 |
Album:2008:08-22 Burning Man
|
|
Burning Man number 8 for me. A very ridiculous burn this year. Ah.
This year the theme was "American Dream"
I had some plans for exercising Eminent Domain on other camps, but
a secession from the USDA union made that less feasible. Ah well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BRC from space
(the red line in the bottom right is my bus) [from gigapan.org] ( comments)
|
Our camp from space
[from gigapan.org] ( comments)
|
Half of the house,
prior to loading ( comments)
|
The bus from the back..
( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
..much simpler and open
considering the lack of a theme camp to support/build. ( comments)
|
The beautiful open playa
( comments)
|
Down the Esplanade.
The playa surface was horrible this year, with soft dunes everywhere that made biking and scootering very difficult. Not a good year to have an injured foot. ( comments)
|
The Babylon tower in the distance
( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ari, looking like a cheerleader.
( comments)
|
Ari, looking like a grumpy bear.
( comments)
|
A less grumpy bear.
( comments)
|
Sooner or later,
a jazz song comes on. What're you going to do? ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Playing on the swing set
with Ari's camp (Flying Monkey) ( comments)
|
Preparing for Propane Soccer,
we light a torch to burn off some propane [photo Shannon] ( comments)
|
Shakin' my thang
into the propane. ( comments)
|
Preparing for Propane Soccer,
I heat up my kevlar suit. Okay, so it's not needed for prep, but it's fun. And I did it once without goggles and managed to curl my eyelashes and got a small burn above my eyebrow. Oops. ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Running through the torch
[photo Shannon] ( comments)
|
Disco Dan
kicks his creation. ( comments)
|
A kick across the field.
( comments)
|
Ari kicks the ball.
[photo Shannon] ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shannon kicks the ball.
( comments)
|
The man,
with many flags this year (theme: "The American Dream") ( comments)
|
Excellent.
Proposed Land Use Action on the Temple land. ( comments)
|
The temple,
Sagrada Basura ("Sacred Trash") - made from recycled/trash materials. ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Double helix stairway.
( comments)
|
Climbing the excellent "ME" throne.
( comments)
|
Somewhere this man
has the opposite of this photo. It would be nice to reunite them. ( comments)
|
Viewing the Temple from the ME throne
( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A massive Hummer statue
( comments)
|
And at the very end of the playa,
a bunch of Teepees. Fantastic. ( comments)
|
And just a tad past that,
is The End. ( comments)
|
Looking down from th..op of Babylon tower,
a 10 story tall all-steel skyscraper skeleton. Built for one week in the desert. Wow. ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Looking out on the playa
from one of the higher floors. ( comments)
|
I run into Kermit,
who finds some music to jig to. ( comments)
|
The temple,
by sunset. ( comments)
|
I run into an erotic photo shoot
at the Eiffel Tower. ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Those wacky French.
(Not really - I got the impression it was a porn site or some strippers or some such) ( comments)
|
Then along comes some 70's Gym Teachers..
( comments)
|
..and they announce ..ersection Dodgeball!
Everyone in the intersection is in play, and you must stay in the intersection to stay in the game (except to fetch the ball). ( comments)
|
Ball starts in the middle
(I managed to get the first ball every time but one), and you can only take two steps in the intersection once you have the ball. ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The final two players
in a Mexican Standoff. ( comments)
|
The victor!
( comments)
|
I see that Neko No Basu
is still alive (barely) ( comments)
|
I find another game ..ersection Dodgeball.
( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The victor..
( comments)
|
..gets to challenge one of the organizers.
( comments)
|
Another game start.
( comments)
|
Like a leaping caveman
(with a pink round club), I attack. ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just a moment before I catch the ball,
and get the thrower out. ( comments)
|
Wild, leaping throw.
( comments)
|
The organizers announced the game,
and quickly gave me the nickname "The Animal" and kept referring to me as the Reigning Champion (though I usually was not) ( comments)
|
Intersection Dodgeball is totally awesome,
but has it's price in amazing blisters. ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We go on another hug patrol.
I have no photos, but this is the crew at center camp after. ( comments)
|
An exhausted hug patroller.
( comments)
|
The American Dream,
up in smoke. ( comments)
|
I become a professional moop collector,
upon finding this on the playa floor. ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flaming Lotus Girls created "Midtopia"
( comments)
|
A number of excellent whiteouts
hit us this week (and tended to last for many hours!) ( comments)
|
The man succumbs to fireworks assault.
( comments)
|
Closeup fireworks.
( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And then the man is hit
by a massive fuel blast. ( comments)
|
The man burns
while leftover fireworks ignite. [Video, 5.5M] ( comments)
|
More of the man burning.
[Video, 3.8M] ( comments)
|
Engulfed in flames.
[Video, 3.7M] ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The man finally falls
(at 1m23s) [Video, 43.1M] ( comments)
|
People head in to the bonfire.
( comments)
|
Most people circle the fire.
( comments)
|
Burn, man, burn.
( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I tend to suit up and stand close.
This year, too close, and I melted the front of my jacket. ( comments)
|
The chaos and noise and light
(and the Esplanade in the distance) post burn [Video, 13.7M] ( comments)
|
Thunderdome,
running on Saturday night. ( comments)
|
Disco Dan and OgreDave
( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Midtopia is a set of sculptures
representing (flaming) flowers at different stages of growth. ( comments)
|
..and it has controls you can use
to flame on! ( comments)
|
The three final stages
could shoot (and aim!) colored flames. ( comments)
|
..Via methanol
mixed with salts. ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Firing the top colored flames
[Video, 14.5M] ( comments)
|
The Teeter Totter Of Death
was almost fun, except the runners of the ride kept pressing us for "trade" of snacks, cigarettes or alcohol. "The ride's not free!" ( comments)
|
My reply, "How about
you do your art, and I do mine." He accepted, I rode, and then he left. Perhaps he was upset with the truth of it, or maybe he thought I was a jerk. Either way I don't think he quite "got" Burning Man. [Video, 11.8M] ( comments)
|
Disco Dan,
looking sexy on the ME throne [photo Shannon] ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OgreDave
watching the sunrise on the ME throne [photo Shannon] ( comments)
|
We play Propane Soccer
again. [photo Justin Unity] ( comments)
|
I get a Tank-Girl defender
named Lee Anna who is unstoppable [photo Justin Unity] ( comments)
|
..so we get to play
an actual game with a goalie. [photo Justin Unity] ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The minimalist town
at day. The shade structure was an undecorated version of the U.S.D.A. shade structure from 2007. ( comments)
|
Disco Dan and Shannon
surprise Mango Boy with Mango and Sticky Rice. Using freeze-dried Mango. Weird. ( comments)
|
Have no fear, Disco Dan
actually brought Mango! ( comments)
|
Home with playafied hair
(and a burn over my eyebrow from Propane Soccer!) ( comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
