Penniedarling

Wednesday, February 05, 2020

Photo a Day Challenge - 5.2.2020 - Tell a Story.

Pennie’s Marijuana Story. 4.8.1970

1970 found Pennie and David living in California for 4 months, we'd been living and working in the UK for a couple of years seeing Europe as much as we could in our old London Taxi, then after sending the Taxi home to Australia we sailed from England to Denmark then spent a couple of months travelling by train through Denmark, East Germany, Poland into the USSR across Siberia to Vladivostok, by sea to Japan then by sea again to San Francisco on board the 'President Cleveland'.

David's Uncle Keith and Aunt Virginia lived in Carmel and very generously rented a little home for us near them, Keith born in Australia loved and was very proud of his adopted home and wanted us to see some of it for ourselves, he also wanted us to meet young people our own age so introduced us to many of their friends children.

So here's the story… We are at the home of Doug and Sandy Meyrose in Monterey enjoying dinner and getting to know each other, after our meal Doug bought out this smelly stuff rolling it into a cigarette looking thing, lit it, took a couple of puffs and handed it to Sandy who puffed a bit then handed it to David who did the same, he then handed it to me. Now I've never been a smoker so didn’t know what I was supposed to do with this thing, I saw people put these things to their mouths and make a lot of smoke… so was I supposed to blow into it or suck it? I was very slowly about to put it to my lips when at the same time I heard a very loud noise which sounded as though a big truck was rumbling down a hill and … then the cat screamed and jumped off it's chair racing outside, the trucks rumbling got louder and closer and I thought it might crash into the house, the crockery all started to rattle and I became very scared… Doug and Sandy just shrugged and smiled at us saying… Oh that's just an earthquake!

I never did get to suck or blow on that thing I had in my hand I gave it straight back to Doug!

When Jack and Charlie were sleeping over one night and asked me to tell them one of my 'Stories' I asked if I'd told them my ‘Marijuana Story’, Jack sat up in bed looking straight at me and said… 'Does Mum know this story?'

I wasn't sure, so when I asked her and our other children later, no I hadn't told any of them!!

Jackson has shared this story with some of his High School mates, telling them to be careful because Marijuana can start Earthquakes!!

I found, in among our photos, the Monterey Peninsular Herald report of this Earthquake which happened on Thursday the 4th of August 1970, it registered 4.5 to 5 points on the Richter Scale… Wow! That's Big.