[Leica] The Big One

[drodgers at casefarms.com (David Rodgers)]

Gene,

>>Where at in So. Cal?  I grew up there in the Orange County area.  I
lived a block away from Knott's Berry Farm.<<

I grew up on NorCal. Modesto, specifically. But I knew SoCal pretty
well. I probably swam or played water polo at every aquatic center in
the state at one time or another.  Last week I was in San Bernardino,
watching football when the earthquake hit. It felt bigger than 4.5. The
last quake I felt before that was in Portland a few years ago. Prior to
that was Loma Prieta in '89. I was driving over Pacheco Pass. I thought
I had a flat tire. Then I noticed everyone pulling over. My good friend
was in a parking lot in Watsonville. He said cars were bouncing
completely off the ground. I was at a farm on the west side of the San
Joaquin Valley in the early 80's when the Coalinga Quake hit. I was in a
big wooden barn. I didn't think anything could shake that violently
without falling down. It's odd, but during the 30-years I lived in
California I never worried about earthquakes. Now quakes are the first
thing I think about when I come back for work or to visit. I don't even
like to think about the next big one. 

When I walk into a parking garage, near where I live now in North
Carolina, the first thing I always think is, "Where's all the steel and
concrete reinforcement?"

When I said California apparently can't afford to live in California, I
was referring to the fact that the state may be out of cash in a month.
I have a friend who does contract work for the state. He's worried about
getting IOUs instead of cold hard cash. Yikes! Tough times everywhere. 

My dad's cousin lived about a block from Knott's Berry Farm. We used to
visit there a lot. He was probably your neighbor.

DaveR