Lakehouse Diaries 2

     Greg and Ethel were hard workers. Having both come from a youth of deprivation, they learned early in life that for them there was no free lunch. If they wanted something, or wanted to accomplish a goal, they had to roll up their sleeves and do it. Procrastination was not in their vocabulary. No sooner had the plans for the property come to finalization, earth movers, bulldozers, and backhoes were on the property. The gentle slope of the property had to be terraced, making a series of benches for garden areas, a place for their first, but temporary dwelling, and a level building site for what would eventually be the permanent house.  

    If their plans were shared with their family, it was unbeknownst to Em and Tod. For them, each visit was a new revelation and a surprise at how quickly things were coming together. Friends as well as their oldest sons were recruited to help. There was a lot of heavy work and Ethel was right there beside Greg, shoveling rocks and dirt, pouring cement, all while preparing the garden for the first planting. As if that did not keep her busy, and tire her out, she was responsible for feeding the crews and catering to Greg's restrictive diabetic diet.

    Friends from Vancouver would come, being promised a free camping spot right on the lake, and then would be recruited for some kind of construction work. Mealtimes were a big party with plenty of watermelon, BBQ, and homemade baking. If Greg was the brains and the brawn of the project, Ethel was the heart and soul. She never wavered once under the workload. 

     The "cabin" was completed early in the process and soon they lived there instead of in the camper van. It was only a place to sleep or perhaps take shelter in adverse weather conditions. All activities were outdoors, as the land began to take on a civilized shape. Fruit trees and shade trees planted, many coming from the easter shore of the lake was undeveloped. Those trees would, in the years to come, be such an incredible blessing when the hot July and August sun would beat down from the south. A long cedar hedge was planted along the southern perimeter of the building site, both as a wind break, a source of needed shade, and a privacy shield from future neighbors. 

    By the second year, the constant watering and the installation of irrigation, was paying off. The property was turning green but there was no lawn as yet. The garden and the few fruit trees were being watered and were thriving. It no longer looked like the barren wasteland of desert that it had been. Em and Tod were beginning to see the vision that their parents had, although it was still looking rough and a bit primitive. 

Next came the collecting of the odds and ends from demolition sites in Vancouver, House parts that were still usable, but dated and worn. This would become a hallmark of the vacation home. 

Lakehouse Diaries

      The following ramblings are about a real life adventure. I thought it was time to immortalize the story in printed format before a) I get too old to remember b) life goes on for everybody and history is forgotten. This is a true story with some details and names changed to avoid offending anyone. Only those who are intimate with the story will know who the characters are and I do not doubt that perhaps some might be offended. Let it be known that this is the story according to my own personal memories and recollections. Included is "my take on things", realizing that many events are open to interpretation and seen through different eyes, experiences, biases, and general views on life. 

     Let's start at the beginning when Greg and Ethel were approaching possible early retirement after starting and growing a successful business. They heard about some property in the interior of British Columbia, that was on a lake, had a warm dry climate, and was just south of the US/Canada border. Some friends had already purchased in the area and were very encouraging. 

     The idea appealed to Greg and Ethel because in their early married life, they were pioneers in a South American Country and if they bought this piece of barren desert it would be like reliving those early years, except this time they would have the resources to do it properly. It was 1979, the Canadian $$ was just above par, and it was very easy to cross the border in either direction. The children were more or less all grown up and could not only fend for themselves when alone, but could even help with the ambitious project taking place in Greg and Ethel's minds. 

     The realtors were approached, a price ($40,000.00)was agreed upon, and they were soon the proud owners of 3/4 of an acre, right on the lake, but with a whole lot of nothing else, unless sage brush, cactus, and rattle snakes count for something. 

     Their eldest daughter was married with two small children and they were one of the first to visit the 'new property'. Greg and Ethel were staying in a camper van while scouting out the property, drawing lines, measuring, and planning where the house would be, etc. Ethel seemed to only care about where the garden would be, but played an active roll in all plans. The daughter Em and her husband Tod, were a bit shocked at first. They did not have the vision or desire for anything like what they were seeing and were skeptical to say the least. Tod particularly, saw nothing but back-breaking work in the heat and dust, not having a creative bent, but more appreciating that which had already been built or developed. But then, he and his father-in-law were so very different in so many ways. Soon the work would begin in earnest and Tod was content to know that he had his own business to run back home and this would be a project that he would observe from a distance. That was true, to a point.