REMINISCENCING THE GOOD OLE DAYS

While talking to this farmer he begin talking of another time and place in his past when life was much simplier and things were different. We traded stories of record crop years and I listened as he shared his vision of the future.

TRAVELING SPRAY GUN

This is the hired spray gunner from Baghdad. He will come to your Date Palm grove and spray your date trees for a small fee. His choice of nozzle is a number4 rounded cone tip with a 36 inch barrel. Dubas Bug beware...

SPRAYING DATE PALMS

When you don't have an airplane to spray trees you must resort to using a ground rig, but when you have a tree thats 30 feet tall you have to climb the tree so the spray can reach the leaves. They are spraying for the "DUBAS BUG". It is is also known as a Palm leafhopper...

CORN INSPECTION

Part of my job is to conduct a growing season inspection of the crops. Similar to the duties of an adjuster as I look at the various crops and assess them. Here I am in one of the better corn fields north of Baghdad.

SKINNING THE SHEEP

This is the same sheep as in the previous picture. In this picture the guy is removing the hide. The sheep is DEAD. After the hide is removed they hang it on a hook and sell it to the public...

"FISH" BURGER KING

These fish have the head of a catfish and the body of an eel, so I am not sure what the heck they are, but one thing I do know is that they will come out of the water to eat a good ole American made hamburger pattie. It took them about 30 minutes to completely devour the pattie...

TRIBUTE TO THE FIREFIGHTERS

This is our way of saying thanks to all the firefighters out there who lay it on the line every day. A special thanks to those who have deployed to Iraq to take care of the soldiers and also to those who left to go to New Orleans to help in the disaster...

PUMP REPAIR BUSINESS

This is as good as it gets in a rural area. I am standing in front of a water pump, generator repair store. I asked if he had any problems with getting repair parts and he said only if it was Chinese. He specialized in water pump repair...

SUN BAKED BRICKS

This was a rare sight. Most of the rural people build their own homes out of mud bricks. I suppose this is an art passed on from generation to generation. The soil is a clay so all you have to do is add a little straw and put in a form and let it dry in the sun...

A GIFT OF POMEGRANATES

While visiting one of the local farms one day, this farm boy wanted to show his friendship and all he had to offer were these pomegranates. He made sure he got enough for the whole team and I honored him by taking a picture to show off his pomegranates...

SABOTAGED BRIDGE

This bridge was blown up by Saddam to prevent the American Army to use during the invasion of Iraqi. Little did he know we have Engineers who have portable bridges who can create a bridge. The bridge is being rebuilt by the Iraq government...

BLOWING UP SHEEP

I learned a new way to skin a sheep today. This boy is blowing air into the cut he made in the animals leg. When I first saw this I thought the poor boy was hungry and trying to eat the sheep. He said once he puts the air in the sheep its easier to skin. I guess he was right because he skinned it with no trouble in less than ten minutes...

CORN HARVESTER

How do you harvest corn in Iraq? You buy a pull type corn harvester complete with a corn header & a hydralic seed hopper that is augger fed. The latest design from the State Impliment Dealership. It comes with an easy to understand manual free of charge. Tractor not provided...

9/11 NOT FORGOTTEN

The local baker made a cake in remembrance of the terrorist attack on 9/11. It also commended the brave police officers of the NYPD and courageous Fireman who served during the day of the attack. I thank all Americans for their continued support...

THE ITALIANS UNIFORM

Leave it up to the Italians to come up with a cool looking uniform. They laughed when I told the pattern on their uniforms looked more like a painting than a camouflage pattern. We had a lot of fun cutting up. Later they invited me to their place for an evening meal...

BAGHDAD SWIMMING POOL NEIGHBORHOOD

Not everyone in Baghdad is poor. Some of the more wealthy people have nice houses complete with swimming pools. Just think if you were a kid living in this neighborhood you could go pool hopping...

AL BAT CONE

I don't know how many times I have asked the local people what this is and I have got answers from a grain silo, bird house, to a grave marker, but I would of never guessed it was a BAT HOUSE. Yes its true. In the evening at dusk, when the sun goes down hundreds of bats come out to feast...

TIGRIS EEL

The Tigris river has many wierd looking creatures lurking within its waters, one of the creatures is this snake looking creature which is actually an eel. It seems to hang around rocky places and prefers the dark areas or shade. I am not sure if it is poisonous. It was about 3 feet long...

SADDAM'S BRICKS

How do you ensure your legacy lives on forever? Build statues, palaces, and have your name stamped on the bricks. Saddam had his name engraved on the bricks that build the palaces. It is said that one out of hundred bricks layed you will find his name...

PALACE BRONZE ART

My mom taught me to appreciate the finer things in life like art and bronzes. This picture was taken for her as I still have an eye for works of art. This bronze is in one of Saddams Palaces...

HIGHWAY GARDENS

These small plots are located between the two roads. They are growing vegetables. Where ever there is water there you will find a garden...