[MisterTea]

> * The looming worry that one random whim from Google could wipe out my most valuable data (the photos & videos of my kids growing up).

This is where I would say you need to take responsibility for your data and make a physical backup using Google Takeout. I perform a takeout at least once a year and burn it to archival Blu-ray media. That might not sound convenient but it's the only way to protect your Google data.