Piapot, Saskatchewan

So I know what you're thinking. What or where the hell is Piapot, Saskatchewan? Well, quite frankly, there is not much there worth speaking of. It is in the southwest portion of the province, and really doesn't have a whole lot. I would be willing to bet that a good number of people who live in Saskatchewan have probably never heard of it.

So why was I there, you ask? My very best friend in the whole world, Megan, hails from this idyllic land. It may be hard to believe that Canadians in the 1980s lived without the luxuries of telephones, Nintendo games or even running water. But, where Megan grew up, just outside of Piapot, that was the case.

A few summers ago, Megan took me out to Piapot, to show me her old stomping grounds. It's an oddly beautiful landscape, very green and mostly flat, with the occasional rolling hill. There are plenty of trees on the plot of land that she lived on. Nestled in the trees is a modest house. Small and mostly empty.

Megan toured me through the house, showing me the simple kitchen, dining room and livingroom. Despite being small, it is a surprisingly comfortable abode, and it is easy to imagine the house full of furniture and knick-nacks, and, well, being lived in.

I queried however, about the water situation. Afterall, there was a stream on the property, but it wasn't overly close to the home. Megan led me outside and into a small grove. It's quite hidden, partly from the years of uninterrupted growth of vegetation. In the grove, sits a very large tractor tire with a long tube running into it. Clear water bubbles out of the tube steadilly, and creates a pool of water within the tire. And there, she explains, was their source of water.

I thought that the image itself was quite striking. It seemed so natural. It was very strange, in the sense that although the house and the source of water had not been used for years, you couldn't really tell. It was peaceful, and comfortable, and it was not at all hard to envision that it might still be used today.

Megan did not live in the house for more than a few years. But I do know that even though she was young, it is a place that she will never forget. Nor will I. And I can only hope that since you now know the story of the Water Wheel, that you might also remember it. Even if only for a short time.