The weather continued very dry until the last week of January, and fires became a daily occurrence. We had one quite dramatic fire which burned off the hill just across the gully from us. Tom and Garnett had to go down into the gully to fight the fire and keep it from jumping across to our side. The cattle egrets love the fires though - they arrive by the dozens to feast on roast bugs! Work has continued on Dick and Estelle’s house, and it has been fun to watch the daily progress. JC has continued working on various sewing projects, and Tom has kept working on mosaics. We’re looking forward to all of the friends who are coming down in February, starting with Mark and Janet Mara, who are arriving tomorrow!