Wake of the Flood

 The first full day on the island was really a doozy.

We went up to the lab to visit and check out our workspace, lovingly created by Aaronoulis. We decided to stay and work, but very soon I was extremely weary, so I went back to the studio to nap.

After my nap I got up and decided to take a shower. I noticed right away that the drain wasn't working well and soapy water was building up in the basin, threatening to breach the dam. I turned the water off, let it drain, turned it back on - repeated several times.

Imagine my horror when I pull back the shower curtain and see the whole bathroom in an inch or two of water. I shrieked, as I pulled a towel on and went to open the bathroom door,,, The entire studio was flooded in about two inches of water! So now I am running around the place trying to get stuff up off the floor.

It is at this point in the saga that Andrea comes back to the studio. As long as I live I will never forget the the look of shock on her face. She kept testing the edge of the puddle with her sandal, like a cat testing a shiny surface with it's paw. When she decided it was indeed water she called out for the landlord, who was on site. In the meantime I am still in my towel, dripping wet.I hear several voices getting closer to the studio and can make out the words "poli nero", meaning lots of water. 

I'm still up in the loft trying to get clothes onto a wet body, when the landlord and a couple of contractors come through the door. So now I'm cowering in the corner of the room with just a towel, and they are peppering me with questions in Greek about what possibly could have happened. Together Andrea and I manage to convey the story. I manage to get some clothes on when they decamp to get tools.

After much bailing of water, mopping and cries of poli nero, all water was removed from our quarters.The offending pipe was repaired and the problem was solved. Apparently a giant clog in the pipe was the culprit. Everybody was thankful that it happened to us and not some other random tourists. LOL. We hold some sort of liminal status as archaeologists, we are not from the island, and we are not tourists. I've heard it explained that no tourist would go around that dirty.

So we are arranging stuff to dry out on the patio when I start to get a terrible headache. I decide to take a Covid test and it it positive. So in the wake of the flood we need to find Andrea a new place to live while I am quarantined. Easily done until at least Sunday by our landlord. 

I have relatively mild symptoms and am well provisioned, so no worries.

But it was a day to remember.

Did anybody catch the nod to the Grateful Dead in my post?

More soon.