Jordan

These are some new pictures Dad sent us from Jordan. The phrase at the top is pronounced like a sneeze, "Assalamu alaikum" which means - peace be with you. Dad says the people there hate saying it to non-muslims so Dad and the other guys he is with fool them and say it first. The people there aren't sure what denomination [Dad and the other guys with him] are, after that.

The pictures above include two of the camel auction, a small store they pass on their way to work, a picture of them driving to work, two different Iraqi road signs (they are only a few miles from the Iraqi border), three of a shawarma stand, the area around the camp that they work at, along with a couple pictures of some of the guys Dad works with.

The guy in the blue jacket with the braided beard is Mark Burmingham, who is Irish. Alex Cook is the older guy with the big mustache, he worked for the CIA for 21 years. Roy is the older guy with the weird goatee. Jeff is the team leader sitting down working at the computer. And all of the stuff on the shelves are things Dad and all those guys use to make bombs for their training.

There are also two pictures of a baby desert tortes that they found at the camp there. They put him in a box and gave him to their driver, to give to his kids. Dad named the baby tortes Rudy Jr. Poor little Rudy Jr would not have lasted long at the camp there, because most likely he would've been part of the soup the next day (true story).

Here is a closer picture of Dad at a shawarma stand. Shawarmas are the staple food there. Dad said going to a shawarma stand there, is like going to a McDonalds here. At a shawarma stand, there are big wheels of meat (Lamb) with big layers of lamb fat on top that melt down over the meat. They slice if off, and put it in peta bread with onions, tomatoes and a sour yogurt. You get six for 2.5 denar which is about $3.00.