Well, it HAD been a great day...

Up until just after 5:00pm.

Oh, it was busy. Probably the busiest we've seen here. It was a gorgeous Saturday and so the day use area and the beach were packed. The boat launch was being used non-stop, and the lake was full of boats and people having fun.

We were keeping up with things no problem. We did firewood deliveries to the campers in the morning, and in between things Ruth checked the washrooms and watered the flowers and I did walkarounds picking up the odd piece of trash and just generally making sure people were happy. And we would get the odd call to go down to the boat rental and give someone a canoe or kayak. It's actually a pleasant change from cutting and trimming grass!

The boat launch area.

I can't remember if we mentioned that Ruth inherited the job of cleaning the washrooms on a full time basis. Anyhow, there had been another lady doing them but she was just doing an "okay" job of it, and she didn't think she was being paid enough to make it worth her while. She basically quit, and so Ruth is now doing them. Although Ruth is not entirely happy about this turn of events, it's better for the campground and it actually gives Ruth a couple more hours on her paycheck.

But, there is recognition for a job well done. We actually had campers saying "wow, we've never seen the washrooms this clean" and "the washrooms even smell clean!". People appreciate walking into a clean washroom, even the ones who don't leave them clean! And let me tell you, there are quite a few of them.

So, just after 5:00pm we go into the main washroom building just to inspect things. I notice one of the men's toilets is having (without going into detail) a "problem". Hmm. Seriously? You needed to use that much toilet paper?? Oh, I guess that's detail. Sorry. So, off to get the plunger and snake.

I work away with the plunger and snake, and things start to go where they're supposed to, but man there's a lot of gurgling and bubbling going on. Something is not right. Then, we notice that the other men's toilet is also not right.

It then occurs to us. The tank is full? No, it couldn't be. It would have only been emptied on Wednesday or Thursday. Couldn't be full yet.

The sewer system at this campground consists only of holding tanks that have to be pumped out on a weekly or twice weekly basis. There's a septic contractor who comes to do this, and it's a new guy who got the contract this year.

We go check the tank, and sure enough...it's coming out the top. Oh no.

Now, we have probably 200 people here wanting to use those toilets and showers. This is not good.

Ruth goes and makes signs for the doors advising the use of the secondary toilets in other parts of the campground.

I go to phone our septic guy.

I get through to him, and he advises that his truck didn't show up this week because he got a call from the officials telling him that the place he dumps isn't allowed anymore. Okay, but you didn't call us to tell us? Oh, I thought you knew, he says!

Now I'm scrambling.

Our boss is on a job site up north and unavailable by phone. I try to call our resident member of the board and there's no answer at her house or by cell. I find out that there's another septic guy, but he's upset at the park and the board because he didn't get the contract this year. Politics! But, I'm desperate. Those tanks need emptying, and they need emptying now!

So I call him. Nope, he says, he'll only come down if a member of the board calls him. He understands it's not my fault, and he's not upset with me, but that's the way it is. So I drive down and get one of the other board members who's here on a weekend vacation, and he makes the call.

This all takes quite a bit of time and running around and it's probably after 7:00pm before it's all settled. We haven't had dinner yet, and we still wouldn't have dinner for quite some time. Now, we find out that the toilets in the overflow camping area are starting to do just that. Overflow. Of course, that holding tank hadn't been emptied either. Great.

So the guy came and did three loads with his pumping truck. Then of course the toilets needed to be cleaned and re-opened. It was almost 9:00pm by the time we gulped down a quick dinner. Now, we were behind schedule on emptying the trash.

Did the trash, spent some time cleaning up the leftovers and trash on the beach. Good thing it's light until 10:00pm or so! I'm looking at the clock on the dash of the truck and it's 10:30pm when I had to drive up to the dump and empty the fish guts, of course they were extra full because of all the boaters and fishermen out today.

11:00pm, pretty much exhausted, but still have to do a walkaround. Have a shower first, did a walkround, told a few campers to turn their music off and keep their voices down. Just before midnight? Bed.

Up at 6:30am. Thinking I'll have to grab a snooze this afternoon. Likely? Nope.