a little shaking and a floating palm

Since arriving on Sunday, we have probably experienced maybe about a dozen aftershocks... a good number of which I have slept through. The first one I experienced on Monday evening left me jumping up and heading to the door, but mostly because everyone around me was doing just that. The aftershocks are sporadic, but leave the Carlin children nervous. We had two last night that riled the kids and had Mike coming over to the building where I am sleeping to check on me and make sure I wasn't too rattled. Before those two, it had probably been about 36 hours since the last one we felt. Frankly, I wait a second before even moving or responding... at which point the noise and shaking is finished. They really only last a second or two, and nothing has even fallen off the shelves yet.

A few of the other details to which I have been introduced. First, there are tiny little ants that are like vultures. They are constantly in the kitchen, finding any and every available crevice to access sugar. They also attach to areas on the counter where we don't wipe down well enough. Yesterday afternoon, I went to get a snack only to see a line leading right into one of the plastic cereal containers. We had to stop everything and deal with that mess immediately. Another aggravation is the random bug bites we all find on our bodies. Apparently these "invisible" creatures prefer joints. They really enjoy the taste of elbows and knuckles. My elbows are currently marked with 19 red spots just from the last 2 days. Finally (and maybe biggest on the frustration scale) we come to the water. Please don't misunderstand me... we have potable (aka drinking) water available in abundance. However the water from the tap smells overpoweringly of rotten eggs. My hat is off to the sulfur here which greets us each time we flush the toilet, take a shower, and wash dishes or clothes. I keep trying to think in terms of hard-boiled instead of rotten eggs (because that seems less harsh), but the smell distracts me from my good intentions.

Early evening, I had a few free moments to myself. I stepped out on the deck and noticed a few young men on the beach, working hard at something. Upon closer inspection, I realized they had something in the surf that looked like a portion of a Royal Palm tree. As I continued to watch, they began to remove planks from the water and lay them up on the beach. I shared my observations with Nicole, and we deduced that they probably had brought the planks some distance by floating them in the water until they met the barrier of the exposed reef and had to carry them past. It made us sad to think about the need that exists where people are choosing to cut down trees and take long-term options away, but simultaneously recognize the need that presses them to that decision. Based on their appearance, chances are these planks will go to creating shelter. Without a home, what else would we do? Without a way to cook food, what else would we do? ...probably the very same thing as these young men...