle drawer of the hutch. Most of the things around the house that take batteries have rechargeable batteries in them. (Powerowl or Laddr brand) If the batteries start running low, just recharge them. (Please don't throw away rechargeable batteries!) There's a box labeled "Rechargeable Batteries" in the upper right-hand cupboard of the hutch that contains a charger and more rechargeable batteries.
Some things can't take rechargeable batteries, so they just have normal brand batteries in them. There's a box labeled "Normal Batteries" in the upper right-hand cupboard of the hutch that contains a variety of "normal" batteries.
There's a bunch of night lights scattered around in the main rooms and in the bedrooms. If the bedroom night lights are too bright just unplug them. If you need more, there are spare night lights in the center drawer of the hutch.
Dogs are welcome. We've worked out a "dog mode" for dog guests. Dog mode details can be found in the Tips - Dog Mode doc. (If you have a small dog, be aware there are eagles and owls around.)
The kid bunks all have mattress protectors on them, and there are lots of labeled extra sheets in the hall linen closet. There's an odd phantom noise heard occasionally that seem to come from somewhere under the floor of the kid bunk room. Really !! Although I've tried, it hasn't been identified or fixed yet.
There are a lot of various styles of sleeping pillows in the house, both on beds and in various closets. If you don't like the pillows on your bed, walk around and find one you like better.
The hot tub works, but that's about all I (Dave) can say about it. It may or may not contain water. There are ph and chlorine testers and additives in the little house by the hot tub, but I don't know how to use those. Lobby Bryan Fine or Scott Christianson to write a Tips - Hot Tub doc!?
If you do use it, please make sure to turn it off (unplug it) when you leave - as it consumes a lot of electricity.
I believe 911 works on Orcas. House address is 1782 Mt Baker Rd.
Feel free to make changes in the house to make it safer for small kids. Not all the outlets have caps on them. There are a few more outlet caps in the hutch center drawer. If you need more, there's an ACE hardware and a drugstore in town.
Most of the electronics are centered around the TV area. Using the TV is fairly simple - the remote is labeled TV. Watching movies on DVD is not too painful - there is a little Samsung DVD player in the cabinet underneath the TV, and the corresponding Samsung remote should be nearby. There are a bunch of movies, listed here, in one of the wall bookcases and above the desktop computer.
Listening to music is a little more complicated, but worth the effort. Details can be found in the Tips - Speakers and Music doc.
If you like to grill food there's a gas grill outside the side door. See the Tips - Gas Grill doc. There is a meat thermometer in one of the kitchen drawers.
The house does not have town water - the water is supplied by wells on the property. The well water is safe to drink, but some people object to its taste for tea and coffee. If you find that's the case, filtered water is available (fairly slowly) at the kitchen sink from a small tap just to the right of the main faucet.
The electric teapot on the hutch will boil water very quickly for tea and coffee. Please put only filtered water in the teapot, not tap (well) water. Filtered water is available at the kitchen sink from a small tap just to the right of the main faucet.
Feel free to use the desktop computer, printer, and house wifi (WoodsNet). Details can be found in the Tips - Internet / Computer / Printer doc. If you're working here remotely, definitely look at that doc - as it details where things are (keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.)
Almost all the cleaning supplies are in the cupboard above the toilet in the bathroom nearest the kitchen. Mops, brooms, etc are hanging to the left of the washer/dryer. Laundry detergent etc is to the right of the washer/dryer. (A hardcopy of the Tips - Washer Dryer doc is hanging on the side of the washer/dryer.)
The primary heat for the main house is a heat pump. The location and operation of the heat pump thermostat is covered in detail in the beginners opening-up doc.
In addition to the heat pump, there are a number of built-in electric heaters in the various rooms that I haven't had time to replace. Use those as needed, but please turn them off when not needed. (They're expensive to run.)
There is a two inch step down between the entry room and the main living room that catches everyone by surprise until you get used to it. It's currently marked with white tape, and is lit at night. Please watch out for it.
There are two E-Bikes in the garage for adult use ... kid's can ride on the back. The green one has just one speed - it's more of a motorbike than a bicycle. The silver one has normal gears - so it's a lot more civilized. I haven't had time to write up anything on how to use them, but both manuals are sitting in the bookshelf above the computer. The keys are hanging with the other keys - labeled Green Ebike and Silver Ebike. The charger is in the garage - same charger good for both bikes. The two bike locks both have the same combo.
All the bike accessories - helmets, locks, vests, locks, etc are stored in a bin in the closet at the southwest corner of the garage. (Although people often leave the helmet and/or the locks sitting in the bike baskets.
The wall clock in the livingroom loses 1 or 2 minutes every day (it's "island time"). When you arrive, reset it to the correct time. Normally it doesn't matter, but if you're using it to decide when to leave to catch the ferry ... then it might matter.