Whoa! Rock and roll, babies! That was a good one - though Nick said the hospital where she works barely shook. Ah well, it is a modern bldg recently retrofitted! Our little wooden domiciles really danced for this one! The dogs went nuts!
mama earth really has a lot to say.
eh?
Very happy to come here and find words from you and your first two commenters!
May this be as big as they come for as long as all of you are there!
alan
I heard from my family.....and yes, '89 was a humdinger. We were living in Sausalito at the time and it was maddening compared to any other quake.
Somehow, they do not scare me as much as a tornado does out here.
Glad everyone is OK. ; )
You got me singing Carol King this morning!
Poor Roger and Robin Andrea! I do blame you guys though! 
This was the biggest one since Loma Prieta, fyi. We didn't feel anymore movement last night. It was a good jolt and roll up here in Boulder Creek. Hang in there! The website says that if it was a prelude, it'll happen in the next 7 days. My gut tells me this was a stress-reliever -- but, despite working at Stanford's School of Earth Sciences for a number of year -- my gut is nothing more than a wishful thinking device. (Still, I don't want to live anywhere else!
I thought about you this morning when I heard the news, as well as of our neighbors who are in SF for their 25th anniversary. All's well that ends well.
You were really in the Loma Prieta earthquake in '89? Wow!!!
Tara-- These old woodframe buildings really do move. It shook for 30 seconds and the house definitely rolled.
annie-- I like when mama earth speaks, I just wish she wouldn't speak so loudly sometimes. I guess she's got to shout to be heard.
alan-- Thanks for those wishes. We'll be waiting now for the next three months to see if they come true.
coffee-- I think I'd be more afraid of a tornado too. There's something about knowing when one is coming, that awful anticipation. At least earthquakes are unpredictable and over fairly quickly.
jeanne marie-- That's the music that always goes through my head after even a little shake.
Liza-- I remember that there was a 5.0 earthquake in the summer of 1989. I'm going to have to do some research to get the exact date. That's what scares me about these "smaller" shakes. Still, weirdly, I'm glad we were here for it. It's been a long time since the earth moved like that here.
Wayne-- It was quite a jolting little surprise. We sat very still wondering when the shaking would end. It shook for 30 seconds. That'a a long time. The Loma Prieta quake lasted 15. I was in Southern California for the Sylmar quake in 1971. That was a 6.0 that shook for 60 seconds.
Here's a post that we did (when I was still calling Roger "dpr") about the Loma Prieta quake.
your earthquake made the news this morning! The best part of California living is the warmth and the quakes. When we were down there for christmas (Pt Reyes) we walked along the fault and saw they have hundreds of small quakes daily around there. Exciting!
Have a great day R and R.
beautiful weather here!!
R&R I went on line about 1 mintute after the quake to see what the magnitude was---I knew it was at least 5 something! I thought--what a way for Robin and Roger to come back to the area! October is the month for earthquakes, I guess. Considering how hard it shook, I was surprised nothing tipped over. I read this was on the Calaveras fault, so perhaps it is a stress reliever!
i didn't even feel it in el cerrito! today's paper has the cheerful news that the quake may have put more pressure on the hayward fault, which is about a mile from us. yow.
welcome back!
Dawn-- We were so surprised when the house started shaking. It really seemed surreal.
The days start out foggy here, but when it burns off the temps are in the 70s and quite beautiful. Glad to hear it's lovely there too. Yay!
Linda J-- It was quite an interesting welcome back to California. I almost can't believe it happened. Do you remember the August quake of '89? I sent an email to USGS to see if they can identify which fault that one occurred on. Yikes.
kathy a-- I thought of you. I can't believe you didn't feel it. That's amazing. Your house must be very secure. I am worried about the Hayward fault. I didn't know that you lived so close. Oy.
I don't remember specifically the quake of Aug 89--which is odd because that would have been the week before we moved into our house. There have been only a couple of times I've been awakened by an earthquake--I'm a sound sleeper. It would be interesting to know which fault it occurred on! Our old wall heater (rest it's metal soul) was a great warning device--it would rattle a second or two before we could feel it.
This latest quake does bring back memories of Oct 89--the local (Santa Cruz)pictures are of days gone by--sometimes I miss the Pacific Garden Mall or maybe I'm just being nostalgic.
I remember that earthquake! I had just been in Alaska fishing and woke up from the earthquake, with the neighbor's car alarm going off. Since I had just spent three months in coastal Alaska I woke up thinking "Ahhhh...tsunami warning." Until I realized it was a car alarm. Sigh....
And then two months later....oh, yuck. I will never forget October 17th.
awww geez, maybe we should back an emergency bag and leave next to the front door like last time....
went back and looked at your 2005 post, and then of course the photos of the Loma Prieta. What a weird scarey time that was. Dreamlike and yet oh so real. Survival was the daily requirement, nothing more. I even spoke to neighbors I had never met...
Glad to hear you two made it safely on your trip. Welcome back to Cal as they say. I experienced many quakes while living in So. Cal and don't miss those one little bit.
Wow, that was quite a welcome for you! I have never experienced an earthquake, and I have absolutely no idea whether I'd rather an earthquake or tornado.
Glad everyone is safe, and here's hoping that neither that one nor Hayward slips any time soon!
Linda-- I wrote a note to the USGS to see if they can assist me in identifying that event and the fault. I haven't heard back yet.
Trixie-- I'm so glad to read that you remembered that earthquake. When there's a small quake I can't help but wonder if there's going to be a bigger one. I'm hoping that there won't.
tara-- Now you've got me wondering the same thing. We haven't packed an earthquake bag in a long time. We'll just have to go over to your house and hang out with the prepared people!
rcw-- After feeling last night's shake, I realized just how much I didn't miss that. Although, it is quite an interesting phenomenon.
deb-- I'd like to see all the faults rest for the time being. There are little earthquakes all the time, so with any luck that will continue and we won't feel a thing.
Such a thin skin we live upon; if only humans treated it as gently as it should be treated. Too many abrasions, too many natural upwellings and shudderings, and we're toast. Glad you are okay.
We're living in fog up here these days, with some breaks...
My husband was in Hayward on a business trip when it hit and coincidentally was on the phone talking to me when he felt the shake. We wondered the same thing about what it was going to mean. The next morning, he looked up the quakes that are happening a lot of places around the world. We do live in a world that is moving and changing and we sometimes get caught in that. The Pacific Northwest is overdue for a big one also. It's one of those things we can't do anything about except be prepared with basic survival stuff, bolt down what we can. Oregon has been earthquake proofing a lot of its bridges. hopefully it will be enough when the big one comes as it will come. It is only a question of when.
in 1989, our swim pool came in waves into the house since all the doors were open (remember that hot afternoon?)...WHAT a scary day that was. BUT NOW, living up here in Portland, I kind of miss those littler ones that occasionally reminded you about your tinyness on this planet.... They always got me to place my values squarely where they belonged....for a while, hah! I KNEW the feeling you had for this! And I miss it.... Good start to your winter in CA ! ! !
I saw that on tv they had an earthquake! So glad that no one was injured! I can't say that I have never felt one before!
Should your house go slipsliding into the Monterey canyon, please take pictures!
R&R's RETURN
It's so ironic,
that your return was tectonic.
It's my thoughtful deduction,
that it was caused by subduction.
How could two sweet hippies
cause such plate slippies?
If I saw ya, I'd ask ya'
but I think you're sliding north to Alaska.
I don't miss the earthquakes. I'm glad you arrived safetly just in time for it. How do we email you?
Got a new address?
How heartwarming to know you are at your old house.
Later,
love,
Hey Everyone-- Thanks for the comments. We've been busy here trying to make this place into a temporary home. Today it is Friday, and Roger put up wire mesh along the open fencing to keep Bonsai safe in the yard. He got out last night and gave us a scare. He's not the smartest kitty cat around. We need to get him a collar and tags. He doesn't have them at home because he's never anywhere but in the fully fenced yard or the house.
FC-- That is a fantastic bit of poetry. Yes, the pacific plate is slipping under. Ring of fire and subduction zones. We were so surprised to be shaking like that. It had been nearly two decades since we had had such a good shake. It was really wild to be here for it.
Late to the party, but the chaos of work is almost over. Fund drive ends Monday--I should reclaim my life after that.
I'm glad the earthquake caused no harm! Perhaps your dreams become reality, a sort of real-life Lathe of Heaven. If you find that's true, um, I think you know what to try to dream about! 
Beautiful view out your window, by the way, but is it true that there's a part of California that isn't a bunch of decadent liberals having abortions whilst getting stoned on weed and dancing naked? You really can't go out in just a t-shirt?!
The one in '89: I was in school at Virginia Tech, and the professors in the geology department detected that earthquake on their seismegraphs all the way in Virginia.
Oh gosh, earthquakes! It was the Northridge quake that convinced me I wanted to leave CA. I was in Hollywood for that one, it lasted at least 30 seconds. We had some shattered glass damage, and since the power was off and it was the darkest middle of the night, and we were both naked....
I remember the sound of the structures' rattling coming towards us in a wave. After I moved back to CT, I was sitting in the living room when my Dad rattled the newspaper he was reading, and the sound was so similar it had me jumping up to stand in a doorway...
Still and all, I'd way much rather be in an earthquake than a tornado!
Enjoy the adventure. I live in a state that has many eartquakes at different levels everyday. They can get your attention for sure. Stay safe!
There you are! I'm so happy to find you back online and safe in California! I knew from Egret's Nest that there was an earthquake out there- nothing like a little excitement to welcome you! The photos of your surrounds are really interesting and beautiful! This sounds like a great new adventure for the two of you. Rather three- how did the cat make the trip and I trust you've found her some good California cuisine.
What a welcome! There was a Steve Martin movie that had earthquakes in it. The locals just went about their normal business as it happened.
Commenting by HaloScan
