We're All Ok

The earthquakes affected the southern part of the island. There is footage on TVBS of a collapsed building in Pingtong, apparently there's a little boy trapped inside. There are gas leaks and a rather large fire. There is a graphic at the top right of the screen that says "Live," however I've just seen the same fireman throw the same piece of debris onto the same pile three times. I have less and less faith in the local media. Well, I guess the talking heads are live.

In Taichung, some three hours to the north by car, we felt three quakes. I was in an office on the second floor for the first one, and we were all spooked by the rattling of the windows up and down the hall. I called Maggie immediately after the shaking stopped. She had been feeding Gretchen on the sixth floor at the PNCC and I could hear the other mothers in the room making their "Oh goodness that makes me nervous" noises. I felt the next quake in the car at the corner of Wenshin Rd and WuChuan Rd. To feel an earthquake in a car at ground level is quite an experience. The car did not go up on two wheels, but I could feel shock waves passing underneath me.

I have a flashlight ready to go in Franklin's backpack just in case. There was a third shock about three minutes before I started this post. It was more of a gentle shake that barely had any impact on the beaded curtains.

Coming two years after the Big One that set off the Asian Tsunami, I know a lot of folks must have been mighty nervous. Leica and Frankie are sound asleep.

Gretchen weighs 3766 grams (that's 3.76 kg for those keeping score) and is the favorite of all the nurses in the nursery. I've been keeping my distance as Franklin and I have been battling colds. More pictures before her first birthday, I promise.