Michael's mom made a very good point about the recent lack of information about "what carol and michael are doing" these days on the blog since we've been going through our Burning Man photo-journaling period.
So, we're going to return to our real-time updates and interject our little stories about Burning Man as we go.
Most recently Michael has been in Washington D.C. giving a dog obedience seminar for a week-long k-9 cop conference. It has been very well received and Michael and his dog Pi are the undisputed stars of the conference!
Carol has been assistant directing on a play in San Francisco that is about the current Iran tensions. This is the last weekend of rehearsals before the opening, so the pressure is on, which means long hours in a dark theatre.
The dogs are good.
The geckos are good.
And Birdly is fantastic.
That's the quickie update.
More coming soon.
There is always so much to tell you about!
Hope all is well for everyone.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
A Letter From Burning Man
Hi all!
This is a letter we received today from the Burning Man organizers. It's a newsletter called Jack Rabbit Speaks. This is the newsletter that gave us so much great advice as we prepared for the event during the summer.
We thought you would like to read it.
It's a very good example of the spirit of Burning Man.
Jack Rabbit Speaks
Volume 12, Issue 2
September 25, 2007
Has the dust settled yet?
We've (mostly) returned to the office. We're unpacking the trucks. The
DPW began the line sweeps last week, and Black Rock City 2007 has almost
completely disappeared. Wow, we think, reeling back in the "real"
world...*that* went by fast...didn't it?
And it did. A week of unusually extreme weather (even for the Black Rock
Desert!), a double rainbow, a full lunar eclipse...an arson at the Man,
and a chance to watch the city respond and the Man being built
again...more visitors than ever (just over 47K on Saturday at noon, if
you're keeping score), recycling, composting, biodiesel, algae that eats
diesel fumes, engines that run on coffee grounds, bizarre lights in the
sky, solar panels all over the city...and once again, AMAZING art, large
and small, all around the playa. We're impressed, BRC. You did it again.
It was an intense and amazing one, to be sure, in more ways than one. We
got one feedback email from an angry participant who said that our
preparation materials were insufficient because we should have warned
the new folks that there are "horrible white outs EVERY SINGLE DAY"...we
thought to point out that not only does BRC have completely different
and unpredictable weather every year, but some of us actually LIKE the
dust storms...but we figured we'd just make him madder. ;) And HOT! Wow!
It was a treat to run around in NO sleeves at night, for the first time
we can remember since the 90's.
But the weather aside, there is plenty to say about what worked and
didn't in BRC this year. You'll find info below on how to submit your
own feedback. (Hint: we can't do much about the unpredictable weather in
the desert, nor would we want to....and no, we're not planning to move
"somewhere more comfortable" any time soon. Thousands of us actually
*do* like it just like it is, dust and all!) We look forward to hearing
from all of you about your experience...and learning from your
suggestions about how we can continue to adapt and improve the event
next year. See BRC News, below.
There are also images and pictures GALORE, and upcoming Decompressions
across the country, and opportunities to participate in those events and
wrap up from the year of the Green Man. And for those that are still
looking for info on what happened to the first Burning Man on Monday
night, here's a link to our website news statement:
http://burningman.com/news/arsonist_07.html . Of course there's PLENTY
of discussion on the ePlaya since the event on this and all manner of
other subjects, so hop on over if you're itching to share your thoughts:
http://eplaya.burningman.com.
There's more below...and more coming soon... and we know we'll hear from
more folks with images and stories once we get this out -- but this is
a nice JRS dose to get your Volume 12 kicked off. Welcome back to the
rest of your life...340 days until the burn!
This is a letter we received today from the Burning Man organizers. It's a newsletter called Jack Rabbit Speaks. This is the newsletter that gave us so much great advice as we prepared for the event during the summer.
We thought you would like to read it.
It's a very good example of the spirit of Burning Man.
Jack Rabbit Speaks
Volume 12, Issue 2
September 25, 2007
Has the dust settled yet?
We've (mostly) returned to the office. We're unpacking the trucks. The
DPW began the line sweeps last week, and Black Rock City 2007 has almost
completely disappeared. Wow, we think, reeling back in the "real"
world...*that* went by fast...didn't it?
And it did. A week of unusually extreme weather (even for the Black Rock
Desert!), a double rainbow, a full lunar eclipse...an arson at the Man,
and a chance to watch the city respond and the Man being built
again...more visitors than ever (just over 47K on Saturday at noon, if
you're keeping score), recycling, composting, biodiesel, algae that eats
diesel fumes, engines that run on coffee grounds, bizarre lights in the
sky, solar panels all over the city...and once again, AMAZING art, large
and small, all around the playa. We're impressed, BRC. You did it again.
It was an intense and amazing one, to be sure, in more ways than one. We
got one feedback email from an angry participant who said that our
preparation materials were insufficient because we should have warned
the new folks that there are "horrible white outs EVERY SINGLE DAY"...we
thought to point out that not only does BRC have completely different
and unpredictable weather every year, but some of us actually LIKE the
dust storms...but we figured we'd just make him madder. ;) And HOT! Wow!
It was a treat to run around in NO sleeves at night, for the first time
we can remember since the 90's.
But the weather aside, there is plenty to say about what worked and
didn't in BRC this year. You'll find info below on how to submit your
own feedback. (Hint: we can't do much about the unpredictable weather in
the desert, nor would we want to....and no, we're not planning to move
"somewhere more comfortable" any time soon. Thousands of us actually
*do* like it just like it is, dust and all!) We look forward to hearing
from all of you about your experience...and learning from your
suggestions about how we can continue to adapt and improve the event
next year. See BRC News, below.
There are also images and pictures GALORE, and upcoming Decompressions
across the country, and opportunities to participate in those events and
wrap up from the year of the Green Man. And for those that are still
looking for info on what happened to the first Burning Man on Monday
night, here's a link to our website news statement:
http://burningman.com/news/arsonist_07.html . Of course there's PLENTY
of discussion on the ePlaya since the event on this and all manner of
other subjects, so hop on over if you're itching to share your thoughts:
http://eplaya.burningman.com.
There's more below...and more coming soon... and we know we'll hear from
more folks with images and stories once we get this out -- but this is
a nice JRS dose to get your Volume 12 kicked off. Welcome back to the
rest of your life...340 days until the burn!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Some Playa Moments
(don't forget to click on the photos to get a better look)
If you looks closely at the last picture, you'll see Michael on his bike
If you looks closely at the last picture, you'll see Michael on his bike
Friday, September 21, 2007
Green Man
The theme of Burning Man 2007 was Green Man.
So all the artwork was created with that in mind.
All around center camp there were different interpretations of trees. They called it the Mangrove.
Here's a few of them. I'll include the official descriptions whenever I can.
This is the Cultural Park Flower Tree
By Ellen Heine & Evelyn Fasnacht with flowers by Paterson & Oradell NJ school children & community members
This 12' tall tree is covered with foliage and flowers made of plastic, metal and manmade material recyclables such as soda cans, detergent bottles, cookie tins, water bottles, etc. The inspiration for this tree comes from the "Flower Man", an indigent long-term resident of a neighborhood in NYC undergoing gentrification, who has for years, been making such "flowers" to adorn the fence of his neighborhood pocket park, La Plaza Cultural Park Garden.
The piece is a free-standing rendition of this 'green' spirit and it's "flowers" have a similar genesis with the added embellishment of lights in the center of each flower. School children and community members create the flowers for this tree and Participants are asked to add flowers made from their own discards during the Festival. At the end of the Event the tree will be sent back to NYC for permanent installation at La Plaza Cultural Park bringing the inspiration full circle.
This piece was quite touching. The woman is made of branches and twigs.
A Tree Undone
By Josie Schimke
The act of unraveling a knitted object is viscerally satisfying; it's hard to resist pulling a lose string on a sweater, just to see it unwind, and to feel the vibration of the yarn in your fingertips as the yarn pulls against itself, resisting being undone.
A Tree Undone tempts participants with an urge that conflicts with their appreciation of the object itself as they observe within themselves the desire to both preserve and destroy an object at the same time.
The project is an interactive knit and crochet sculpture that begins as a simple tree, standing about 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide, its branches full of crocheted and knitted leaves. Before the event, participants are invited to create and contribute leaves to be added to the tree. On the playa, participants are invited to unravel one of the project's thousands of crocheted and knitted leaves. By the end of the week it will only have strands of yarn hanging from the branches.
Bone Tree
by Dana Albany
Originally created for Burning Man 1999, the Bone Tree returns to the playa to celebrate the Green Man. This mobile tree is made of hundreds of animal skulls and bones, and will move around the playa, emitting its own soundtrack.
So all the artwork was created with that in mind.
All around center camp there were different interpretations of trees. They called it the Mangrove.
Here's a few of them. I'll include the official descriptions whenever I can.
This is the Cultural Park Flower Tree
By Ellen Heine & Evelyn Fasnacht with flowers by Paterson & Oradell NJ school children & community members
This 12' tall tree is covered with foliage and flowers made of plastic, metal and manmade material recyclables such as soda cans, detergent bottles, cookie tins, water bottles, etc. The inspiration for this tree comes from the "Flower Man", an indigent long-term resident of a neighborhood in NYC undergoing gentrification, who has for years, been making such "flowers" to adorn the fence of his neighborhood pocket park, La Plaza Cultural Park Garden.
The piece is a free-standing rendition of this 'green' spirit and it's "flowers" have a similar genesis with the added embellishment of lights in the center of each flower. School children and community members create the flowers for this tree and Participants are asked to add flowers made from their own discards during the Festival. At the end of the Event the tree will be sent back to NYC for permanent installation at La Plaza Cultural Park bringing the inspiration full circle.
This piece was quite touching. The woman is made of branches and twigs.
A Tree Undone
By Josie Schimke
The act of unraveling a knitted object is viscerally satisfying; it's hard to resist pulling a lose string on a sweater, just to see it unwind, and to feel the vibration of the yarn in your fingertips as the yarn pulls against itself, resisting being undone.
A Tree Undone tempts participants with an urge that conflicts with their appreciation of the object itself as they observe within themselves the desire to both preserve and destroy an object at the same time.
The project is an interactive knit and crochet sculpture that begins as a simple tree, standing about 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide, its branches full of crocheted and knitted leaves. Before the event, participants are invited to create and contribute leaves to be added to the tree. On the playa, participants are invited to unravel one of the project's thousands of crocheted and knitted leaves. By the end of the week it will only have strands of yarn hanging from the branches.
Bone Tree
by Dana Albany
Originally created for Burning Man 1999, the Bone Tree returns to the playa to celebrate the Green Man. This mobile tree is made of hundreds of animal skulls and bones, and will move around the playa, emitting its own soundtrack.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The Simple Life on the Playa
Here's a few shots of the logistics of our existance in Black Rock City.
This is our camp. We slept in the back of our Element on a wonderful plush bed and our living room/kitchen was at our feet. We had plenty of shade because we formed a square camp with a central plaza with a few of our dear friends from Bellingham, WA.
This is a view of our daily trip to the ice store. Only ice and coffee can be purchased at Burning Man. (always notice the unusual folks in the background of our pictures!)
And this is Michael in line for ice. His face is a reflection of the long, amazing first night of adventure for a Burning Man Virgin.
This is our camp. We slept in the back of our Element on a wonderful plush bed and our living room/kitchen was at our feet. We had plenty of shade because we formed a square camp with a central plaza with a few of our dear friends from Bellingham, WA.
This is a view of our daily trip to the ice store. Only ice and coffee can be purchased at Burning Man. (always notice the unusual folks in the background of our pictures!)
And this is Michael in line for ice. His face is a reflection of the long, amazing first night of adventure for a Burning Man Virgin.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The First Night
Our first night at Burning Man was an introduction to a new world. After we set up our camp we took a ride on our bikes to explore the glory that is night time at Burning Man.
Here is Michael checking out the archway to Center Camp. It's made of bicycle parts.
This is a picture of the Burning Man version of the popular child's video game "Dance, Dance Revolution" only with this version, if you make a mistake you are shot with a burst of fire. The participants wear a fire suit and are pumped with fresh oxygen but it doesn't make the blast of fire any less scary!
This is our first view of a Mutant Vehicle. We later found out that they are EVERYWHERE on the playa, in the night ,making our adventures even more surreal!
This one was erected on a full size bus! with fifty or more people dancing and drinking to loud techno music as it toured the playa.
And then there's the Cubatron Cone! This is a night time art exhibit that uses mathematical calculations to create a fantastic light show. Here's a couple of pics, and a video.
*Remember, this is on the playa....a dry, desert lake in the middle of nowhere!!!
Here is Michael checking out the archway to Center Camp. It's made of bicycle parts.
This is a picture of the Burning Man version of the popular child's video game "Dance, Dance Revolution" only with this version, if you make a mistake you are shot with a burst of fire. The participants wear a fire suit and are pumped with fresh oxygen but it doesn't make the blast of fire any less scary!
This is our first view of a Mutant Vehicle. We later found out that they are EVERYWHERE on the playa, in the night ,making our adventures even more surreal!
This one was erected on a full size bus! with fifty or more people dancing and drinking to loud techno music as it toured the playa.And then there's the Cubatron Cone! This is a night time art exhibit that uses mathematical calculations to create a fantastic light show. Here's a couple of pics, and a video.
*Remember, this is on the playa....a dry, desert lake in the middle of nowhere!!!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Hello Hello!
Bet you're thinking we forgot about the blog.
But no.
We would never forget about you!
The absence of blog entries has been weighing on our minds almost constantly!
But Alas, life has taken control.
Since we came back from Burning Man we have spent hours and hours cleaning and putting camping gear away, Michael has given a seminar every weekend, (two of which were attached to competitions, so his stay was extended through the week), Carol started rehearsals on two new projects, (Benedictus and The Fairy Tale Players for Golden Thread Theatre), and both of the baby gecko eggs hatched!, then the battery in our macbook died and that's where we keep all our photos, so we had to stay plugged-in in order to use it - which has been crazy because of the little magnetic plug that pops out with any movement.
So, there has been very little time to spare.
But now we are here!
We have returned!
And the mac is charged and full of pics!
So let's get on with it!
First we must tell you of our adventures at Burning Man.
What an experience it was!
Quite magical.
It is a place of extreme survival and extreme self expression.
It was like a Halloween Carnival for an entire week!
So many cool costumes and art exhibits, mutant vehicles, el-wire and neon decorations and every version of clothing (of lack thereof) you can imagine!
And then there is the overall tone of the community. It is a gift economy - so there is no money exchanged and no bartering. Everyone just gives to each other. The temporary city is organized with streets and street signs, so as you wander around on foot or on your bicycle you can visit different camps and chat with its campers or many times the campers greet you in the street with a gift of some beer or mixed drink or a hand-made pendant or a sticker or some other imaginary gifty.
Or you can visit a camp and play on their tether ball court, or roller skate, or play miniature golf, or just relax on their soft pillows and couches enjoying a drink and a fine mist.
But the best part of the entire experience is the sense of openness. Everybody is accepting of everyone else.
There are people from all walks of life doing whatever they want. It's a new world.
During the week we had an eclipse of the moon, the pre-burning of the man, a few crazy dust storms, and a little rain. But it all made the experience more exciting.
We have pictures, but not as many as we thought, especially since a large number of them are proably not appropriate for the blog! And we were so awed by the experiences most of the time that we forgot to take pictures.
But we'll share what we have.
Here's some shots of our journey to Black Rock City.
Packing, driving to the desert, the long line to get in, and Black Rock City under the full moon.
More to come, so stay tuned!
But no.
We would never forget about you!
The absence of blog entries has been weighing on our minds almost constantly!
But Alas, life has taken control.
Since we came back from Burning Man we have spent hours and hours cleaning and putting camping gear away, Michael has given a seminar every weekend, (two of which were attached to competitions, so his stay was extended through the week), Carol started rehearsals on two new projects, (Benedictus and The Fairy Tale Players for Golden Thread Theatre), and both of the baby gecko eggs hatched!, then the battery in our macbook died and that's where we keep all our photos, so we had to stay plugged-in in order to use it - which has been crazy because of the little magnetic plug that pops out with any movement.
So, there has been very little time to spare.
But now we are here!
We have returned!
And the mac is charged and full of pics!
So let's get on with it!
First we must tell you of our adventures at Burning Man.
What an experience it was!
Quite magical.
It is a place of extreme survival and extreme self expression.
It was like a Halloween Carnival for an entire week!
So many cool costumes and art exhibits, mutant vehicles, el-wire and neon decorations and every version of clothing (of lack thereof) you can imagine!
And then there is the overall tone of the community. It is a gift economy - so there is no money exchanged and no bartering. Everyone just gives to each other. The temporary city is organized with streets and street signs, so as you wander around on foot or on your bicycle you can visit different camps and chat with its campers or many times the campers greet you in the street with a gift of some beer or mixed drink or a hand-made pendant or a sticker or some other imaginary gifty.
Or you can visit a camp and play on their tether ball court, or roller skate, or play miniature golf, or just relax on their soft pillows and couches enjoying a drink and a fine mist.
But the best part of the entire experience is the sense of openness. Everybody is accepting of everyone else.
There are people from all walks of life doing whatever they want. It's a new world.
During the week we had an eclipse of the moon, the pre-burning of the man, a few crazy dust storms, and a little rain. But it all made the experience more exciting.
We have pictures, but not as many as we thought, especially since a large number of them are proably not appropriate for the blog! And we were so awed by the experiences most of the time that we forgot to take pictures.
But we'll share what we have.
Here's some shots of our journey to Black Rock City.
Packing, driving to the desert, the long line to get in, and Black Rock City under the full moon.
More to come, so stay tuned!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Whew!
Hi Everyone!
Sorry it has taken us so long to get some good shots and stories of our experiences at Burning Man posted on the blog, but we have been extraordinarily busy simply cleaning up our car and camping gear as well as adjusting back into the "default reality" as the Burners call it. We endured a few wicked dust storms and a short desert rain while we were living on the playa so everything we own is covered in extremely fine, silt-like playa dust. It has been crazy!
This has been our first little moment of pause.
So here's a few pics of our Element before and after the event.
Sorry it has taken us so long to get some good shots and stories of our experiences at Burning Man posted on the blog, but we have been extraordinarily busy simply cleaning up our car and camping gear as well as adjusting back into the "default reality" as the Burners call it. We endured a few wicked dust storms and a short desert rain while we were living on the playa so everything we own is covered in extremely fine, silt-like playa dust. It has been crazy!
This has been our first little moment of pause.
So here's a few pics of our Element before and after the event.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
"Bring an open mind.........and some water"
Hi friends! We're back!
Burning Man.
Yes.
Burning Man.
mmmmmm...
Black Rock City.
Gifts.
Kindness.
Art.
So much to tell you!
Stay tuned as we compile our photos and thoughts.
we love you
c&m
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