You may remember this photo from a previous post:
Here's the same scene after it rained twice this week:
When I first arrived here I was fascinated by all of the dust everywhere. I thought that all this place needed was a little rain to clean everything off and it would be so much nicer. I was wrong. A little rain makes this place even less enjoyable than it already was. I think the only rain that would make a difference would be something only Noah would appreciate.
We haven't had a normal, everyday torrential downpour to beat back all the dust, but rather two days (Wednesday and today) of light steady, all-day-long rain. Given the volume of dust and dirt here, plus the hard strata under the dirt that doesn't allow the rain to soak in, all we get is some of the most amazing mud I've ever encountered. If you'd like to recreate this at home here's what you'll need:
Normal dirt
Finely ground dirt
Water
McDonald's chocolate milkshake
A five-year-old
Magic
Give the first three ingredients to the five-year-old and let him at it for about 30 minutes or so. Once you have some world class mud, spread it out and then pour a generous layer of the milkshake on top so you have a mucky, nasty layer with a covering of slimy goo. Now comes the magic. Somehow, you have to give this stuff a coefficient of friction of zero (a little physics lesson here) so it is slicker than, as my wife's grandmother used to say "goose grease," and also give it the most remarkable adhesive capabilities so that it sticks like glue to anything it touches. Here's the part that puts things into true perspective: We have it nice here because there are actually some paved roads and sidewalks. I talked with one of my subordinates who's off at a remote location. He said being there is like living on the set of M*A*S*H without the martinis!
Cheers, Pearl
