Site Visits

 

 

It's been a pretty busy weekend.  Went to the PX on Saturday for the first time.  They only allow 4 people in at a time and only had basic items:  soap, toothpaste, chips, socks, shaving cream, smokes and chew, and some aspirin.  Not to much to choose from.  We stopped at the Afghan bakery and had some Nan and Chi.  Besides Corps projects there are a lot of other projects where we are paying Afghans to build things like water towers, wells, green houses, etc.  One of the local Afghans that visits us was at the bakery telling us about how the Taliban tried to blow up some of the green houses he was building.  They damaged 4 of the 6, but not to the point that they can't be repaired.

About 1740 another explosive got lobbed onto the FOB.  It was pretty loud so it must have been nearby.  The warning crew did a much better job today, they sounded the alarm within a minute!!  I spent the rest of the evening messing with the GPS I got from our supply and getting ready for our site visits.
This morning we loaded on to a MI-8, an old Russian Helicopter, and did some site visits.  I added a bunch of photos in the photo section.  I tried to get them into a folder but I apparently hit the wrong button so they are lumped in with the rest.  Our day consisted of flying to a FOB and dropping off a couple of people, fly to a site and circle while we took pictures, fly to another FOB and got out to inspect a site, fly to another FOB and meet with the Corps office and look at projects, fly to a road project and circle and take pictues and come on back home.  It was pretty fun hanging out the door and takin pictures.  Well, it was more like holding onto the door handle, sticking my arm and head out and praying I didn't fall :)  But, the pilot held a nice steady path so all was well.  I added some photos of random houses and things I saw along the way.  Hopefully on the next trip I will have the camera setting fixed so I can get some better pictures.  Oh, I also marked the FOBs with the GPS in case I ever get lost I can find some friendly people....that's the plan anyway.

We got back in the afternoon, caught up on some work and relaxed.  The day kind of wore everybody out.  AND, to welcome us back the artillery decided to give us a flare show and send fired off some rounds.  It's always better outgoing than incoming.

HOME FRONT NEWS:  Katy caught Christian dragging blankets and pillows into the living room.  When she went to investigate she discovered the couch piled high with blankets and pillows.  Perched on top was the small child rocking chair we keep in the kitchen for Lily.  When Katy asked what he was doing he replied that he was making Santa a bed, hoping that when he came he would spend the night.  To top it off, he was on his way to get some milk to put up by the rocking chair.  Lucky she caught him when she did!!