When I was a young boy in northeast Iowa one beautiful crisp winter day I was visiting with my grandmother Anna just over the hill from our farm. It had just snowed the previous night and all was white and fresh and inviting. I recall grabbing a hand full of new snow and taking a delicious mouth full only to hear a rather sharp command from Grandma to "put that down". She went on to explain that the snow was likely contaminated with nuclear "fall out" as the Chinese were doing "tests" - a mere half-globe away. In some small way an innocent bubble was burst and no longer was new snow just new snow. Danger could present itself in any form, at any time.
So what does this have to do with our trip? We are now in the land of "milk 'n honey". The sun burns off the morning fog after a cool night and the waves lap gently at the miles of sandy shoreline. And yet we were reminded at dinner last night of the importance of knowing and adhering to the four S-words: Survive, Sustain, Secure, and Share. Back in Iowa, should a natural disaster strike, such as a tornado or a flood, we would most likely be just fine with two S-words - Survive and Share. That is small-town thinking. Here, where one walks on the ridge of the San Andreas fault line, it is a different story. Danger could present itself in any form, at any time. I wonder if Grandma would have liked to live in California.
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