For my first blog, I feel it’s best to do something earth shattering, or, in this case, earthshaking. Last night, at a bit past midnight, our condo building began to shake violently. Shelf units rocked, pictures threatened to fall, glasses clinked, and I nearly stained my new boxer-briefs. The best thing about a coastal zone location is the proximity to the ocean. Following a 6.4 earthquake, this no longer is a comfortable place to be. While my spouse returned to sleep, I sat up and listened . . . for changes in the rhythm of the ocean . . . for the sound of people running . . . or cars heading–lemming-like–out of our parking lot. Absent these indications that something terrible was imminent, I joined the wife I was determined to protect in slumber.
I appear to have a knack for experiencing earthquakes, otherwise known as earth-suck. Also, I’ve done tornadoes (sky-suck), hurricanes, blizzards, floods . . . fortunately no locusts as yet. Does this make me unusual? I’d like to know. What are your experiences with natural disasters? Hit me with your best shot (perhaps I should be careful what I am asking).
Hi Mark! Best of luck to you on your new Blog.
While I’ve been lucky enough to not encounter any natural disasters in my life; our neighbor told us a story the other night about all the ice up here in NH.
A flock of turkeys of about 15, decided to fly out of the woods onto his greatly sloped driveway. If they were people, he would have heard “What the”?
The birds landed on the ice; tried to stop and of course, couldn’t ; tumbled down the hill in a ball of feathers; stopping somewhere at the bottom. They all attempted to waddle back up carefully choosing their steps. In Turkey talk, he thinks he heard one of them say “next year, we’re moving to Florida”! For those poor clucks, this ice in NH was sure a natural disaster
That’s a crazy story, Dot. I’ve had my share of run-ins with nature; but, turkeys provide a different twist.
How about you others out there. You must have some natural hazard stories to share . . . rainstorms, tornadoes, frogs . . . let us know.
Hey! A new dish, “Turkey Sliders” 🙂
I once saw a tornado in the distance just north of Albuquerque, NM on my first drive cross-country inspired by my studies with you. My reaction was one of excitement (it was far enough off) and my friends thought I was crazy. Later we saw it on the news and luckily it was small and not disastrous.
Another powerful sight was while I was living in San Diego — forest/brush fires on the hills right up to the roads.
There’s nothing like nature in the raw to give us a realistic perspective on things. One can only imagine how an astronaut looking down at the earth from space feels. Tornadoes, waterfalls, great mountain ranges all produce such feelings in me. So, too, do outstanding feats of architecture. I still get chills thinking about Chichen Itza.
Yes, I’ve always been awestruck by the silent intelligence that shows itself in nature; from the appearance of crocuses in the spring, to the inherent symmetry found in so many places. All like works of art of the formless!