#Aquapocalypse Gets Serious

Last night Jen & I attended the reception following CDR O'Malley's retirement ceremony. As we entered Building #1 at the Coast Guard Station in the North End we noticed a sign on the front door - "Don't drink the water".

We laughed and joked that it was their way of getting you to buy more beer by telling you not to drink the water.

But no, there was a huge water main break between the Quabbin and Boston. Boston and many surrounding communities were under orders to boil their tap water until further notice. We had no idea. Our day of hanging out and attending CDR O'Malley's retirement ceremony had left us totally out of touch with the outside world.

How ironic! We were just a mile from our parent's house.

My sister-in-law works at a supermarket in Charlestown and managed to grab two gallons of bottled water for my parents before heading home to Tewksbury where they were not affected. She told my parents it was the most boring, sleepy Saturday imaginable and then suddenly just after 4 pm.....chaos!

So this morning, I hear it for the first time on WBUR. I shower and dress and head out to Walmart. Kingston gets their water from deep aquifers and has never had a problem that I know of. As I left the Lane I pondered, left and south to the Plymouth Walmart or right and north to the Hanover Walmart. I chose Plymouth - good call.

As the Walmart employee was stocking a picked over shelf, I grabbed two cases of 24 ounce bottles and 6 gallon bottles. She turned to me and asked "Headed to Boston?" I told her I was. She just nodded.

At the checkout I started to pull the water out of the cart and the cashier said "Don't bother." She pressed some buttons and I was all rung up. "Headed to Boston?" I said I was going to bring this to my parents. She told me that every Walmart north of us was picked clean. Glad I went south.

Then it was off to my parents house. I chuckled as I remembered the previous night's discussion with Jennifer and the Bullards about peak oil and water shortages.

I knew Grace was fine.

I pulled up in front of my parent's house and started putting water just inside the gate. Then I pulled into a parking spot a few doors down. When I got out of the car my father was at the front gate laughing. "I was wondering who brought the water" He had seen the car, but not me and it's the rental car still.

So everything is fine - right? No!

Sam Adams brewery has announced they are shutting down production. I called Jen in New York - "I'll have to buy all the beer I can find in New York!" See.... #Aquapocalypse has consequences!