Shake, Rattle, and Roll!

At 5:32 this morning, Joey experienced one of those things most Californians are familiar with: His very first earthquake. It registered 4.4 on the Richter Scale, and was centered 15 miles west of Paso Robles. When the earthquake hit, I had just settled down in Mike's recliner, Joey drifting back off to sleep on my lap. I was "lucky" enough to be living in the Bay Area when the Loma Prieta quake hit in 1989 (a 7.1) and in San Luis Obispo when the San Simeon quake hit in 2004 (a 6.5), so I'm pretty familiar with the drill. This morning, however, the drill involved me flying out of the chair, baby in my arms, looking for somewhere to duck and cover - how the heck would I dive under the kitchen table with an infant in my arms? Should I run out the front door in my bathrobe? Fortunately, I didn't have to do either of those things, as the quake was over as soon as it began. I am willing to bet Joey didn't even feel it. He was more upset that I flew out of the chair and woke him up than anything else. The first of what will probably be many earthquakes for him was a total non-event!