I love California
I was just sitting in my family room, enjoying my cereal and watching tv when I felt the whole back of my house shake for a couple of seconds. It was an EARTHQUAKE!! Ever since my first earthquake experience in 1989, the big Loma Prieta Earthquake, I can remember what I was doing and where I was during each experience. Each time I feel an earthquake I get so excited. I know that for people outside of California earthquakes can be a scary thing, but they should know it really isn't. I've lived near the fault line for most of my life, and it's just a lot of shaking. :)
Evidently the earthquake's epicenter was located about 30 miles south of me, so I wonder what it felt down there. For this small earthquake I was reminded that our house was built on these things which I can only describe as tracks that you would see on the side of kitchen drawer that allows the house to move laterally. (Oh how I love buildings!)
With that said, the first earthquake my family experienced (if I recall correctly) was the 1906 earthquake that my great grandfather experienced. The Great 1906 Earthquake left San Francisco in shambles, with most of the buildings collapsed or burned down. My great grandfather claimed his documents were in City Hall (which had burned down)... so that's the story of how my ancestors got their citizenship. Woot!
And because no post is interesting without a picture... Here's a picture of parents when they first got married. My dad was my age, 25, and my mom was 22. Can you see the family resemblance?