A dry day

We had a respite from the rain today. We awoke to brighter skies, though still mostly overcast. For a good part of the morning we were able to see some of the more distant islands and even some of the mainland, although the mountains remained obscured by the thick clouds. There were even a few sunbreaks that illuminated parts of the landscape such that they glowed against the rest of the landscape. Toward noon though, more clouds rolled in although the rain has stayed away.

Both our cats have gone out for a walk the last couple of days. Stripey is not to keen on it however. He does not like all the wet on the ground. Vivvy, on the other hand, appears to have adjusted to the fact that the ground is simply going to be different from what she has experienced in the past. She spent quite a few minutes on her leash today exploring the varieties of ground around the apartments.

The clouds, fog, and mist that make their way through past our front window is absolutely fascinating. I could spend hours watching the different forms and shapes pass by. They mold and wrap around the hills and trees. Some of the mist appears to rise out of the hill itself. All this reminds me again of the account of creation, particularly the first few verses and where the Spirit of God hovering over the waters is mentioned.

I bicycled over to the church to sort through mail that had been accumulating for 2 or 3 years. Most of it was dated material or junk and were tossed. A few items I uncovered that need to be handled soon. After that I returned to the apartment via the airport and scenic route. Even that was only four miles long.

Our phone got connected today. It turns out that the phone co had tried on Fri but they found an active line already and we had neglected to leave our cell number, so they couldn't connect the new number until I called them back today.

I also signed up for a dial-up account. It is supposed to be activated today - we'll see. As for a faster connection, I'll probably go with the cable system. The dial-up will remain useful for connecting from the church. On this island all broadband access is metered by the amount of monthly data transfer, except for the much more expensive satellite service. There are no big pipes (apparently) connecting the island to the rest of the data world. So we are also on a virtual island where the routes in and out are limited.

Elise and the kids walked into town this afternoon, their first excursion on foot since our arrival. Elise discovered that another person in town needed a dehumidifier and that individual was going to have one of the hardware stores order one. So it looks like we will do likewise. Keeping both the kitchen and bathroom vents running, plus keeping the windows cracked open also seems to help a tiny bit. We have to watch the windows, however, because the cats can push them open and make an escape attempt.

All in all, it's been an interesting few days.

Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.