Fine, fine, pictures

Fine, you want pictures? You get pictures. Never let it be said I don't listen to my audience. :)

From 2010-11, Desert

Playing lots of scrabble with the Vegas family before I left. This is a game Ray and I did. Thems some big words!

From 2010-11, Desert

I really dislike being hungry while having to do these work-out-in-the-field, things. So I mostly brought my own food with me wherever I went. Probably saved a bundle of money this way, too. The fridge was too cold, though. It kept freezing my milk and cream cheese.

From 2010-11, Desert

This is where I spent most of my time. We set up our sensor in the back of an SUV, powered off an inverter connected to the alternator. Then we just let the car idle all day and used it to power our computers. Neat, huh? Mostly just sitting in a car for 4.5 hours a day, though. Unless something needed to get fixed, then it was exciting. But boring success was the norm for this trip which is good news, I guess.

From 2010-11, Desert

Fake Afghanistan from up on the hill where we were collecting. By the by, all these pictures were from my cell phone. Pretty neat, huh?

From 2010-11, Desert

There were a *lot* of these driving around. Though not nearly as many as the humvees.

From 2010-11, Desert

Painted rock. Everyone who comes here paints their battalion's symbol on this rock or another nearby one. Neat tradition.

From 2010-11, Desert

Who *is* that handsome lad with the dorky hat?

From 2010-11, Desert

Rattlesnake! Glad I saw him. I'd have taken a better pictures, but my camera doesn't have a very good zoom, and I didn't feel like getting any closer. You understand, yes?

From 2010-11, Desert

Welcome to fake Iraq! Would you like some fake concrete barriers that are actually made out of styrofoam and have blown over in the wind?

From 2010-11, Desert

How about this totally cool-looking fake mosque in the morning sunlight?

From 2010-11, Desert

Fake buildings made out of shipping containers with fake crenelations? How about that fake hospital down at the end of the lane there?

From 2010-11, Desert

I doubt any of these fake, yet expertly messy, phone lines is carrying anything. And I doubt they sprung for the full Sports package on that satellite TV.

From 2010-11, Desert

Check out all these props. Mostly old, junked computer cases and rusted-out bicycles. Certainly adds to the ambiance, yes?

From 2010-11, Desert

Would you like some fruit OH I FOOLED YOU it's also fake. Look closely. You can actually see how it's all molded out of foam. Except for the Bananas and Watermelons. They're just wooden.

From 2010-11, Desert

UXO. Do not mess with. These things were *all over*, though this is the biggest one. Again: taken from a significant distance.

From 2010-11, Desert

Fake Afghanistan from up on the hill. You can see our car, too.

From 2010-11, Desert

Down in fake Afghanistan now. Not as cool looking, but much larger, and still under construction. Concrete buildings, too.

From 2010-11, Desert

Fake Afghanistan also has its own mosque.

From 2010-11, Desert

And finally, this is what you can do when you're out in the desert and bored, but don't want to disturb *too* many rocks because they might be on top of critters or UXO.

You can click over to the album to see a few more pictures I didn't include.

-N