Looking for Water at the Farm

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Yes—looking for water.

It might sound strange, but olive tree farmers often grow their trees without any irrigation. The olive tree is a survivor. It sends its roots deep into the earth, searching for moisture through the dry, hot summers of Greece. And it manages—somehow—to thrive.

But my grandfather wasn’t one to settle for "good enough."

He wanted the best for his family and his land. That’s the kind of person he was. (There’s so much more to say about him… but I’ll get there in time.)

To find water, we needed to drill. Not a small hole—but a 200-meter-deep well. A massive, expensive, and difficult project. The drill head even had diamonds to cut through the tough rock underground.

This is where my grandfather’s cousin came in.

He had a very particular gift—and an even more particular nickname. I can’t really explain the nickname… it was something between them. But let’s just call him SoftYiannis (one word, like my six-year-old self used to say). My grandfather called him that with affection, and I copied it without question. It still makes my parents laugh today.

Now here’s the magical part.

SoftYiannis would walk through the fields holding a bent metal rod with both hands. He said that when he passed over a spot with water underground, the rod would start to spin like crazy. So that’s what we did: SoftYiannis, my grandfather, and I—walking up and down the land, eyes on the rod, suspicious and hopeful.

Four times we drilled.

Three times we found nothing. 

But on the fourth try—we hit water.

Does that answer your question about the magic metal rod? Maybe.

But we were just happy to see that cool, clean water flowing beneath our farm.

I’ll save the full story of that moment—the excitement, the joy—for the next blog.

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