Storm vignettes: Tales of a rising tide

Sunday morning -- Mother's Day -- I was making breakfast in the kitchen when I heard a series of belching sounds, possibly the coffee maker. But then I realized the sound was coming from the floor. It turned out to be air that was being pushed up through whatever holes were available in the grout in the tile floor as the water table rose. There was a little puddle in one corner of the kitchen -- a small leak, I figured, and didn't think much about it as we headed off to church.

When we returned, though, the water had risen enough to cover the kitchen floor. Everyone set out scooping water into pails. An emergency run was made to the neighborhood hardware store for more mops, but the water kept coming and we settled in to half-hour shifts bailing water in an attempt to keep the mess from running over sills into other areas of the house.

We did take a short break for a quick Mother's Day celebration. My wife opened the kids' presents, but by then everyone was channeling the comic book guy from ''The Simpsons -- Worst Mother's Day Ever!"

Bob Scherer-Hoock, Topsfield

I first realized this was no ordinary downpour while at the Main Street Mini Mart in Byfield on Sunday morning. The parking area was swamped, the worst of it roped off. By Monday, the water had abated mysteriously; legend has it that an intrepid resident cut open an underground drain that had been closed for years.

State Police and utility trucks converged by a culvert bridge toward the Byfield-Georgetown line a little way from the store. The little branch of the Parker River under Main Street had grown big, and the bridge was in danger of going under. There's a modest house there that fetched close to a half-million dollars because of its perch. As the old and new owners talked outside after the house was evacuated, it didn't seem quite so picturesque.

Down the street at our little Georgetown farm, there was water in the basement for the first time in our 13 years here. We kept it to 2 or 3 inches by using a borrowed pump. A friend who lives on the other side of town had 8 inches of water in his basement, and had to call the Fire Department twice when his two pumps couldn't keep up.

Marcia Dick, Georgetown

Barbara Monte was evacuated from her home in Building 53 of the Melrose Towers in Melrose last Sunday evening when flood waters rose to a dangerous level. Instead of taking the shuttle bus to the temporary shelter at the Days Inn in Saugus, Monte said, she opted to use her car. She told her story at the Days Inn on Tuesday:

''I was with my 86-year-old mother. It was very traumatic for her. [Melrose emergency crews] used a special chair to get her downstairs, and I had my car on Albion Street and they drove me to it. I had no idea how bad the flood was. I regret taking my car. I ended up going the wrong way. I thought I'd be able to get away and get here, but Route 1 was a river. I thought I'd be stuck calling 911 with my mother in the car. I drive a Neon, which is a very low-sitting car, and I was terrified. My mother was very nervous and upset. It wasn't easy. The police told me to be careful because if I were to end up stuck in a sinkhole, basically they were so busy that there would be no guarantee that they could get to me if there was an emergency. I found my way and drove here and I found a great parking space, but I think the van service would've been a godsend."

Katheleen Conti

Could varsity athletes from Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield trade in their rackets and gloves for a set of oars -- and how long would it take to assemble a crew team from scratch? I couldn't help but wonder as I stood at the Masconomet Regional High School parking lot, overlooking the district's sporting grounds in Topsfield. Three feet of water submersed the football and softball fields, and the tennis courts didn't look far behind. Hurdles were huddled along the running track that skirts the athletic fields, barely visible above the water's surface. The floodwaters had also claimed the benches in each dugout, rising up to the backrests. Gleeful students drove by, slowing down near the new ''shoreline" to inspect the storm's toll. Without exception, the teenagers smiled as they made plans to sleep in the next day, knowing classes would be canceled.

Richard Thompson, Amesbury

Since putting an addition on our circa 1720 house in West Newbury, we've had a problem with water in the new part of the basement. Last week, of course, was no exception. Still, thanks to a pump, hose, and conveniently located door, the water didn't rise above several inches. A better situation than for many of our neighbors, whose sump pumps were dumping surges of water into the street.

Demanding more attention was a dog that needed to be walked and two teenagers home from school. I got a lot of use out of boots that should have been put away for the season by now, not to mention a large golf umbrella. The dog, who had been rescued from Hurricane Katrina, didn't seem to like the heavy rain much. But he and I endured our several outings a day.

A few extra mornings of sleeping late is heaven for teenagers. No problem there. As for the rest of the day, it meant driving them to friends, getting to the gym, extra trips to the grocery store -- all in towns along the Merrimack River with roads closed. And then there were the eight or so lacrosse games and one soccer game that were canceled. Guess it's going to be a busy rest of spring -- if the fields ever dry out.

Wendy Killeen, West Newbury