They are pushing rocks around in preparation for the rainy season. I wouldn't wish Iraqi mud upon my worst enemy...or maybe I would...

First they put down some fabric, for some reason.

Then they put rocks on top of it.

A word about the weather:

It is FREEZING here! A cold front blew in Monday, and it is downright nipply here! I have to turn the A/C off at night now, in my trailer, and it has been so cold the past two mornings that I have turned the heat on! I actually wore long sleeves the other day for my morning run! I think it has been dropping below 50 at night, and it is 50's/60's in the morning. We barely need our A/C during the day at work.

With the cooler weather comes the threat of rain. November is usually when the first rains fall, and rain in Iraq is a complete mess. The sand is like talcum powder, and adding water to talcum powder creates the world's stickiest, nastiest, slickest mud. I hope I get out of here before the first rain hits. I have my Wellington boots, just in case.

To prepare for the rainy season, KBR has started spreading the gravel around. Right now, it is just in strips, like sidewalks. That means people will walk through the mud in front of their trailers to get to the sidewalks, and then they will cover the sidewalks in mud. Just a prediction. And the bathrooms and showers will be full of rocks and mud because of the inconsiderate people who wash their boots in them like pigs. You wouldn't believe how nasty some people can be.