Welcome AfghaniDan . . .

One of the few happy consequences of the war in Iraq has been the proliferation of blogs by Iraqis and U. S. troopers alike, but that same cannot be said of the war in Afghanistan. (Yes, there still is one.)

An exception is AfghaniDan, a captain who is working as a public affairs coordinator with the U.S. forces in Jalalabad. His blog is not frontline, blood and guts stuff, but so what? He's really into photographs (here's Dan and friend Sharron) and you can almost taste the dust in some of the pics. He's also funny.

A typical post:

Looking for that perfect Memorial Day vacation spot? Do you want strong sun, unpredictable storms and incredibly starry nights, without the crowds or bodies of water nearby? Then brother, have I got a deal for you! While not as scorching as Jalalabad, Khost is also quite a toasty place by mid-May, and surprisingly humid. And with that comes almost-daily thunderstorms. The storms here take on some different characteristics from most t-storms I remember from home, especially when they approach. Lightning is often pulsating rapidly around the sky, putting any strobe light show to shame with its random but constant flashes and glows. Thunder is usually a steadily rolling rumble, without pause . . . then it all comes sweeping in, and the place just gets totally lit up with whipping wind, deafening crashes, and even hail. The baseball-sized hail we got pounded by the other night did a lot of damage, in fact even the guys I talked to from the plains states and the southeast said it was some of the biggest they've ever seen.

Give AfghaniDan a shout. And tell him that Kiko's House sent you.