When the Big Unit Smiles...

The Big Unit

... you better capture it on film... or digital media in this case. The Unit, as he's known cuz he shares the MLB pitcher's given name, is a strange bird for sure, but definitely an interesting one who is, for the most part, fun to have around. He spends much of the time people would use for introductions to point out that he's a machinist, not a mechanic, but then works circles around most other mechanics because he can't stand standing still. Ya gotta watch him if he's not working... he can get kind of grumpy... and scary, but we all know he's a big, huggable teddy bear even when he's got that grimace on his face.

Greeting the sunshine and yeah, it gets cold in the desert...

Morning Crew exercises eyelids

On one of our first mornings here, Bob, Cleveland Mike, John and Laurie struggle to keep those lids up outside of the Chief's office while waiting for an assignment. Note that in those early days, only two managed to find coffee.

Mobile Maintenance

Todd goin' Mobile

Yeah, yeah, we've heard it... you never see a mechanic without a cup of coffee in his hand, but mobile maintenance has to start somewhere. Todd and Dewayne "mount up" and get ready to head out to the project site to keep the dirt boys moving.

Clean Sweep

Metaphorical work for the Chief (cleaning up messes)

A little manual labor is good for the soul. That's why I signed on to be A MECHANIC, Laurie! It's also probably why a Chief Master Sergeant was spotted sweeping the sidewalk in front of VM's administrative headquarters. Look at that grip, and the way he leans into it... I'd say he's done this before.

JR, aka...

J Lo

The man with many names, including this new one: "J Lo Patton," takes a smoke break after a tough job. He's also known as JR, 50 cent, Van Loeby and a couple other names that we'll leave off of this site in order to keep it from being weeded out by family-friendly software. This kid's definitely being groomed for something big... as long as he's being groomed (and bathed occasionally) we're happy. J Lo is the first (and last) VM guy to VOLUNTEER for convoy duty. Said he wanted to see the countryside and put his machine gun skills to use.

John & Daryl weigh the benefits of non-dairy creamer

Actually they're probably discussing the plans for the day... or maybe contemplating effective sexual techniques, or how to pick up or drop off laundry... who knows, and why am I guessing when I could just ask them?!

Inland Lake Humor

Boat Parking Only

Only a mid-westerner would think to put up a no-wake sign in the pond that used to be the electrical shop's front yard, VM's front yard, in fact, I think it extended all the way over to the Utilities office. Had I waited a day to take this picture, there would be a canoe tied up to the sign. If it weren't for the sense of humor, we'd all be mad. The canoe sank by the way, in spite of the duct tape repairs performed on it by its new owners. They should have known better than to trust watercraft from Saddam's abandoned fleet.

Cool Water

Motel 6 Reflecting Pool

I promised a long time ago to put up some pics of the results of three days worth of drizzle. This is the view from my room about a week after all of that. Water just doesn't leach into the ground here. So we have prime mosquito breeding grounds all over the place. Three weeks later, some of it has cleared up, but I'll kind of miss the reflecting pool... reminds me of living by the lake. The standing water outside my building is mostly gone, but the low spots are still boot-deep mud with a deceptive crust on top... lovely!