Last night, we took the “easy way out” and grabbed dinner at McDonalds. I know, not our best choice, but we’re out in the sticks here.? There isn’t a lot to choose from.? So while we were there, the song “Whole Lotta Shaking Going On” was playing on the sound system.? There’s a song that brings back memories.

In October of 1989, I was in the seventh grade.? I’d just recently gotten my first period.? I had a monster crush on the boy who lived across the street.? My best friend and I loved to take bike rides after school all around the neighborhood.? And one sunny tuesday afternoon, around 5 o’clock (5:04 to be exact, somethings I’ll never forget); my best friend and I had just gotten back from a bike ride to the grocery store.? We’d been running an errand for her mother and were dropping it off at her house before heading over to mine, several streets down.? I was standing in her driveway, we were both ready to get back on our bikes when it started.

First, a rumble.? And then the gentle undulations of the earth beneath our feet.? Having grown up in the Bay Area, we were no strangers to earthquakes.? But the gentleness gave way to some more violent rattles.? I was surprised at how long this was going on, and how instead of tapering off as they usually do, this earthquake seemed to be gaining intensity.? We ran/bounced out into the street and jumped (at least I think we jumped, maybe the earth shaking was making us jump) up and down, laughing our fool heads off.? I could hear things breaking and crashing in the homes lining the street.? Then?? It was over.

That was one big earthquake.? 7.1 on the Richter scale.? Which was by far the strongest earthquake I’d been in, before or since.? It was a while before I learned the extent of the damage, and even that knowledge started as unbelievable rumors. (”I heard the Bay Bridge collapsed!”? “Get OUT!”)? We were lucky though.? Where I grew up was actually located fairly close to the epicenter.? But our homes were built tough.? San Francisco wasn’t near as lucky.? Or Santa Cruz.? Half the water slopped out of our pool, and everything on the shelves in my bedroom closet had fallen out, but we were pretty unscathed.

It was an unnerving evening.? I remember my dad walking around the house, singing “Whole Lotta Shaking Going On”.? I remember we had a Mexican casserole for dinner.? Our power was only out for an hour or so, but I don’t know how fortunate that was since we then proceeded to watch television for the rest of the evening.? And I was able to see the devastation.? Being impressionable, I was unnerved.? At every aftershock (and there were plenty), I went running for the front door.? I don’t think I slept a wink that night.

Thankfully, we had the next day off of school.? Everyone did.? By then?? We were back to being kids again.? Ah, the resilliancy of youth.? They say there are earthquakes in Reno.? I say, “Are you sure?”? In the 11+ years I’ve been here, I could count the earthquakes on one hand, and all of those were pitifully tiny.? But I can’t say I mind being earthquake free for a change.