Friday, October 7, 2011

Greetings from the Front: Masum Ghar

Masum Ghar, Afghanistan
© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles

Greetings my friends!

I have the unparralelled delight to be able to access a small bit of bandwidth and send a message to all of you!

I am currently in Masum Ghar, waiting on an opportunity to get to my newest base Sperwan Ghar, otherwise known as "Skull Mountain." These are former Canadian bases (Which were former Soviet bases!) that are now American bases, and when we turn them over to the Afghans these bases will be former American bases. It all works out if you let it.

Y'all follow that?

Here are a couple of pictures to entertain yourselves with.

Masum Ghar, Afghanistan, Albert A Rasch


It really is a very pretty area, the river that flows through nearby allows quite a bit of greenery to thrive. It also provides plenty of cover for the insurgents, but you have to take the good with the bad.

Well my friends, I hope to be home in a couple of weeks for another short respite from the trials and tribulations of managing these projects. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to blog from my new post and keep you all up to date!

Best regards,
Albert

Thursday, October 6, 2011

What Are You Doing for the Environment?

How you can help the environment!© 2010, 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

If you were able to do one thing to help our environment and/or it's wildlife what would that one thing be?
Rick Kratzke

The environment...

I am certain you see the abuse we heap on it every day. From trash tossed out onto the roads, to oil spills that dwarf comprehension. Ever wonder how we manage to survive?

Rick Kratzke of Whitetail Woods asked something that we all should be contemplating consciously on a regular basis. He asked, "If you were able to do one thing to help our environment and/or it's wildlife what would that one thing be?"

What a great, though provoking question. I gave it great thought, and decided I wanted it to be something simple, doable, repeatable, practical, and shareable.

When I walk to my local Starbucks, I traverse Uelin Park and the beautiful large freshwater lake that we boat and fish in. The amount of trash strewn around isn't great, but it is enough to distract one from an otherwise idyllic view.

It struck me then, I will stop and pick up trash everyday at every opportunity!

I was already doing it. But I wasn't systematic or consistent. I would do it if it was convenient and it didn't take me too far out of my way.

Now I have made the decision that if I see it and I can get to it, I will pick it up. A plastic shopping bag doesn't take up any room in my pocket, and recycling it as a trash bag is a plus. Every piece of trash I pick up, is one less thing that may end up in the water or woods, endangering both plants and animals.

There is something else I do regularly.

I hate Brazillian Pepper trees with a passion! Every time I see a seedling I yank it out. If it's a sapling, I try to pull it out. I have gone as far as to return to my garage and grab a machete and even the hatchet, and hacked them to pieces. Invasive plant species are as bad as any other invasive species, and those Pepper trees are my pet peeve!  They're not even edible like pigs are.

A mornings haul...

There are two pieces of PVC in that pile, those ended up in my shop, stored in a milk crate with other pieces of PVC. You never know when you might need some.

So my friends, what are you doing to help the environment?

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member:Kandahar Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert Rasch was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.



The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles