Hillah, Iraq.
We spent most of today waiting. The intel guys had a lead they were developing, so we had to stand by in case something was workable. Things didn’t work out, but it was okay as I got other stuff done. Firstly, the chow hall:
It is a poor picture, I know, but I am not taking another as I felt like a dork taking a picture of the chow hall. As you can see, rather nice if not institutional. The big news is that chili mac’s bold move to the main food line has been smashed by the arrival of chicken curry. And the chicken curry is pretty dang good.Now, about drink boxes:
These coolers are normally fully stocked with drink boxes of grape juice, grapefruit juice, apple juice, orange juice, fruit juice mix, milk, chocolate milk, strawberry milk, and banana milk. Behold the power of this fully armed and operational drink box cooler. By the way, there is another set of coolers on the other side of the chow hall. They are generally restocked every other day.In the down time today, I managed to get myself involved in a beautiful project. One of the SF guys really wants a pool. I mean really wants one. So much so that he has secured one of the giant pieces of plastic that goes underneath the fuel blivets. Fuel in camp is kept in giant heavy grade plastic blisters that look a lot like a water bed mattress or the bottom part of a moon jump. They put a piece of heavy grade rubberized plastic underneath the blivet in case the blivet leaks.
Digging a hole for a pool is a problem, although not a big one with all the heavy earth moving stuff in camp. The SF guys were trying to figure out how deep to dig the hole to line with the massive piece of plastic in order to make a pool. I suggested that as they dig, they pile up the dirt to make a berm, thus requiring them to dig (in theory) only half as deep. I was immediately appointed to the project committee.
When they showed me where they wanted to place the pool, I noted that the area is bordered on two sides by large heavy duty cardboard boxes (called Hesco containers) filled with dirt. These dirt filled boxes are used for barriers. I suggested that we get more Hesco containers, and use those to make the pool. I think we can clear and level the ground, drape the plastic and tuck the ends into the Hesco containers, fill the containers with dirt, and then fill the pool. The SF guys were psyched, and have already ordered more Hesco containers. Fill dirt is definitely not a problem. We will need a pump, and I figured I can make a filter of sorts out of a 55 gallon plastic drum and the wealth of sand and gravel, although I will need my Beautiful Bride’s help on that one. We can get chlorine and pool shock stuff through the Hadjimart. Oh, and we will also need a boatload of water.
I will need to do some calculations, though. A Hesco container is 6x6x5 high,so I need to figure out how much 180 cubic feet of dirt weights. Also, the pool is going to be 8 Hescos by 5 Hescos by about 5 feet deep (the SF guys want a rope swing and to be able to jump off the roof of the C-Hut under construction, so 5 feet deep ought to do it), so I also need to figure out how much 7200 cubic feet of water weighs, and if the Hescos will be able to contain that much water. Shouldn’t be too hard.
Either way, the pool will be the talk of the camp if we pull this off.I also noted that we will need some potting soil and hibiscus plants for the top of the Hescos, but first things first.