Day 5: Burning Man Festival, Black Rock City, Nevada

Diane: Today was cool and windless enough to venture out in the middle of the day. Ann and her son and daughter, Austin and McKenna, joined the four of us riding our clunkers onto streets and planets unknown. Ann wore great costumes and had a buoyant laugh.

We posed for photos atop a flamingo high in the air.

We made group music with a huge drum that created a sound that resonated up and down the street.

Then on to the pillow fight arena. Yes, somebody set up a large boxing arena lined with mattresses and with many, many pillows.

From the pillow arena, we could see some hula hoops that were crying out to us. Calliope joined those already undulating. The crowd loved her. Although they cried out to others in the street, none could match Calliope’s flare and skill. She outlasted them all.

A few camps down, we came across a bar named “Fahrenheit 451”. It just so happens that Calliope is reading that book right now for English I, so we had to investigate. The “front yard” was covered with sculptural, yet functional, bicycles. The bar’s neighbor invented new bicycle forms. We got to ride a bicycle that required climbing up to the seat. A three story tower had been erected over the bar, home-made ladder included. The tower provided a fantastic view of Black Rock City. As with many creations in Burning Man, there were no guard rails, nothing to stop you from hurting yourself.

You-Gotta-Love-It Aside: This is entirely refreshing. Take responsibility for yourself, but go out on a limb a bit, if you want to. Liability risks and the U.S. court system have put a damper on that pioneering bent of the American spirit. Remember that court case, where a woman sued a large multinational corporation (McDonalds) when she spilled coffee on herself and burned herself - her claim was that McDonalds had served the coffee too hot. That one just reeked of making corporations take responsibility for individual behavior; that’s not a world I want to live in. At Burning Man, that layer of enforced safety has been removed. And it’s fun. As the event has grown, safety rules for burning have been put in place. But, people keep inventing new ways to play with fire and staying one step ahead of the rules. End You-Gotta-Love-It Aside.

Tom: Part Two of Playa Meat is People...er, uh, I meant to say The Playa is People. Our neighbors were a huge part of what made our time at Burning Man great, next door to us, our neighbors had a full on discotheque, colored lights, strobes, mirror ball, big sound - the works. Darryl, Ann, Austin and McKinna, the proprietors, were great neighbors. Long time Burners from the countynent Naranja on the planet Socal, Darryl and Ann had a steady parade of great costumes to delight the eye and a steady stream of experienced,warm, thoughtful,twisted and very funny conversation. Darryl had a megaphone which he used on a regular basis to make the announcement,"Attention People. This is a Party Zone. If you are not partying you must leave the Zone." The first time I heard him say it, I thought it was funny. The fourth time, I thought it was obnoxious. By the eighth time, it felt like being Home. Ann was great company, two of my favorite afternoons were spent with her, one with Diane, John and all the kids under our shade structure telling stories and just laughing and laughing to such an extent that other neighbors started coming over to see what was going on. The other was the afternoon we went biking around that Diane has described above. Austin and McKinna were funny confident kids who provided TM and Calliope with insight that can only come from an experienced Burner and the companionship that can only come from another teenager. Great times, great company, Great Burn.