The long road to lower Carolinas

Discovering the Carolinas is difficult--it always seems to be a much longer walk, as there is only a couple of ways to get there (I think I walked about four miles today, most days I walk two or three miles). Most of the roads along lower Carolinas are empty of homes. I have found only a handful of homes built along the entire base of this large hill. Some side-roads seem to go to small farms or gardens, and some areas seem to have been prepared for a home, but no home has been built yet.

I passed the area where a fire had burned the hillside a while back. I didn't recognize the area at first because it had already grown back! I was astonished at how fast a completely black, and burned-out area had turned completely green again. The only way you could tell a fire had been there was one small tree that still had burn marks on it.

Terri is back on call for a while, as Dr. Toledo and Ernie are on a trip to the Philippines to interview someone for a position in the hospital. They are doing their best to try to improve the hospital and its services, but it is a long road... I guess they are also trying to get a dentist to come to Tinian (now, we get a dentist for a couple of days a month, or we send people to Saipan).

The weather has suddenly turned very hot. When reading the paper, the temp hasn't risen much, but the feel outside is clearly much hotter! We are using our air conditioner more (we have seldom used it since we got here in December, usually using just a fan). But now we are using it most of the afternoon and evening (we still just like our windows open and a fan at night). I also seem to get burned more easily...which isn't saying much! As a red-headed white boy, the sun has never been my friend. You would think that after six months of being on Tinian and in the sun, I would be able to stay out in the sun for a little while without getting burned--but no luck! If I am out in the sun for more than about an hour or hour and a half, without sun screen, I start getting red. Oh well...