6.8 Earthquake

February 28, 2001

Things were ashakin' here at Black Pond Farm!  Being in Snohomish, we are a good hour drive from Seattle Washington, but felt the 6.8 earthquake that packed a serious punch!

Let me stress that all is well here at the farm.  I've been told that our home is a great design in the event of earthquakes.  It's a simple rectangle shape with a daylight basement.

Having a cabin style home means that we have lots of heavy objects up high that could pose a real hazard.  (We keep that in mind when we hang them, but STILL...)

I was home with the kids when it hit and wasted no time, I scooped them up in my arms and headed for a safe spot -- in the bathroom doorway.

The whole house vibrated violently as I exclaimed to Erin, "Look!  The ground is shaking!  Isn't that FUN?"

Apparently, my attempt to keep her calm was a flop.  She cried, "I don't like the ground shaking!"

Both Erin and Preston screamed through the whole thing, but as I stated before, nothing was broken and nobody was hurt.  

I spoke to Tim shortly after the quake.  Microsoft had sent their employees home and he was on his way to pick up any emergency supplies we might need.

He told me that he and a coworker were walking over on a "coffee run" when they felt the earthquake hit.  Tim said he experienced a strange lightheaded/dizziness sensation.  We wondered if it was a bazaar type of motion sickness.

After I hung up the phone, I opened a window in the living room and hollered, "Malty!  Paddy!  Extra Stout! Kaylee Cow! PaSue! Ziggy! Brittany! STOUT-STOUT-STOUT!"

Tim shared my concern that the highland cows may have become frightened and broke through the fencing.  It took two tries, but after a few (long) moments, I spotted the horses.  They looked puzzled as to why I was calling them to the house,

 "Hey!  Where's the treats?"

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Adventures From Black Pond Farm

Those moose antlers are big and HEAVY! The elk antlers on the wall with the saw are from Tim's Grandfather.  They are dated back to the 1950's from Helena Montana. 

The caribou antlers in the kitchen were used for props in the "Northern Exposure" television series. They are huge and would be dangerous if they fell!

The cows and horses were happy to see Tim.

Erin will have her 3rd. Birthday in May.  Preston is almost 16 months old.  They were very frightened and confused. However, we had some ice cream cones afterwards, which made them feel, "All better!"