We are working hard down our first pilot hole. The work is fairly slow, as we are encountering a lot of problems and unexpected lithologies that make for slow drilling. In particular, we are finding a number of thick (maybe 0.4 m) volcanic ashes, likely corresponding to eruptions from North Sulawesi. This is great news for the project, as the tephras should provide very important age control points and will let us ask a number of important questions: What are the impacts of major but distant eruptions on Towuti ecosystems? How frequently do major caldera-forming eruptions occur in Indonesia? It has been hard to adjust for the large changes in hardness and density between these tephras and the soft lake sediments, but the drillers are learning how best to adjust. We're now ~70 meters sub-bottom after 2 days, and the pace is accelerating. After this first pilot hole, we should be able to do a good job on the subsequent holes. We're also working to establish a routine. For me this is wake up at 3:30, deal with any coordination or billing issues from abroad, breakfast at 4:30, a crew shift change starting at 5:30, and then coordinating between the lab work and other groups until the cycle repeats (dinner at 4:30 PM, etc...). (TDP on facebook)