Sunday there was a freak storm that passed through Santa Cruz village. During morning it was very hot, probably about 100 degrees, but suddenly in the afternoon the temperature dropped suddenly and then it started hailing and the wind picked up. At least one Maya thatch house was blown down, and complete chicken coops disappeared, blown into the jungle. In Big Falls, 15 km away, we got almost nothing, just a 15 minute shower and a good breeze. It's strange weather to begin with, but even stranger that the dangerous storm was so localized.

Saturday we burned the low secondary growth off the 1.5 acres that we now call Group I. For Maya farmers, and for us, the timing of the burn is important. If you burn too soon then bush is still damp and its does not work. If you wait too long it can rain, making it frustrating to find just the right window. We had chopped this about three weeks ago, just when I arrived in Belize. It turns out we timed it just right with the big storm on Sunday. Here's some before and after pics of the burn, one with Chris. The pictures don't show how hot it was up there.

Also, on Sunday, I moved into my new house, a few miles down the road from the camp and the rest of the crew. It's nice to have some privacy and somewhere to write. Here's a few pictures of the new digs. It's a lovely one bedroom cabana with a hammocked porch and sweet outdoor shower.