I have my spanish lessons every day from 8-12 at the Mundo Spanish school . In the afternoons, they offer various “excursions.” On Tuesday, I joined several students from school for a short bus trip to a nearby town at the foot of Volcán de Agua, a volcano that overlooks Antigua. Our tour guide, Filoberto (pictured above) is part of a cooperative of coffee farmers that grows their beans in the hills above the village. He took us up for a tour that no one understood because, well, we don’t really know Spanish (yet!). Nonetheless it was good to get out and about and enjoy the window of clear skies in what is normally rain every afternoon.

Filoberto showed us the coffee plants, they were mixed haphazardly with rows of corn and beans in the steep hills.

Coffee beans.

“Tut-tut, it looks like rain.”

Filoberto did his best Captain Morgan impression and scared the rain off until we made it back to Antigua.

Although we understood nothing, we still listened intently.

We walked back down through San Miguel de Escobar. School just got out, so there were lots of kids around mugging for my gracious lens.

She was a favorite among the group.

And then, I made her cry.

This is my first official day in Antigua, Guatemala. I’m staying with a host family and on Monday, I start a month of Spanish lessons at a local school.

I did a little exploring today and hiked up into the hills to Cerro de la Cruz, a little park overlooking the city.

BONUS PIC: Slug Bug Grey.

Wilson.

Now, Chester.

This is Clare.

Clare, among other things, is my sister.

She’s also a polo player for Cornell University. This summer, I got to watch her play a practice “chucker” at Meadowview Farm here in Michigan.

It’s quite a game.

As I mentioned earlier, I had a bunch of gear stolen on my last night in NYC.

I think one of the things that helped me cope with the loss was knowing that when I returned to Michigan, I would have a brand new camera waiting for me.

That’s right, I bit the bullet, cut my bank account balance in half and got the Canon 5D Mark II. My mother tells me I have to spend money to make money.

If that equation works out, I’m going to make a fortune.

The camera is wonderful. Professionally, I plan to rely on it for shooting video. But, while I was waiting for a new computer and editing software, I’ve been goofing around snapping photos.

This impromptu shoot is a favorite of mine, starring Dan Noe and Jeremy Fix.

This is Chester.

This is Wilson.

They are brothers.

Back in July, my parents brought home two Australian Cattle Dog pups. I’ve been keeping them company for the past month as I serve my “layover” in Michigan before I leave for Guatemala.

They’re twice as big as they were in these photos, which were taken back when they were 10 weeks old.

All this week, the hydrant has been gushing on my block. Today after my run, I jumped in. I checked “play in an open fire hydrant during a hot summer day” off my NYC to-do list.