Port-A-John Art

This was just posted in one of the heads by our office. You gotta love the creativity (and sense of humor) of Marines!

Recent Sandstorm

I was able to snap this pic yesterday before it got too bad. This was just as the storm was rolling in ... before visibility got too bad. Shortly after I took this, vis dropped to about 50-75 meters.
When it got dark, it reminded me of snow at night ... you know how falling snow seems to reflect what little light there is at night? Seems to me it's the same way in a sandstorm (as long as there's external light -- like from a streetlamp).
In the morning, we had about 1/8" of "accumulation" on sidewalks & stuff. And then it rained! Good thing was, it was a fairly heavy rain, so most of the accumulation washed away and kept the dust down.

Anyone for a swim?

I had seen this pool from the air, but had not been able to find it on the
ground. As we were walking to drop off laundry, I noticed a
previously-closed-and-locked gate that was ... OPEN!
Inside we found the pool and decided to go for a dip ...

Just in case there's any doubt where we are ....

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The boys are together again. Taken at Camp Baharia, Iraq (east of Fallujah). We're standing on top of Uday & Qusay Hussein's disco. The whole compound used to be a playground for those evil men. The man-made lake in the background was dug out of the desert and deprived local fields of irrigation water so those animals could have a place to cruise in their jet skis.

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Blue Mosue in Fallujah

The "Blue Mosque." 

The "Blue Mosque" is a well-known structure throughtout the region, and, I daresay, the pride of the people of Fallujah. One can find postcards and pictures of this mosque as a in the 70's as 80's. Many residents feel it represents the heart of Fallujah, the "City of Mosques."

Fallujah Rooftop. 

You've been ... Thunderstruck!

I just came down from the roof. I initially went up to see if I could see the outgoing artillery (we could hear it in the COC here ... it sounds like too-close thunder). The arty battery is about 500 meters away.

It was an incredible sight up there. The sun had just set, but there was still a glow on the horizon. A thunderstorm was brewing out to the west, with huge cumulus clouds and a little lightning. The wind had kicked up, driven by the front coming through, and there was sand swirling in the air. And then, every 15 or so seconds, BOOM ... the arty added its own voice to the coming storm. You could hear the telltale zooooom of the outgoing 96-lb projectile, and you could see, for just a second or two, bits of powder burning on the back end of the round as it screamed towards its target. Seconds later, the muffled CRASH of the impact, far away. With the thunder, wind, and lightning, it was almost as if -- God, Mother Nature, the Earth, whoever -- were trying to add their fury to our battle.

It was very surreal, and I was glad to be able to see that curious intersection of the potential wrath of man and nature. (and also glad that I wasn't on the receiving end!)