Lake House Diaries 11

      The next number of years fell into a rhythm. Greg and Ethel would travel to the Lake House in the early Spring and open the house. They would do some clean-up from the winter die-off and wind falls, and prepare the soil for the planting of the garden. It was noted that the garden was not the same size as it had been in the early years. It was a lot of hard work and the amount of harvest was more than what they needed. Other than a good potato patch and some veggies and melons, the more important thing became the fruit from their trees, for canning and drying. The Walnuts also became an annual tradition for Christmas treats so they were also harvested, spread out, and dried, to be roasted later. 

     The house was about 25 years old now and being exposed to harsh winters and hot beating sun in the summer months, it was time for a refresh. Tod, by trade, was a painting contractor and so it seemed a wise and timely thing for him to organize a family paint party. A date was set, and a good number of Uncles, Aunts, and grandchildren committed to come and help. A few of Em's younger brothers offered to come a day or two early to pressure wash the entire exterior. That was a crucial step as spiders and summer bugs were prolific and had left their marks everywhere. 

     Tod loaded his truck with enough tools for everyone, many gallons of trim, soffit, and siding paint, as many ladders as he could tie to the top of his truck and set out early on a long weekend. All the way to the Canada/USA border he was nervous. The American authorities were almost paranoid about any foreigners coming to the US to work and potentially take away jobs from Americans. What would the border guards think of all the paint supplies and ladders going across the border? Was what they were doing actually taking jobs away from someone or was the family allowed to do work on their own property? How closely would they inspect the contents of his truck? 

     The guard asked him where he was going, and how long he was staying, all the while with the ladders on the top of the truck right at eye level. "Alright then, have a nice day" was all that was said. Tod could not believe it but was extremely grateful. Going back was not going to be a problem. 

     The next two days saw wonderful weather for painting. Everyone enthusiastically pitched in and on the third day, it was completed. The colour had been changed slightly, but the overall effect was heartily approved by all. Now the Lake house was shiny and new both inside and out. The lawns and orchard were mature, as were all the shade trees and hedges, making the property look manicured and well maintained. It was an oasis in the desert, a cool retreat as one came down from the heat of the highway above the property. A place to be proud of and a retreat from work, school, and city life. Everyone loved it. The family thought nothing would ever change, but change is always inevitable.    

     As we toured the ghost town of Molson Wa. this summer, I was trying to imagine the type people that might have populated the area at that time. AI helped. 

     The Similkameen Canyon runs from Nighthawk to Oroville WA. and the hills needed some cattle and a few cowboys. 

     Keeping with era, I imagined a young child looking in the window.

      The Reiffel Bird Sanctuary in Ladner was beautiful that evening but needed a water craft. All of these photos are 100% mine with only an element added by AI. The Heron was in my original photo. 

      This ice storm a few years ago offered up some spectacular photo opportunities this one needed a human touch. WOW!

Fun With AI

        I have discovered a fun way to get a little creative with some of the thousands of photos I have taken and saved. I discovered that AI will take any photo I choose and render it as if it was painted by a famous painter of my choosing. Here is a sampling. First off, a photo I took at the Sunflower Festival in Chilliwack. I requested that be a Van Gogh 

     Next up, a Botanical Garden Tulip Festival photo rendered as a Vincent Van Gogh with shades of "Starry Night" 

      And then a Rembrandt, fashioned after "The Gleaners". Again, a Tulip Festival photo. The horizon is identical to the real thing and very recognizable. 

    A sweet Monet style ride through the rows of Tulips. 

     What Thomas Kincaid would see if he painted the Hawaiian Palace in Waikiki Hawaii.  

    And to give recognition to Any Warhol, a cruise ship docked in Waikiki. 

Lake House Diaries 10

      The next few weeks were taken up with making decisions and ordering and purchasing various new additions to the Lake House. As progress was made, various elements of the renovation would be delivered and installed, that is, anything that was not the responsibility of the Insurance company. The new cabinets and their installers arrived after the kitchen was repaired and it was a pleasant shock for Ethel to see her fantastic new kitchen. One of the last things to do was to install the new flooring. The kitchen and bathrooms got a very heavy duty vinyl plank look linoleum with a heavy wear layer, something that would not only last for a very long time, but would look good. The rest of the house got a very tough but great looking nylon Berber carpet which would look great for years. Finally the floors were covered with a continuous and decent covering, meaning no more slivers in the bare feet when the old throw carpet slid around. 

      The worker left after many months of slow progress. He had become somewhat of friend and there was a sad good-bye when he finally drove away for the last time. Ethel had a chance to get to know him as well as Greg did because she worked hand in hand with him when it came to texturing the ceiling and even doing some painting. But, at last they were alone, in their "new" home. It was not long before family began to not only check out the new place, but to start their vacationing routines again. 

    Their children as well as the grandchildren noticed a change in them. Although they were happy that the trauma of the flood turned out to be a blessing, it was apparent that it had taken a toll on them. They seemed to have less energy and enthusiasm. The family had a meeting and it was decided that all the responsibilities of running the place should fall on the  shoulders of someone else, so Greg and Ethel could just do the things they enjoyed, the things that caused them the least stress. 

    Tod volunteered to take on the task. It involved paying the water and irrigation bills, paying the property taxes, negotiating and signing another insurance contract, paying hydro bills, cleaning up the last details of the flood claim, and taking care of a newly instituted system of "pay as you go" for anyone spending vacation time there. The money collected would help defray the costs of running the property. Not only did all family members pay, but any guests that came were also added. After all, because the property was on a septic system, the more people, the more times the holding tank had to be pumped out. It worked well and as a rule there were very few delinquent payments. 

     Because the bulk of the responsibilities were now falling on the family, it made sense to have family meetings to discuss the issues that came up, for example, how much to charge per person per diem as the expenses rose. These meeting became good and productive excuses for the family to get together without the knowledge of Greg and Ethel, who also were on the agenda for discussion. Each of the sons and daughter of Greg and Ethel had different observation and different anecdotes and with the combined information, everyone was getting a good picture of how the future would unfold. 

Lake House Diaries 9

     As the day progressed, it became apparent that the Lake House was going to get a major up-grade. Bedding and some furniture had been "water damaged", curtains that had been make shift window coverings to block the morning sun were damaged, and most drywall in most areas needed replacing even though only the bottom two feet had been soaked. The choice of 1" louvered window blinds was made, a vast improvement in both appearance and functionality. The basement ceiling light fixtures apparently had a bit of water in them and instead of a minor cleanup, new fixtures were required. 

    John left with a smile on his face later that afternoon, and he was not the only one smiling. Tod and Kris discussed it as John was driving away and came to the apparent conclusion that John was working on commission. The bigger the claim, the bigger his paycheck. But, it was also the reason insurance rates were high. The Lake House was the recipient of a generous insurance company, but would also be the victim of higher rates in the following years. But at the time, it looked good for Greg and Ethel and their whole family who would all enjoy a much enhanced vacation property. 

     Tod and Kris measured all the windows for blinds, and filled in the details for Greg and Ethel before they left for home that evening. They assured their in-laws that all the details and paperwork would be looked after by the "boys" and they only had to worry about their garden and perhaps providing coffee breaks for the workers who were scheduled to come the next day. 

     Workers soon turned into worker, singular. The clean up and emergency response team had done their work and now the restoration would begin, all done by one man, a jack of all trades and certainly not master of any them. He was slow, and not very thorough, but he was personable and Greg got along well with him. He was a listening ear for all the pioneering stories from South America and that is all Greg needed to make him content. The sundeck was still very usable and there was many a story told over Ethel's homemade deserts and coffee at mid morning and mid afternoon. They soon fell into a routine and it seemed the project would never end. But it was OK because they had the whole summer and nobody was going anywhere.

Lake House Diaries 8

     The Insurance contract stipulated that in case of flood or fire, the house would be restored to "original or better" condition. With this in mind, John covered each room in the house asking questions about materials, conditions of various things before the flood, and just trying to get a picture of what would be required to restore everything. 

    They stepped into one of the three bathrooms and were looking at the floor when John blurted out that there was a crack in the toilet bowl. Tod and Kris assured him that the bowl was perfectly fine before the flood, and the three of them were wondering how water would crack the porcelain on a toilet bowl. Upon touching the bowl, it was discovered that it was very hot as there was a heater/dryer pointing straight at it. Yes, John assured the fellows, it was the heat. His men obviously neglected to distance the heater enough to prevent damage. At first he apologized, then he assured Tod and Kris that because the damage was done by the companies neglect, there would be a new toilet installed. 

    The immediate thought was that there could be the same damage in the other two bathrooms. And there was. More apologies and assurances that the company would make it right, and replace all three toilets. Relieved that not only were there going to be new toilets, but it was going to be at the expense of the Insurance Company, Tod and Kris glanced at each other and gave a little nod. 

     The next point of inspection was in the kitchen. Greg, being a handyman and bit of a carpenter, had purchased Oak plywood and made his own kitchen cabinets. They had been stained and sealer had been applied, but they did look a little home made, with cheap door handles where there actually were door handles. John bent down and ran his hand over the lower part of the cabinet that had been wet and let out a low whistle. The wood was slightly checked, meaning that the grain had been raised by the moisture and when the wood dried, the grain did not sit flat anymore. 

      Kris and Tod ran their hands over the wood and agreed, but Tod assured everyone that as a painting contractor, he was familiar with and experienced in restoring this type of wood damage. Tod offered to sand the lower sections of cabinet, reapply the stain, and give everything two coats of Varathane or some other similar clear coat. John was not having any of it. Again, he emphatically stated that his men had placed the heater dryers too close to the cabinets and that is what did the damage. His company would make it right, and because it was Oak, there would be brand new oak kitchen cabinets installed. Kris and Tod could not believe their ears, but kept quiet until later when they discussed it between the two of them. 

     And then came the final inspection which confirmed for Kris and Tod that there was a scheme going on here. John asked what kid of carpet had been throughout the house. To be honest, Kris and Tod could not say as there were probably 10 different kinds and grades of carpets, all salvaged from tear downs. So they simply said that all the carpet was pulled out on the night of the flood and was still sitting on a pile beside the driveway. John approached the pile, and after examining it for a few minutes, reached down and pulled a random piece off the the pile. Oh, John knew his carpets all right and deliberately chose that particular piece. Was it random? Was it the cheapest? No, it was a small  piece of wool carpeting, the most expensive carpet one could buy. 

    John explained that based on the type of carpet that was damaged, there would be a price per sq. ft. for the new floors. Our price allowance was at the top of the scale, based on the assumption that there were wool carpets throughout. But there was more.     

Lake House Diaries 7

      Em and Tod were in heavy discussion on the way home that morning. They felt bad leaving their parents to deal with the insurance people and they knew that Greg and Ethel would be working their fingers to the bone with cleanup and anything else that they thought would help. As they discovered in the next few days, Greg and Ethel were not doing well at all. Em's dad was distraught and could not handle the decisions and negotiations that were required when dealing with an insurance claim. He was an aging man dealing with cancer and its treatment, and it was all overwhelming. 

    Tod and Kris discussed it and decided that they would take over as much of the business end of things as they could. A week later, they arranged to meet with the project supervisor and make some decisions. It was a most interesting meeting. The insurance representative in charge of the Lake House project was very amiable and easy going. As it turned out, he was good to work with and his lack of morals really worked toward a better outcome than anyone expected. 

     It was a four hour drive from their home and when they arrived mid-day, John, the insurance rep and project supervisor, was pleased to show Tod and Kris the progress. Fans and heaters had been set up the day the crew arrived, and the inside of the house was hot and arid, a far cry from what it had been only days before. When asked why the heaters and fans were still running, his answer was that the moisture had penetrated deeply and it would take a few days of aggressive heat to drive it all out of the floor and walls. It made sense at the time. 

    But, the excessive heat was part of an agenda that they discovered later in the process. Tod and Kris checked in on Greg and Ethel, who were working in the garden, and then took the tour with John. He was very eager to show them what the Insurance Company was going to do for them, and assured them that their little Lake House was going to be better than new. It didn't take long for Tod and Kris to catch onto the "plan". 

Lake House Diaries 6

     The Lake house was situated in a small bay where the properties were looking out toward each other, if only with a sideways glance. Enough time had elapsed, since Greg and Ethel built, to establish friendships with the neighbors. They all knew each other and in fact many of them were in some way related through blood or by marriage. Only a few of the residents were at the lake that weekend, but word spread rapidly that there had been a flood and help was needed. 

     Soon, there was a crew, with rubber boots and sleeves rolled up. It was determined that water damage should be kept to a minimum so an attempt was made to sop up and scrape together as much water as possible and remove it from the house. Because there was carpet throughout, much of the overflow had soaked into those carpets. They were mostly throw rugs, not wall to wall installations, and each room had more than one piece of carpet to cover the bare plywood subfloor. It was backbreaking and dirty work to lift all those carpets, heavily laden with gallons of water, but soon the house was cleared of wet flooring and there was a big pile of sodden smelly carpet lying at the side of the parking area. Only one or two fans were available but they were set up in the house to begin the almost impossible task of drying the house. 

     Anything wet but salvageable was hung up to dry on the deck rails or wherever there was room. By now it was close to midnight and there was discussion about staying at a motel for the night. The neighbors would not hear of it and soon everyone had a place at a neighbor's, on the floor or in a spare room. Exhaustion was deep but sleep did not come easily, not only because of the strange sleeping arrangements, but the trauma and anxiety of what to do next weighed heavily on everyone.  

     Very little sleep was had that night, and at early light, everyone was up to see the damage in the light of day. It was not a pretty sight. The basement ceiling was on the verge of collapse and the strong odor of  wet plywood and drywall permeated the whole house. The insurance company was called and they promised that somebody (a crew) would be there by late morning. They had to come from a long way off but would stay until the job was done. That is, the job of drying out the house, which was the first priority. An assessor/project manger would also arrive on scene to determine what the insurance company could and would do. 

    There was nothing more for Em and Tod, Kris and Hillary to do so they left midmorning for home. Greg and Ethel would stay in the cabin and be there to look after anything that was required of the owners, over and above what the insurance company would do. They were heartbroken and discouraged. All they could see was a ruined home and questions about their future there. All their plans for the spring were on hold. The garden could be planted and cared for but with their house off limits, and working out of their cramped cabin, it would be back to pioneer days, something they thought they had left behind them for good. 

Lake House Diaries 5

        The early Spring opening was always done by Greg and Ethel. There was a routine. The first thing was to call ahead to the town office and have the domestic and irrigation water turned on at the street. The valve at the top of the property would then be turned on as Greg and Ethel were about to open the house for the first time. The water was off all winter, part of 'winterizing'. Then the taps were slowly opened to pressurize the pipes and vigilance was taken to make sure there were no leaks. But on this day, procedure and protocol were overridden when a helpful neighbour, who knew they were arriving, did them a favor and turned on the water at the top of the property. 

     Part of winterizing was to open all the taps and drain the plumbing so there would be no freezing pockets of water. The laundry tub taps had been opened and after the water drained, they were accidently left open. This would not have been a problem except for the fact that a plastic bag had been left, or had fallen into the sink, plugging the drain at the bottom of the tub. 

     It was several hours from the time the water was turned on until Greg and Ethel arrived, all the while, water pouring into the laundry tub with no way to get past the plastic bag into the drain. It was the only tap that had inadvertently been left on. But it was enough.

    Eldest daughter Em, and her husband Tod, had arranged to arrive at the same time to help open the house and to take a few days off work. Em's sister, Hillary, and her husband Kris, were also due to arrive at the same time. The instant the back door to the house opened, the sense of disaster was evident. There was the ominous sound of running water, gushing water, and a splashing and dripping that would haunt them for a long time. The humidity in the house was overwhelming, and the first few footsteps into the house were met with a sloshing, squishing sound. 

    The laundry room was just around the corner and it was evident that the problems were originating there and the tap on the laundry tub was immediately turned to the off position. A quick assessment was done and it became immediately apparent that the whole upstairs was flooded and many gallons of water had run down the stairs or leaked through the ceilings into the suite on the lower floor. Ankle deep in places, it was obvious that nobody was going to be staying in the house that night or any other night for a long time. 

     The "helpful" neighbor came to welcome us home but got the shock of his life when he saw what he had done. There was no time for remorse or apologies, but immediate action had to be taken. The word spread through the neighborhood like wildfire and soon there was a large crew, ready to roll up their sleaves and do whatever they could to ease the trauma for Greg and Ethel. 

     Greg was not in a good way as he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer only recently, and the female hormones he was taking were causing an adverse and uncharacteristic reaction to this man of action who could take the bull by the horns and solve any problem. His family became very concerned, and indeed, he was never the same after this traumatic incident. As it turned out, this would be a turning point in the dynamics of the Lake house. 

Lake House Diaries 4

      There were two locations where Greg and Ethel could be found in the next few years. If it was winter, they were in their cozy home in the city, entertaining friends and family, and planning for the next season at the Lake. Early Spring to late Fall found them at the lake. They were very predictable in those years. Their children were all married and independent, but always came to visit. It was known in the immediate family exactly where they would be and when they would be there. 

    On the trips home, their vehicle would be laden with canning and harvested vegetables from the garden. The trips back to the lake saw the van packed with items to add to the decor, more tools with which to tinker, and any other amenity that they might need for the summer. Having a workshop in both locations, Greg was never at a loss for something to tinker with, invent, repair, or create. 

     Fruit was a readily available commodity in the desert country so there was ample opportunity to can or preserve a lot of it. Greg invented and built a fruit drier that served them well for many years. At Christmas, the family would be treated to dried apples, apricots, plums and pears. The Walnut trees were beginning to bear and blanching and roasting them became an art and were a family favourite. The nuts were only available because of Greg's sharp shooting ability with the pellet gun, in his constant battle with the squirrels. 

   Their children and their spouses, and the up and coming bevy of grandchildren, began to book cabin time for the summer months. It was rare that more than one family at a time were there. There was plenty of room, with a basement suite and the original cabin on the terrace above the house, but each family wanted some privacy and also did not want to overwhelm Greg and Ethel with noise and busyness. They were getting older and needed their downtime, at least for a quick afternoon nap. 

     It was a great opportunity for Greg and Ethel's grandchildren to get to now them and to do a bit of bonding. Years later the majority of the memories of "Oma and Opa" would revolve around the times spent at the Lake House. Summertime at the lake became a great memory builder, memories both good and bad. Whether water sports or lounging in the shade with a good book, it was a time of no work, no school, no distractions, early morning walks, and mostly leisurely days of sunshine and good food. Of course, there were always chores to be done, but in those years, Greg and Ethel were young enough and strong enough to take care of most of the maintenance work. 

   But, then one early spring day, the first day of the season, opening day, it all came crashing down, and it would never be the same.