More to See Straight Ahead

As Erika mentioned - my morning routine at work was a little different this Thursday: 7:15 am - settle in, check email, sip some coffee, feel office building shake (mildly) from a magnitude 6 earthquake originating 200 miles away! As an "earthquake" geologist I was more than a little excited.

Since Salt Lake City is closer to the epicenter than Reno, where the Nevada earthquake folk reside, my co-worker Greg and our new X-new boss (long story; in a nutshell, he was hired, left after 7 days, rehired 7 days later!) were dispatched to go look for geologic evidence of strong ground shaking (e.g., ground cracks, fault rupture, shattered ground)....basically a "scientific" emergency response. We hit the road by 1 pm. We didn't find much geologic evidence for the shaking due to snow fall overnight on Thursday, but we did get to witness the real emergency response (and media frenzy) and review the incredible damage. Here are a few photos. Certainly a wake-up call to all of us who live in unreinforced masonry buildings, which were hit pretty hard. More photos here.

Where's Da Da?

Well, Chris finally felt his first earthquake this morning. It's about time seeing that he studies seismic hazards! His office shook and swayed but we weren't feeling a thing when he called home to check on Finn and I at 7:19AM. The earthquake originated over 250 miles away, just across the Nevada border, in a small town called Wells. Currently Chris has been sent there for work to see if he can find any surface ruptures or sand blows which is pretty exciting! He'll have to tell the story when he returns (maybe tomorrow) and possibly share a few photos.

Busy Growing

How did that happen?
We didn't take a single photo this entire weekend.

Thursday we headed down the road towards Missoula for a good friend's (Scott Barnett's) wedding. Chris and I were again inundated with nostalgia and the desire to pick up and move back to the place that still feels like "home" after all these years. The cogs started spinning as we began scheming over the one obstacle that always holds us back, "Where would we work?" What is the draw to Missoula? What is it about the landscape, the community, the way of life...? Despite the fact that Salt Lake is a pretty fantastic place to call home we can't help but wonder, "Is the grass greener back on the other side?"
Most significantly though, was the meaningful time spent catching up with many close friends.

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.-- Anonymous

Now that we are back in Salt Lake I have to document a few of Finn's recent big changes. He got his first haircut Friday morning in the hotel room. Chris got out the clippers and buzzed away. He did a great job, especially considering the fact that Finn didn't hold very still. He was too interested in checking out where the buzzing noise was coming from. I can't believe how he instantly looked so much older. After getting his hair cut we went downstairs for a buffet breakfast where Chris fed him his first few Cheerios. They were an instant hit. We snagged a small Tupperware full and fed him Cheerios throughout the weekend.

Driving home from Missoula yesterday I noticed two white spots on Finn's bottom gums. Today his two teeth officially popped through. I guess he was a little fussy yesterday in the car but being in a car seat for 8 hours is a long time so I don't blame him. His other new weekend developments include mimicking; repeatedly saying "da da" and starting to wave goodbye.