Happy Fourth ....

I am a little bummed today. It is just about time to hit the sack here and everyone back home is most likely just getting their partying started. Last night I had a dream that I was back home and we were all getting ready to head down to GW parkway and setup next to the Potomac for a full day of grilling, drinking, games and fireworks. I then woke up and realized that I was here in the desert with no drinking whatsoever and not exactly fireworks. I have no place to complain though, everything is going well, and I can not even imagine what it is like for the guys that have been serving down here who had to leave their families for a year or more. I am fine and I hoper everyone back home gets their party on a little extra for me.

Here are a few pictures that I snapped on my walk to work, notice the "fog", it is the dust that has been kicking up all week; compare it to the pictures from my first day here when it was actually clear. This stuff is nasty and apparently we are supposed to get some big winds tomorrow. I picked up some of the ballistic sunglasses/goggles and a bandana for my mouth at the PX. The PX is like their own little WalMart here on base, they almost have everything you need. I walk just about everywhere, and things are not exactly right next to each other down here, so I figured it a good idea to protect my eyes and lungs since they seem somewhat important.

The base really is not that bad a place to stay. The PX has a lot of the things you would typically need. The chow halls are actually very good. They have a huge selection of well made food and fresh vegetables and fruits. They even have a full blown dessert bar. The only thing they are missing is beer of any sort. I think if I continue this string of no drinking I may have enough clarity to will myself to Fly. I rambled on a bit here, most likely because I am exhausted so I am going to hit the sack and hopefully make more sense in my next post.