forest sunrise
With the recent killer earthquakes near American Samoa and Sumatra, and last night's small cluster-quakes in California, it's anti-climactic to mention the paltry 3.4 quake in my area last night. Comparing the jumbo quakes, and the tsunami aftermath, the thousands killed, injured or missing and the widespread destruction, with the one that occurred in a forested area near Shelton, Washington last night is like comparing the universe to a grain of sand. Our quake was nothing but a hiccup on the seismograph. But, after sending my prayers up for the safety of the survivors in those other quakes, I'd like to turn my attention to the quake that hit my little corner of the world.
With those recent quakes in the news, when the local quake hit, there was no question in my mind what it was -- "Earthquake!" Here's how it felt: After a very frustrating day on and mostly off the computer, due to 'Net connection problems, I took a break from playing any additional rounds of "Firefox Crashes Mysteriously" and settled in on the big old couch in the family room and to watch a few scenes from Twilight of Honor, on TCM. Nick Adams was doing a great job with his troubled character. I was really getting into it, leaving all my troubles behind and digging into the salsa & chips when boom! That heavy old couch moved! I thought it had been hit. It didn't knock me off -- but it did move me. Very scary. I yelled, "Earthquake!" jumped up and ran back to Hubby in his study.
"What happened out there?" he asked me. "Did you knock something over?"
"Heck no!! It must have been an earthquake!! Or a very large deer is banging on the wall outside trying to get in!" We went out to the front of the house, turned on the lights, and peeked out, almost expecting to see a huge buck or a hungry black bear making itself at home. Of course there was nothing. Everything was as totally quiet after the jolt as it had been before.
I phoned my niece, who wasn't home, but had been driving nearby. She didn't feel or hear or see anything out of the ordinary. When I checked various local news stations, they had nothing, either. So, I decided to risk playing "Let's Crash Firefox" again to look for info about the quake online. About ten minutes after the quake, the most preliminary report pinpointed the location and pegged it at 2.9. I again played "Let's Crash Firefox" but abandoned that to text some friends. When I went back to the computer hours later, the seismologist at the University of Washington had analyzed the data and upgraded the event to 3.4. Not too shabby.
Though there were no discernible aftershocks, it left me feeling rattled. One over-sized canvas on an inside wall in the dining room was askew, but hadn't fallen off the wall. No other damage. We're about 50 miles as the crow flies [or the earthquake radiates] from the epicenter, which was determined to be somewhere near Shelton. Outside of that small city is just Western Washington forest, similar to the photo above, with few inhabitants.
So, it was fifty miles away, one sharp jolt and then it was over. What's the big deal here? Well, I always personalize these events and I decided this was the starting point for me to return to blogging. My life has been so "rattled" lately, I haven't been able to focus on at lot of things, including blogging. I'm taking this jolt as a jolt to me to get back on the blogging track. Summer and all the attendant fun is finished now for the rest of the year and it's time to get serious about ... the serious stuff of life. I will try to get caught up with some of the events that gobbled up my blogging time from the past few weeks. As a small online seller, the upcoming holidays will bring their own set of demands, of course, but that's not the prime reason I have this blog. It's about life here, nothing more, nothing less. I am honored you are a part of it and I hope to pick up where I left off all those weeks ago -- actually weeks seem like years in "Internet Time" -- and share bits of the past with what's going on today. I can't promise a post everyday -- but I can promise I will do my very best to share some entertaining events from life at the Ranch with you. And I will also visit your blog. I draw so much inspiration from you and others who share the stories of their lives. Thanks for visiting today & see you soon!
Have a Wonderful Day!
For more information: Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
14 comments:
I am glad you are safe, Sunflower! Never having experienced an earthquake, I can only imagine the fright it must have given you!
Whatever the reason, I am also glad to have you blogging again! :)
Glad to see you back online...we have had earthquakes in France over the last ten years..pictures dropping from the walls etc....
Earthquakes occur here every now and then. It's always scary because you never know how storng they are going to be.
Flea!! Thanks for your comment! You don't ever want to experience an earthquake. It just happens without warning and it is frightening!! I am happy to be back! :D
Fly!! Hello!! Your earthquakes sound scary, too!! We've tried to earthquake proof the house, but about all we've done so far is not hang heavy pictures over any of the beds. Too many collections and so little space...LOL But every piece is a potential missile in an earthquake. Definitely not a good thing. Being back IS good, however! :D
Loree!! I know exactly how you feel about the earthquakes. When they start, and it sounds like a freight train is going to hit the house, you never know how long it's going to last. We had a terrible 7.2 I think it was a few years ago -- but we were far enough from the epicenter [60 miles] to avoid major damage. Our chimney was undamaged, but many all over Seattle tumbled to the ground. Cracks popped up in many older residential buildings. It seemed to shake and roll for several minutes -- now, that was frightening!!
Good to see you again, last time you were on I was in Nevada.
Having lived in Alaska and Northern California I have had more than my share. In Anchorage they are so common everyone gets used to them which probably isn't a good thing. The largest I've been in was in Eureka Ca, it was a 5.3 and 12 miles from the epicenter, that one did some damage.
It sounds like you got a pretty good bump. Those are probably the scariest because it all happens so suddenly.
SQ!! Great to hear from you, too!! You have had your share that's for sure, living in both Alaska and California. Those are by far the most active areas on the Coast. I think Washington, followed by Oregon, bring up the rear. I've felt earthquakes in the 2.5 to 3.00 range and of course higher but I've never been able to feel the micro-quakes. Once I knew what it felt like, though, I am sure I'd never not feel a cluster or swarm of small quakes. The shaking is definitely not a good thing! Of course you can't avoid feeling the bigger ones. None of them are any fun. The scariest was when I was a kid [naturally!] and the house bent like a cardboard box. All the corners of the house just danced back and forth. School had to close because of the damage. That was awful. I don't want any more coming my way -- but you just know they will. It's the price we pay for living in an active seismic zone. :(
YAY! you're back! sometimes you just need a little jolt huh? we had a 3.2 a few years back and it was pretty strong, especially when you're not used to quakes out here in the east!
-kate
Hello Kate!! Thanks a bunch for stopping by & leaving your comment!! It is good to be back!! :)
I know every time I learn of a quake Back East or in the Midwest or South, I sympathize with everyone affected. The sheer terror of the noise and the shaking is extremely upsetting for them, and for us out here in the West -- it's like -- is there NO place to escape to? No place free of these frightful events?
Dang! Very unsettling!!
:(
Love that photo. Glad to hear there was no really trouble with the earthquake shocks... :))
Kate!! So far, no aftershocks. Some of our friends nearby felt the main event Wednesday night -- but others in the same house did not! LOL It wasn't much of an earthquake in the grander scheme of things, I guess -- which is fine with me! :D
I live in Northern California and yes, earthquakes scare me too. I didn't know it until after we bought this property but the epicenter of largest earthquake this area has had (so far)was just about on the property line between our property and our neighbors. Sysmegraphic equipment was installed at the fence line on my neighbors side. The equipment finally had to be removed because my neighbors horse kept pawing at it and registering non-existant earthquakes.
MaggieMay!! LOL that poor horse!! It certainly caused a lot of trouble for the seismologists!! That is too funny!! But the rest of the story is not funny. Sounds like you are in an extremely dangerous zone like maybe near a fault line? The scientists are always discovering new ones it seems. There is a deep one running under downtown Seattle they only discovered in the last 20 years, I believe. Of course that's where all the skyscrapers are. Not good. Just stay safe and keep your earthquake kit up to date in case you need it. Keep an eye on that horse, too. Sounds like it is going to be your own little seismograph! If we could duplicate an animal's early detection abilities we'd know when to expect a big quake.
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