Hurricane Dean has moved off the east coast of the Yucatan, having hit land as a category 5 with winds over 160 miles an hour. I have little more information than I see on CNN and the Weather Channel about damage to the area.

Happily, I have heard from Kathe, our friend from near Chetumal. They spent the night in a hotel in Escarcega and they are fine. She said she posted an update on my blog but it hasn't appeared. Still, the stories will come later the important news is that they are fine.

Just to add to the confusion I'm in here, my server will be down for maintenance sometime tonight for, they say, 2 hours. Let's hope they are that quick. So, if my blog disappears for several hours this evening, that's what is happening.

I'm also having problems with the cable internet here because of construction on the road in front so I can only get online sporadically. Isn't the modern world grand? More like, isn't it amazing how frustrating it is to lose that connection?