Improved weather...

Woke up this morning at 0500 and saw a sky full of stars and the partial moon for the first time in almost four full days. The weather system had broken. Last night we knew things were improving because we heard a pair of Blackhawks buzzing the base, coming in for a refuel.

Today the sky is clear and the mountains that enclose the valley are completely snow-covered. The air is cold and hard, and it reminds me of the dry winter mornings in Utah and Colorado. It would be a good day for skiing if I were someplace else.

People are making attempts to bring holiday cheer to everyone at the FOB. There is holiday themed decor in the chowhall and a variety of inflatable cartoon characters in Santa suits here and there. The chapel, which is near my hut, blasts looping Christmas music for about 12 hours a day. It's mixture of Christmas cover tunes by random artists. It really reminds me of outdoor malls in December-- the background music that rises and falls depending on which direction the wind blows, but it's always there. They had mercy and turned it off at about 8pm last night.