Another one down....

Almost two down, two and a half to go. Right now I wish all months only had 28 days. Been away from home for 53 days now...... but who's keeping track anyway.........James.

Just not the same.

Well, at least they have some decent N.A. beers here. It's still kind-of a cruel joke, I think. The Brits here are allowed to drink the real stuff. One of my guys almost cried the other day when he saw a British soldier pouring out a case of REAL beer on the ground. He asked him what the hell he was doing that for, and the Brit said "because it expired a couple of weeks ago, we've got lot's more fresh beer." If only we had those kind of troubles too...... but noooo, they always offer, but we are not allowed to partake. Probably a good thing.

C-Webb's Burlesque show!

There! .....Now you're famous!

Christmas 200?

My chin's don't look like that anymore. Robby and Jonny sittin' in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

View from the top.

Here's a picture of $@%&!*# International Airport from the top of the air traffic control tower. It's about 120 feet up. Nice view all the way around. You can see downtown in the distance. You can also see what we were told is The Tower of Babel. I didn't quite trust the catwalk and railing, so I did a quick 360 around it and went back inside. James

Too tired, more later.

That is where I am laying down right now, in my 8' X 8' slice of heaven. Nappy time. James

Uncle Sugar wants You!

Yes, even over here, we are always looking for some volunteers. Anybody interested? C-Webb not included. They still have minimum height requirements. I am finally able to access internet again, went down for a few days. More rain, and lot's more mud. Julie starts new job in a few days, very happy for her. Got herself one of those sweet gov't gigs. But unlike Austin, she will actually have to do something instead of just taking time off. Mikey should be down in Texas running his marathon right about now. Please leave some puke on their soil in my honor. Hope all is well, try and get a little bit more snow in the mountains if you can though. Kristen, I want to go swimming too. Scotty, when is the rafting trip? Jonny, watch where you step. Pink, sue Tedd. Tedd, sue Pink. POO, change the oil in your bug. Kris, Go Pack. Melisa, keep an eye on Scotty, I think he's up to something. Laura, tell your students 'don't be a fool, stay in school'. Greens, win... or start a fight with the other team. Rob, take some time to get to know yourself better. C-Webb, eat 3! Mike and Elsa, tell Chris the German to lay off the roids, I'm a little jealous. Jay, what's up...seen Paul? J-Boob, pace yourself. Shane, good luck with the business. Erin, wipe the puke off Mikey's chin. Yell, your on! Lori and Kevin, thank you! Mom and Dad, I love you, thanks for all the support. Stan and Kathy, I love you too, how was Hawaii? Kelli, how's your little princess' ...thank Travis for hitting J-Boob in the knee for me. Doris and Steve, How's the warm weather....HA. Heather and Deric, thanks for the blog help, try not to kill each-other. SFD, save the fires for my return please, and not just the park on O'Callahan (spelling) Indy, quit being so cocky about the 'ponies'. Elorza, smack Sully for me, I won't even get into 'The Jones'. Thanks for all your efforts Barry. Eddie, don't break a rib on your sled. Andy, thanks for the help with my pay. Palmers, thanks for helping Roscoe to lose some weight too. Fran, thanks for the prayers and getting that heathen wife of mine to church. Oatley, I want Patron when I get back. Roscoe, be good, no digging. Julie, I love you more than I could ever express!!! Thanks for being so damn strong! You are MY Hero. Anyone I missed, sorry, mud on the brain,james

Flinstone's Village

Found a better pic. of the "Flinstone's Village." Might be a pretty cool place in a different part of the world. I got moved back to station 1, so I'm trying to get used to sleeping with turbine engine noise so close again. Not any mountains around us as you can see. I guess the elevation is something like 130 ft. You can always see the nice plumes of smoke in the distance though. James

Honor Guard

Honor Guard flying the flag. It's nice to see it flown at full staff. We can almost feel it getting a little bit warmer every day here. Should be nice and hot just about the time were supposed to leave. Sunday afternoon in the desert, think I'll go take a shower.....hope the water is fixed. James

Sun is shining.

Well the sun has been back out the last couple of days. In-between rainshowers for a while I hope. Been about 62 degrees last few days. Nights are still kinda cold. Not like home though, so I'm not complaining. Work is good, getting allot done. Almost done inspecting all the buildings on base. Been a lot more 'peacefull' lately, but I guess everything goes in waves here. Hope it keeps up. Looking forward to camping this summer in a tent built for 2 instead of 8. Everything is dusty. Good thing I brought a cheap camera. Think I'm just gonna burn all the things I brought with me that I don't need when I get home. That or throw them away here so I don't have to carry six bags on the way home. Julie, stock up on socks for me please, mine are all turning brown, (even the black ones). Funny story, have you ever been in the middle of a shower, soap from head too toe, when the water pressure goes completely away?...... yeah me neither, until today. Let me tell you how much fun it is to have to walk from the shower naked with soap in my eyes to the sinks. Yes others were busy shaving and brushing there teeth with the now-trickle of water still coming out of the faucets. All kinds of fun to rinse off by hand from a sink. I don't think I'll ever take a shower for granted again. Cold water would have been better than none. ..........Good Times! Anywho my hands are cramping up, I hate typing. More later, James

My mistake

Apparently I was wrong about last post of Route Irish. 'Steve' - ? put me in my place by letting me know that my photo was not of Route Irish, but a tunnel under a road feeding into Route Irish. I never intend to make people think that I am in any more danger than what we are. I don't get my kicks by people worrying about me. I don't want to post anything that is not accurate or that could offend someone, so I have deleted it. I have been straightforward with what my job is here and respect those who have MUCH more dangerous jobs than my own. This blog was intended as a way for me to keep in touch with family, friends, and co-workers. Others obviously may read as well, so I am now going to double check anything I post. James

Station 2 Pranks

That is my buddy Jason, here with me from Reno. This is what we do to entertain ourselves when somedody falls asleep in the middle of the day. It's foaming alcohol hand cleaner. The pile on his head grew over the course of an hour, and he never flinched. He finally woke up after it started dripping down his neck. What a good sport, he didn't come up swinging or anything. But we are all afraid to sleep now.

Sand Storm

Enough Said!

I miss Roscoe

Yes I obviously miss Julie so much, but I didn't have a photo of her on my computer when I left. But I did have a couple of Roscoe. So Roscoe, if you are reading this, go give Julie a hug and a kiss for me. James

Not sure what the building is, but it looks nice.

Here's another photo of a building near the pallaces. Not sure if it's religous or what, but I know it was left pretty much undamaged by the coalition forces. That is one of the man-made lakes. There are a couple of them. Water looks pretty nasty though. We saw a couple of people fishing in them, but I seriously doubt they ate their catch. It is rumored that Saddam had people assassinated and thrown in the water, although it's never been dredged or drained to find out. They have catfish, carp, and a specially bred 'Saddam's bass' living in them. I wish I had my own fish too!

Ready to go shopping!

The other day we went to check out the other bases to see some palaces and do a little shopping. We have to get geared up whenever we leave our compound so we snapped a couple photos. The building in the background is nicknames the 'glass house. I think it was one of Saddam's offices. My base is on his private airport. Still private, just not for him any longer.