FARMING ON THE TIGRIS

Here is a one of the better farms along the Tigris river. As you can see in some of the fields the water does not make it all the way to the end. The crops growing are corn, milo and vegetables..

BAD BOYS

Who ya gona call when they come for you. This is the Iraq security force. They patrol up and down the roads looking for the bad guys. They wear a mask sometimes so that they will not be reconized, but I think he wears it to intimidate people...

14TH JULY BRIDGE

This truck is on its way loaded with goodies to be donated to the Iraqi people. Here it is crossing the 14th July Bridge. The goodies came from the American people and were well recieved...

GROWING VEGETABLES IN IRAQ

They told me this was a squash plant, and I insisted it was a cucumber plant. So the
true test was to take a bite and see. Sure enough it tasted like squash, but it still looks like a cucumber...

FARMER CO-OP BOARD MEETING

This is a board meeting of one of the farmer CO-OP's. There was one heated discussion about the use of a tractor. It seemed that the small farmer was upset about the big farmer always getting treated better as he used the tractor first...

IRAQI FARMER RIGGED WATER PUMP

Let's see now a car muffler, a pickup truck radiator, and oil bath air cleaner. All it needs now is a small shed for cover and some water in the canal. This is an example of Iraqi ingenuity nothing goes to waste...

COOLING OFF THE RIGHT WAY

This is what I would rather be doing on a hot day in Iraq, cooling off in the river. These kids are swimming in the Diyala river which feeds into the mighty Tigris river which flows through Baghdad. It's almost as good as swimming in the Concho...

DEEP BREAKING

This farmer made one round and quit. He abandoned this field and now it is over grown with weeds. Most of the abandoned fields are due to lack of obtaining water for irrigation. With an average rainfall less than 10 inches dryland farming is out of the question...

A REAL TOWEL HEAD

These guys wet the towels and put on top of their head to stay cool. The next time your out in the hot blisterin sun remember to bring a wet towel to put on your head. Try it sometime it really works...

A HOMEMADE BBQ PIT

This BBQ pit is built from materials provided by mother nature. All you need is cow, straw, and mud. The design is a dome shape with an opening in the front. Guaranteed not to lose its texture and to keep food hot. It also comes with its own "pattie" briquette with real Palm chips...

FAST GAS IN A CAN

Sometimes you may spend hours or even days in line waiting to get fuel for your truck, but if you got the money and do not care about quality then this fuel stop is for you. This guy will fill your truck up and for a small tip he will wash your windows...

AUTOGRAPHS ANYONE

These guys were very interested in how the farmers grow corn in West Texas with little or no water, so I gave them a few names to call and they also were interested in knowing about the crop insurance program, so I gave them a couple of agents to call...

HAGGLING OVER FARM EQUIPTMENT

These farmers wanted all the equiptment to go to their operation. I had to explain to them that I must be fair to all of the farmers not just a few. Judging by their looks they must be use to getting their way...

A PALMAIDE STAND

Driving around Baghdad you will see road side businesses. Most of the items sold are foodstuffs or even gasoline. Long lines of traffic at gas stations and major intersections, the traffic often comes to a halt, making this an opportune moment to sell their goods. This woman is setting up for the day...

A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER

This bridge is over one of the many waterways that connect all the manmade lakes around the Palaces. Some of the lakes are dry now and others the water is going fast...