4 - Friday, December 5, 1986 - North Shore News Bob Hunter @ strictly personal @ YOU REALLY do have to like rain, don’t you? When the first dank little mon- soon struck last week, I did all the nervous things that a person with a boat does. I checked the bilge pump, looked for leaks in the flying bridge, assured myself that everything that could be painted or deck-coated was, in- deed, painted and deck-coated. The deck coating didn’t look all that good, I’m afraid, because I'd left it until a bit late in the season and a bit late in the day, getting finished just as the sun was setting. Returning to the dock in the morning to see how wonderful everything was, [ discovered that the grey deck coating had not been able to dry quickly enough. The overnight condensation was enough (o cause it to dribble down both sides of the boat, which really was a shame, since ‘the sides, at least, were freshly / painted and had Jooked so nice up until now. Roll with it, I told myself. There must be a lesson here. There is! Don’t paint the sides of f your boat until the upper deck is done, and don't do the upper deck late in the aftcrnoon. Do it in the morning and make sure it’s not going to rain for a couple of days. There! See? I'd turned a minor disaster into a wonderfully in- formative learning experience. 10% 15% 20% or 25% on almost everything in the store* WHEN YOU USE CREDIT CARDS 1 was feeling almost pleased with my new-found folk wisdom about boats — paint early and to the top first — when the first great macho rain of the winter of °86-"87 came splatting down. I was sort of hoping that [ had been taught enough for one season, gee whiz, Lord, but as the fates would have it, nope. There was much more to be taught and learned, apparently. I saw a bumper sticker a little while ago that said: GOD’S NOT THROUGH WITH ME YET. Yes. Exactly. The first inkling of serious drama came when [| went out into the carport to chop some wood. A thin’ film) of water was spreading out across the concrete floor. Oh dear. Looking at the drainhole, { discovered, as feared, that the water wasn't be- ing sucked down into it like a happy vortex, taking the runoff from up the hill and spewing it out the down side of the house where it is supposed to more or fess harmlessly continue its voyage to the sea. I have lived long enough in the darkness and wet to have ac- quired a few reflexes, one of them being, upon finding the drain plugged, to swear. A lot, I’m afraid. It brings out the beast in me. I'll light a candle later and mutter a few incanta- tions. SAVE! In the meantime, it was panic city stations. Fortunately, we have a teenage nephew staying with us. You can never tell when a@ teenager might come in useful. Destiny works in mysterious ways. In this case, as we began to fill up pillow cases with sand from the sandbox and haul them uphill across a lawn which had turned into a ghastly-cold swamp, the teenager, with his strong back and teenage mind, proved in- valuable. About the only sad thing was that no sooner had we mightily (mostly him) positioned the sandbags se that water from the carport couldn't get into the basement, the basement drain itself began backing up, and so, in no time at all, the entire base- ment was flooded. To make a long and horrific tale short, we spent hours in the freezing rain scooping mud out of drains, hopelessly struggling with a plunger, sucking like mad on hoses in a desperate bid to siphon water out of the house and into the back yard, piling furniture on top of other fur- niture, getting colder and more numb all the time, wondering how long before the furnace blew up of somebody got electrocuted by a short of some kind. | thought about Fiji a lot. Fiji looked good. Maybe the prime minister there could use a speechwriter or something. i did cling to my faith, though. Indeed, something valuable HAD to be learned. It was. The next day, when the flood had abated, the insurance adjustor showed up and cheerful- ly announced that the insurance didn’t cever anything if outside drains were involved. You see? Knowledge. It pours down like manna. Charlotte Sowles, Fragrance Consultant at the Bay Park Royal, will be receiving an award from Oscar de Ia - Renta perfumes Monday, December 8, 1986. She is being honoured for being: the top sales achiever in her region. IK ROYAL and all Bay stores TOMORROW & SUND DECEMBER 6TH & 7TH AY Just pick up a Scratch & Save Discount Card at the Bay nearest you. You save according to the amount hidden under the Secret Savings seal. Please do NOT remove the seal. Savings are valid on first and subsequent purchases made all day long. Charge your purchases on your Bay Card, MasterCard, Visa, American Express or The Simpsons card. Or use CASH! *Exemptions: Tobaccos, Restaurants, Foods, Gucci Accesscry Collection, Bridal Salon, Pharmacy, Cosmetics, ‘Beaumark® ', other Major Appliances and Microwaves, Stereos, Televisions, Computers, Video/Electronics, Computer Games, Okanagan Estate Wine Cellar, Gift Certificates and most Customer Services. Note: Licensed and service departments may vary in stores. A complete list of exemptions will be posted in your Incal Ray store. SUNDAY SHOPPING HOURS: 11:00 to 5:00—Coquitlam, Richmond and Kelowna 12:00 to 5:00—-Downtown Vancouver, Park Royal, Victoria, Lougheed, Surrey, Champlain, Kamloops, Nanaimo and Lake City Warehouse OR CASH! Pudsons Bay Company,