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.