[stowlin]

A client. I was a personal financial advisor for what is called a boutique firm in the SF Bay Area. In the 08/9 crash I did well for me and my clients. One helped me to buy a condo in SF. It was my first and only home for some time, but I’d grown up on a small farm and missed the soil. My client got me into sailing. Its a very affordable sport until you buy a boat which I didn’t until 2013. We then sailed in the Delta and he had islands in the Delta mapped out where he’d planted orange trees, grape fruits, some almonds, and peaches. He taught me about leaving packages on islands for SHTF. He challenged me and my wife one day to a challenge. Go from your condo out the golden gate in your boat with everything you need to survive in 60 minutes. I said easy. It wasn’t. The bet however was one sided he just wanted me to learn how to do it, and we eventually did. He still lives in SF. We bought some farm land in Ireland and relocated there. I feel safe there I just have to return to SF quite often. The travel always concerns me now.

 

[Trihonda]

My background:
I was raised (to a small degree) by an extreme libertarian constitutionalist, who was an expert in survival and nuclear radiological defense. My dad, no longer with us, was THE guy to have along during an apocalypse. A Jack of all trades, he was a genius and even invented a role playing game in the 80’s called “Survive”. Lol. He instilled in me that boy scout mantra of always be prepared. That said, I gave up that “survivalist” mindset many years ago, but never gave up the Boy Scout…

I’ve worked in many emergency preparedness fields throughout my career, from an emergency responder (fire/EMS/police, etc) to actual gub-mint “Emergency Management”. I’m well rounded in my abilities, but I have a healthy respect for the knowledge and skills I don’t yet possess.

While I’ve always had lots of “gear” (Boy Scout mindset), I experienced an awakening (like most people) with the events of 2020. These events really showcased the need for more formalized “preps”. I worked to shore up food, security, communication, and a network of close knit people for immediate support