Portland To NC, Ramadi to... well, Ramadi

Wow, it's been a long time since I had time to even forward a piece for our blog! Now I am sitting at my desk with some down time and I just wanted to let everyone know that Cassidy made it safe and is enjoying herself with Jenny, her family, and friends. It looks like it's going to be a fun "girls" week.:) It's a little amazing to me that I can sit here in Ramadi, Iraq and my wife can give me progress reports on her trip via text message from her cell phone which then goes to my IM account and which I receive on a wireless connection so fast it makes one's head spin.:) I am so glad I live at this time and not when news had to come by telegram or pony express!

All of that to say Cass and the girls are kicking off a week of fun and laughter even as we speak, uh... talk, hmm... er, well I am typing and you are reading - or I WAS typing and NOW you are reading. Bout time you got here. ;)

As for my trip across the outskirts of Ramadi, it was uneventful. i did take my camera and snapped some pictures. I must admit I was goggly-eyed trying to see as much as possible through my humvee window. Yesterday was the first time I had ever been out and about in Iraq in a vehicle. Coming from Kuwait I flew everywhere and once I arrived at Camp Ramadi, I didn't go outside the wire for two months.

My general impression of the city is that it's very dirty, lots of trash. Most of the children we saw waved at us in a friendly way, but then i noticed a couple who were doing this weird thing where they nearly stuck their finger in their mouths. At first I wondered what kind of rude gesture this was, then it dawned on me that they were pointing to their mouths to ask for food.
That little confusion cleared up, I arrived safely at Corregidor.;)