A deployment trip to the desert is one of the few tropical travel destinations where you are most definitely Encouraged to drink the water ... lots of it. And they make it real easy for us. All around the post, there are pallets full of bottled water, free for the taking. Plus, most offices, rec centers, and the gyms have coolers where you can also get a nice cold bottle.
Reminding people to drink plenty of water is actually part of our pre-deployment training ... I'm not even joking. This time of year, it's not really that big of a deal. The weather is quite pleasant actually (most afternoons the high temp is between 65 and 73). But during the summer time, when the high temperatures can sometimes top 120 F (50 C), if you're not drinking water, you can get dehydrated with a quickness.
I did get a chuckle when I first got here in October. I went into the bathroom near our office, and there on the wall, right above the urinal, is a little chart that helps you determine whether or not you're drinking enough fluids. It's got 3 blocks, with different shades of yellow. You're supposed to compare it to the color of your pee ... then based on which picture you matched up with, the chart tells you how much extra water you should be drinking.
Useful tool, for a serious subject ... but still ... something I might expect to see on an elementary school bathroom wall ... then again, it was a men's room ... and most of our wives would probably argue (relatively convincingly) that we're nothing but big kids anyway. 
p.s. sorry Heather, this place is a desert ... couldn't find any flowers to take pictures of. But just to prove I'm not only about the "guy stuff", just click on this little guy below to see some flower pictures I took in Hawaii:
Todd Morris
Todd, those are beautiful! Are you “aloha”? Hee hee. I’m jealous that you’ve been to HI. I’ve still not been there. I love water lilies – heck, my daughter’s name is Lily. I like that purple thing, too. Thanks so much for the link love.
Okay, so I’ll stop teasing you about being a “man’s man” blogger. But hey, you DID post about your truck. How it felt to ride it. Mud. Do you have a photo of it in your wallet? I know my husband used to pose his first two sons on his cars for an excuse to put pictures of them in his wallet (the cars, not the boys).
I love that pee chart! A former co-worker of mine had a husband on the SWAT team. She said he was obsessed with his pee. He drank gallons of water per day. If his pee was anything other than clear he’d freak out. I wonder if they drilled that into him? I think it’s sweet that the military looks after you guys that way. Have a nice Sunday! (Or Monday?)
P.S. Keep hydrated!
lol .. fair enough, you’re right … I did post about the truck. But no, I don’t have any pictures in my wallet. Actually, I don’t even carry my wallet around here .. I’ve got one of those cool little ID card holders than I wear around my neck … feels like I’m in Jr High School again