GET TO KNOW NEIGHBORS Vacation home has charm and troubles WHEN I’M called to the phone and told it’s an ‘‘emergen- cy’? I can break speed records, even in high heels and a straight skirt. During the short burst of speed my mind works like a computer — I can assess 397 possible emergen- cies concerning my family. | don’t even consider what might have happened to our houses, our cars or our businesses. Who cares? As long as my fami- ly (and friends) are intact, the rest of life’s problems will eventually sort themselves out. As it happened, Brian and I[ were at a party, celebrating the opening of a new pub. A lovely pub (Pemberton Station, right by the RR tracks south of Marine on Pemberton Ave., N. Van.) eeu travel by Barbara McCreadie Brian and | bought a condo ear- ly this year in Washington State. It’s supposed to be ‘‘recreational property’? but (1) 1 do more housework there than I do at home and (2) the only one that gets “recreational” is Brian, He’s made me a golf widow. Mind you, [’m not complaining. The place hasn’t a single kid or cat (or flea):and when I put something away it doesn’t walk. ‘Saif to Eure: oe aboard a | Finding your scissors, bail-point, pocket novel, lipstick, shampoo and Windex exactly where they should be isn’t a bad trade-off. | Anyway, like I said before, | can break speed records when someone tells me I have an emergency call. It was from the manager of our conuo complex in Sudden Valley. “Next door neighbors spotted water coming out of your condo and called me. Your water heater has burst and your place is afloat.”’ ‘*How bad?” ‘Hard to say. I'll go over in the morning with an extractor and try to get the worst of it out, Want me to replace the tank?” “*Would you?”’ ‘*Sure, no problem.” By the time we arrived in Sud- den Valley the next morning I was calling Brian ‘‘Noah’’ and asking why-jn-hell the original Mrs. Noah got advance warning. And she didn’t even know the words to ex- plain ‘‘white wall-to-wall”. Brian replied something un- complimentary, noting that anyone who could laugh at the thought of having half of lake Whatcome in their lingerie drawer might need their head candied. : By the time we arrived, John, the manager, had been to work. Our clethes dryer (normally in- stalled in front of the tank) was outside on the sundeck. So was our water heater, looking sheepish and rusty. . Two-by-sizes were strung across the rafters of the car port and from them dripping quietly, was about half our underlay and a third of our carpet. The doors were locked, windows open and inside a heavy-duty fan was blowing. Have you any idea how ugly bare plywood looks when it’s soggy-wet and passing the good news up the walls? I hope not. ay Polen Registry 1 could have cried. Honestly, if it happened here at home it might be considered a blessing. Want to know how long I’ve lived with poison-green carpet? If the Great Speckled Bird landed on it and dumped its entire digestive tract I'd applaud. If it also left taking several of the cats out to lunch Id recom- mend it to the Flying Hall of Fame. But not in our condo. Then came the good news. John arrived with a brand-new tank that he’d shopped for. In- stead of paying nearly $300 he got us one for $139. I called our insurance agent and found that all the damage, less the $100 was deductible, was covered. Better still, John had that new tank hooked-up in less than an hour. : By the next day we had a painter in to give an estimate on the re- painting. This man knew exactly how to estimate the damage to the walls and how to paint enough to cover but not so much that the in- surance company might squawk. 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