I was in the Army for years. I spent 6 years in Army Aviation as a Helicopter Fire Control Systems Repairer and then switched over to MI and became an Interrogator for a few more years. I was an Interrogator in Panama which was fun to say the least. That is how I managed to go to language training at DLI. I was lucky (or not) to change bases almost every year. The only time I spent more than a year at one place is when I extended intentionally and that was Germany. I went to Fort Dix, Fort Eustis, Fort Rucker, Fort Bliss, Fort Polk, Germany (a few places there like Schweinfurt, Wurzburg, Giebelstadt, Fulda), Fort Lewis, DLI, Fort Huachuca, and Fort Davis. I had short term assignments in Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia, Italy, East Berlin, Costa Rica, and more. I was lucky to travel while I was in Europe too and I went to France, Nederlands, Switzerland (the Zugspitz is my favorite spot in the world so far), Spain, and more. I miss the traveling sometimes but at other times it is nice to actually have a home. I have been here for 12 years now and only travel now to Florida, the NC coast, and the mountains in NC. I have been on trips to other cities for seminars and conferences, but other than that, I've stayed put. I can certainly understand you and your family wanting to leave, but keep in mind that here we have hurricanes and tornadoes and I'd be hard pressed to say which is worse...

>I have experienced several earthquakes here that have scared me, and I usually am not scared by much. My wife and I woke up one early morning and our house was just shaking, and shaking and shaking. It seemed as if it would never end.
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>We also have had news that activity has picked up at Yellowstone Park. The magma flow is creating a huge dome under Yellowstone Lake. In one area of the northern Yellowstone Park area, the ground is so hot, 200 degrees Farenheit, that that section has been shut off to the public. It registered at 200 degrees just two inches below the ground's surface.
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>The media seems overly quiet about what is going on there, but people who have been into Yellowstone Park are afraid that a large volcano may be set off someday soon. Oh, and remember Old Faithful? It is off time now as well. Things are changing. I think that the west is a beautiful place and I've driven up into Utah, Idaho and Wyoming a lot; it is beautiful, but as I say, things are a bit unsettling here from time to time.
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>By the way, were you in the Army? I served in the Marines as a Sergeant (Aviation Supply) and later as an officer in the Navy Reserve (Supply Corps). I once applied to become an interpreter while I was in Okinawa, but soemhow the Marines lost my paperwork.
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>Cecil