The house on the hillside is looking very vulnerable after the hurricane ripped out the trees and created a small landslide. Of the people who died as a result of Hurricane Dean, many were the result of mudslides.

Hurricanes and volcanoes... Canadians are so blessed they don't have these natural disasters to worry about (except for Mt. St. Helens that is).

The French islands are very French so we are at a disadvantage as we've been studying Spanish, not French. To some sailors visiting these islands is frustrating but we find that most islanders try to communicate with us though they have limited English abilities and they are very polite and kind.