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!