I Have Returned

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by Don Alaska, Mar 1, 2021.

  1. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I am back on the forum after a prolonged absence due in part to a loss of a computer in an earthquake. I have a lot of catching up to do. Hello old friends!
     
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  2. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    It is great to have you back, Don.
     
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  3. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    When you get a chance, and if you feel like it, tell us about what you went through. Just being in Alaska is a spectacular thing for any of us who've never been there, and probably even more so for those who have. As you have experienced, spectacular doesn't necessarily mean easy times. I've been to most of the other states, but I've never been to Alaska or Hawaii. I'm not particularly interested in Hawaii, but Alaska has always intrigued me.
     
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  4. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    I was in Alaska when I was 10, 1960, and my family traveled the state. Before we went, my father taught me to shoot an M98 with a heavy load. I learned to shoot and have a stance so I would move back and still be on my feet after the recoil. It was for protection against grizzlies while fishing. We went to see the state as my folks had dreams of homesteading there. After our 3 month vacation, they decided against that dream so we didn't move. The huge mosquitoes were a factor. The no dark in June was exciting, but the thought of long hours in darkness in the winter somehow overrode it.

    I remember the Alaska highway across Canada was still gravel. I remember getting an orange-flavored Nehi in a glass bottle out of an old arch-topped pop machine in the first town in Alaska after the long trip across Canada. It was 50 cents, but just 5 cents back in Colorado. It tasted so much better paying 50 cents from the money I had been saving for a couple of years just for this trip.
     
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  5. Shirley Martin

    Shirley Martin Supreme Member
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    Welcome back, @Don Alaska . How bad was the earthquake in your area?
     
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  6. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    Are you referring to the one a few days ago or the one 2 years ago? The recent one was not much. It stirred up our well a bit, and a few things fell off shelves, but we didn't even lose power. The one 2 years ago was awful. Some who have been here their entire lives, said, in some ways, it was worse than the big one in 1964, as it was closer to the surface and of different character.
     
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  7. Shirley Martin

    Shirley Martin Supreme Member
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    I mean the one in which you lost your computer.

    We had a minor earthquake in NC a few years ago. I was in the library. Books and other things tumbled from shelves but no serious damage. I have never felt a feeling like it. It was like my brain was shaking. I felt totally disoriented for a few seconds.
     
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  8. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    Oh, the one that eventually killed the computer was a doozy. I was still in bed, and my wife was in the kitchen making coffee and getting ready for work. The lights went out and the entire house shook strongly. It was totally dark outside and wife was in the dark with glass crashing and things falling all around her and she was afraid to step anywhere, as she didn't know where all the broken glass was and she didn't want to get close to any cupboards, as she was afraid of things falling on her. I keep a flashlight by my beside, but it was missing, having fallen and bounced to who-knows-where. I crawled into my closet, where I knew I has a battery-powered lantern, and went down to check on my wife. Once we got a little light, things weren't so frightening, as we could see no walls were down and we could see where to step. We have oil lamps on sconces around the house, but we were afraid to use them due to aftershocks, so we found all the battery-powered lights we could find. I was afraid to use the wood stove, as we didn't know the state of the chimney, but, fortunately, it was not terribly cold--about freezing--so we just bundled up to stay warm.

    It was an experience I wouldn't look forward to repeating, but no one was killed despite several severely damaged building in the area. Just a hazard of living here, I guess. The computer fell off the desk and continued to function for a short while after power was restored, but I think the disk and fans where damaged when it bounced off the desk onto the floor and went through all the power surges. All the TVs in the house crashed to the floor as well, but all of them still functioned afterward.
     
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  9. Terry Coywin

    Terry Coywin Veteran Member
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    Wow, Don. What an experience. Glad everyone was OK.
     
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  10. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    Welcome back, Don! Sorry your life was all shook up!:confused::eek:o_O:(
     
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  11. Bill Boggs

    Bill Boggs Supreme Member
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    Glad you’re back, Don. Quite an event you folks experienced.
     
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  12. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    Glad you are back, Don. Didn't you have another earthquake a few years ago?
     
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  13. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    @Nancy Hart we get shaken by earthquakes fairly often, but most don't cause any problems. We just had a moderate 5+ magnitude a few days ago. The two majors we have had since I have lived here were a 7.9 in 2002 and the 5.9 in 2019. The severity of the shaking is determined by location and depth. Sometimes a 5.9 would cause no issues, but the one in 2019 was shallow and caused building collapses and many of the schools to close, at least one in the are was damaged beyond repair and had to be torn down.
     
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