It Looks So Quiet and Peaceful … NOT!!

As it happens, we had quite a beautiful sunrise yesterday morning and, since I was up early, I snapped a photo. That mountain just above the treeline is Maui’s dormant volcano, Haleakala, which translates as “the house of the sun.” Doesn’t look it, but up there at the summit the elevation is 10,080 feet.

Last night, at 8:39 our time, somewhere about 10 miles in that same direction and down deep, Haleakala burped. There was a jolt and a thud and just outside in the pasture I could hear one of the horses snort and jog around for a few seconds.

The paper this morning reports it was indeed an earthquake, measuring a modest 3.5 on the Richter Scale. Barely worth mentioning … unless, of course, you were here to feel it.

I’ve been through several earthquakes, thankfully none severe. Two in Los Angeles while passing through, the other three here in Hawaii. One that occurred a couple of years ago was centered on the Big Island and did something like $100 million in damage there. We were shaken for several seconds, but that was all.

Still, it leaves you with a feeling of unease … aware that it can happen at any time, aware of the imense power that can be generated, and very much aware that there’s really not a damn thing you can do about it.