madbaker | (no subject)

bonacorsi and I went with the upstairs neighbors to Lotta's Fountain this morning to observe the 102^nd anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire. For those not steeped in Bay Area history, the fountain was a central meeting point (and available water source) in the immediate days after.

This year there was only one survivor present, a 105-year-old gentleman who still works a few days a week restocking shelves at Andronico's. The mayor and fire chief were there, along with about 100 people - a far cry from two years ago, but about the right size to commemorate in a "locals" fashion. (Speaking of, I was vaguely tempted to go get Hangtown Fry for breakfast, but we went out last weekend so I had cold cereal.)

Although with Daylight Savings moved up, I think the 5:12 AM sirens were an hour off...

I posted this two years ago, but it's due for a re-linking. A letter my wife's ancestor wrote a couple weeks after the quake describing the things he saw first-hand.