The silence is deafening. I haven't received one memory from you Grasshoppers about Cottage No. 2.
The newer cottage sandwiched between Jankes and Thiels relied on water supplied from a "sandpoint". The water was used for drinking, showers, washing dishes and yes, flushing toilets. At the time we bought the cottage, sandpoints were "grandfathered". If you had one, you could keep it. If you needed a new water supply, you had to drill a well. Jankes had a well and it broke. They drilled a new well and paid many thousands of dollars and still had "hard" water with propensity to rust everything. You could smell the minerals in the water.
We had a water pipe extending out onto our beachfront and it was attached to a pipe (sandpoint) that had been pounded down into the sandy beach. The pipe extended down into the sand 30-40 feet and had a screen at the bottom that filtered lake water. Since Crystal Lake is one of the cleanest lakes in the state of Wisconsin and fed by spring water, filtering through the sand and then the screen in the 40 foot deep sandpoint made for excellent water. I had the water tested by the State several times and it was rated superior. I always worried about the ice jamming the pipe on the beach in the spring time and breaking off our water supply. So I had to come up with a better idea.
I didn't want a drilled well (like Jankes) with lousy water. Also, I couldn't hire some-one to put in a new sandpoint because that was illegal (plumbers wouldn't touch such a project). I could however, put in a new sandpoint by myself.
I found an expert on sandpoints, pumps and wells named Jack Siegl. He lived in Plymouth and was a cantankerous old bastard. He did offer to come out to the cottage and direct the efforts of anyone putting in a new sandpoint. He could not work himself because that was illegal. He would accept a cash donation.
So I hired my supervisor Big Jack and sent my crew from Appleton down to put in the new sandpoint. My crew was Paul and a buddy named Scott Nutting. Paul must have been a junior in high school and so was Scott. Neither of the two were known to like physical work. I offered enough money to get the two them to go. I mean, these two worker drones usually avoided work situations at all costs. Scott was known for doing flaky things both legal and illegal. For all I know Scott still does flaky things.
Now picture the scene. Big Jack, Paul and Mr. Nutting. It was a hot, hot day in July. The new sand point would be placed inside the boathouse and it was pretty simple. Paul and Scott would pound four 8 foot sections of pipe down into the sandy soil under the boathouse. They used a tool provided by Jack that let them pound the pipe slowly, so very slowly down into the earth. I wasn't there, but my understanding was that Paul and Scott found it hard to "pound pipe" for more than a few minutes at a time. Then they would run to the end of the pier and jump in the lake to cool off. Jack would have to beg them to get back to work. You get the idea. Jump in the lake! Pound pipe! Jump in the lake. And so it went.
The new sandpoint got installed. I paid Scott and Paul more than I should have because my sense is they were having more fun than working. Jack Siegl got paid for just standing around waiting for the swimming episodes to stop.
Every spring thereafter as I activated the cottage water system, I would think of Paul and Scott working feverishly to install the "inside sandpoint". I had solved the spring ice problem and preserved a very good water system.
I have trouble shaking the memory of two young "worker drones" using the lake to cool off. It does bring a smile to my face.
Love,
Dad
Hmmm.....that is not at all how I remember it. In fact what I remember is Jack spending most of the time drinking beer while floating on one of the blow up tubes we had in the boat house.
oh and it was Jack's idea to take plunges in the lake....I think he enjoyed the time out there so much he didn't want to rush....we were working to fast......oh but the fact it was so hot was true...92 if I remember because we celebrated hitting 90 by 11am....can't quite remember how we celebrated.....oh darn...just plain forgot.
Don't worry dad, I haven't been ignoring you. The real reason I haven't written any comments is because I don't know where to start!!!!!!
As you stated, from the time I was born we had a cottage. So for me, being on the water in the summer is in my blood. Every spring when it starts to warm and bloom it's as if my entire being is literally BEGGING to go back to the water. One of the big reasons I would love to move near water again.
My most prominent memories? .... hours and hours and hours in the water playing, rightfully getting sunburnt, relaxing in the boathouse in a cool breeze (and if I was lucky, during a rainstorm), the musty smell of the cottage, and of course summer, cottage food. Brats, hamburgers, hot dogs, pickles, onions, doritos, grapes. Surprisingly, I also quite enjoyed the drive to the cottage - be it from Sheboygan or from Appleton. Driving through the country on all the backroads, windows down, hair blowing, the smell of cows (well - it did reek of cows a lot but I liked it :).
Most people think of me as a city girl who doesn't *do* outdoorsie stuff. None of those people know that being on the water in the middle of the countryside *IS* who I am.